Hamilton sees opportunity: 'It's a long way down to turn one'

Lewis Hamilton sees a good chance of winning the race at the Mexican Grand Prix. During the FIA press conference post-qualifying session, the Briton stated that he believes there are opportunities to quickly take the lead.

Pole position in Mexico seems almost cursed. The last time the race was won by the driver who started from pole was in 2016 when Hamilton managed to turn his first-place finish into a win. Since then, the race in Mexico has been won every time by someone who did not start from first place. The previous two times, the race was won from spot three, exactly the position where Hamilton starts now.

Long distance to the first corner

One explanation is that it is a very long straight from the start to the first corner. The driver starting third has a long stretch to get slipstream and thus gain an advantage over the one in front of him. That is, for example, how Max Verstappen managed to grab the lead at the first corner in 2021. Hamilton also sees this possibility.

"I think generally my laps have been pretty good," the Mercedes driver said after qualifying. "There's still more performance in it and yeah, I’ll just keep pushing. I'm pretty happy with that position to start, to be honest, it’s a long way down to Turn 1."

For Hamilton, it would be a good chance to revenge for the race in Austin last week. Hamilton seemed to be in a good position to take his first win of the season, but in the final stages of the race, Verstappen still managed to take the win.