Mexico City: Defending champion Lewis Hamilton kept alive his title defence hopes with a controlled victory ahead of championship leader and Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg in a stormy Mexican Grand Prix here Sunday.
The 31-year-old Briton came home comfortably ahead of the German to trim his advantage to 19 points with two races remaining after a fiery finish to the 71-lap race.
The race saw four-time champion Sebastian Vettel lose his temper during a tempestuous exchange following a clash with Dutch teenager Max Verstappen of Red Bull. The conflict was settled by the stewards who swiftly handed the Dutchman a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage when he went off the track at ‘Turn One’. That promoted Vettel to third place, but his joy was shortlived.
Almost three hours after the race had ended, Vettel was penalised 10 seconds and demoted from third to fifth after officials deemed he had made a dangerous blocking move on Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo. That moved Ricciardo up to third and Verstappen to fourth.
But the final fury could not overshadow a near-flawless drive by Hamilton to his second race win in succession, his eighth of the season and the 51st of his glittering career.
“It’s my first career win in Mexico and for that I am very happy,” said Hamilton. “Nico is doing a great job and I just aim to keep winning. It’s all I can do.”
Rosberg said: “It’s been a good day. I haven’t been too fast this weekend so I have to accept second. I got shunted at the start and had a battle with Max (Verstappen) late on, so second is okay.”
The Mercedes team’s one-two victory was a record 17th for the season and it was Hamilton’s 30th win from pole position. Only seven-time champion Michael Schumacher has more on 40. Hamilton is now level with four-time champion Frenchman Alain Prost on 51 wins.
Rosberg, however, can clinch his maiden drivers’ title if he wins the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, a circuit on which Hamilton has never won, November 13.
Agence France-Presse