Max Verstappen enjoyed a rather quiet afternoon at the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit, as the Dutchman went on to snatch his 9th Grand Prix win of the season amidst nil threats from other drivers. But, the same can’t be said with respect to Lewis Hamilton, who spent the entire race watching the rear mirrors with caution.
The Briton was persistently under pressure from the home hero, Sergio Perez, who just wasn’t ready to let Hamilton race at peace.
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Perez pushed his Red Bull to its absolute limits and even attempted a late dive on the 7-time world champion around turn 4 of the final lap, but in vain. The intensity was very much evident, as one could notice Hamilton’s unusually heavy breathing after parking his car in the stadium section.
Reuters
Formula One F1 – Mexico City Grand Prix – Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico – November 7, 2021 Second placed Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium REUTERS/Andres Stapff
Hence, under normal circumstances, Hamilton would have celebrated this result wholeheartedly. But, the fact that the title fight against Verstappen is on the brink of collapse cost Hamilton the choice to celebrate, and rather beat himself up on not defeating the Dutchman.
Nevertheless, the Mercedes decided to keep his regrets within himself and gave out a positive reaction to his crew on the team radio.
Lewis Hamilton lauds his team’s effort following the Mexican GP
As chequered flag waved over the race in Mexico, Peter Bonnington lauded Hamilton for his tantalizing defensive show at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
He said, “Well done Lewis. It’s been a tough day at the office today. But, yeah, a great drive to hold on to P2. Certainly didn’t have the fastest racecar today”
Hamilton then responded with a rather positive message for the entire Mercedes crew. “Well done lads. That was a tough one, that was a tough one! Thank you so much for all the continued work. Let’s keep pushing,” Hamilton said.
The Mercedes driver went on to acknowledge that he gave it everything to fight against Verstappen but lacked a decent amount of pace. “I gave it everything. Just didn’t have the pace,” Hamilton concluded.
Although Hamilton failed to secure the win in Mexico, he still is within the striking distance of Verstappen, with just 19 points separating the duo. And all it takes is one race for the entire title fight to turn upside down. So, can Hamilton pull back Verstappen in Brazil in a bid to keep his title hopes alive?
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