MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton won the Mexican Formula One Grand Prix yesterday to cut Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg’s lead to 19 points and prevent the German taking his first title with two races to spare.
The pole-to-flag victory was the triple world champion’s eighth of the season and put him level with France’s Alain Prost in the all-time lists with 51 career victories. Only Michael Schumacher (91) has won more.
Rosberg, who would have clinched the title had he won and Hamilton finished 10th or lower, finished 8.354 seconds behind to anchor champions Mercedes to their sixth one-two finish of the season.
The German can clinch the title if he wins the penultimate round at Sao Paulo’s Interlagos circuit in Brazil in two weeks’ time.
“Lewis has been too fast this weekend,” said Rosberg. “I just have to accept second place.”
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel took third place when Red Bull’s Dutch teenager Max Verstappen, who provided much of the afternoon’s entertainment and controversy, was penalised after the chequered flag for gaining an advantage when going off.
That triggered the main drama of the day.
“He has to let me go, he has to let me go,” Vettel, who had been trying to pass the Red Bull driver on the 67th of the 71 laps, exclaimed furiously over the team radio as Verstappen refused to concede the place.
The German, who also directed a foul-mouthed outburst at race director Charlie Whiting, swerved across to the Red Bull driver after they crossed the line and wagged a raised finger theatrically.
“I was using a lot of sign language. You have to understand the adrenaline,” said the four-times champion.
Verstappen defended himself with vigour, saying Vettel should go back to school.
“I don’t know how many times he is using very bad language,” said the teenager. “I will speak to him because this is how ridiculous he is handling it, he is just a very frustrated guy at the moment.”
TIME PENALTY
Verstappen joined the Mercedes drivers in the waiting room before the podium ceremony but was hauled out after stewards imposed a five second time penalty and Vettel had to run down the pit lane to the podium.
The arguments and accusations continued after the ceremonies, with Vettel and Verstappen’s Australian team mate Daniel Ricciardo under investigation for some late wheel-banging.
“He (Vettel) is smiling now. He doesn’t deserve to be up there (on the podium),” declared the Australian. “I thought I had every right to be there but he kept closing the door under braking. I was frustrated with that.”
In a race that saw all but one of the 22 starters finish, the safety car was deployed on the second lap when Mexican Esteban Gutierrez tagged Pascal Wehrlein’s Manor and pushed him into Marcus Ericsson’s Sauber.
There was more drama at the front where Hamilton made a good getaway but then locked up and trekked across the grass, cutting the first corner.
That incident was later held up by Verstappen as inconsistent stewarding, with the Briton also gaining an advantage but escaping any sanction.
Verstappen and Rosberg made contact behind Hamiton, with the Dutch driver trying to find a way through on the inside from third place on the grid, but race stewards decided to take no further action.
Ricciardo finished fourth, moved up by Verstappen’s penalty, with the Dutchman classified fifth.
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was sixth, Nico Hulkenberg seventh for Force India and the Williams pairing of Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa eighth and ninth.
Mexican Sergio Perez, the crowd favourite, took the final point for Force India in 10th place after a long battle with Massa.