Mexico (AFP)
Lewis Hamilton won Sunday's F1 Grand Prix of Mexico but will have to wait to be crowned world champion for a sixth time, his teammate and last rival in the standings, Valtteri Bottas, having finished 3rd.
The Brit dominated the race thanks to a wise choice of tires that allowed him to cross the finish line with a little less than two seconds ahead of Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari). The fourth is the Monegasque Charles Leclerc, also on Ferrari.
"It's an unbelievable result," said Lewis Hamilton, who decided to go early (23rd lap) in the hard tire race, forcing him to take a very long second stint.
"It was a tough race but we came back," he added, as the Mercedes did not go away in front of the Ferrari and the Red Bull who could not do better than 5th with Alexander Albon and 6th with Max Verstappen.
The latter caught on the first corner with Hamilton which forced him to a getaway in the grass, then suffered a puncture after a touch with Bottas.
The next Grand Prix is the United States next Sunday (November 3rd). Hamilton will have to score four points more than Bottas to be crowned world champion.
© 2019 AFP