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Conclusions Mexican GP | Hamilton's title hopes starting to slip away

Conclusions Mexican GP | Hamilton's title hopes starting to slip away

08-11-2021 08:23 Last update: 08:28
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GPblog.com

Red Bull Racing went into the Mexico Grand Prix weekend as the big favourite. In Saturday's qualifying, Mercedes excelled somewhat in their expectations, but in the race, it quickly became clear why the favourite role was (rightly) assigned to Red Bull.

Red Bull proves favourite in Mexico GP

Mercedes managed to surprise on Saturday by claiming the first two spots in qualifying, creating a glimmer of hope for the weekend's underdog. On Sunday, Red Bull Racing proved in convincing fashion that they were worthy of the favourite's role. Max Verstappen's world-beating start soon eclipsed that of Lewis Hamilton, who was unable to match the Dutchman's pace. Sergio Perez's strong performance underlines all this. Red Bull Racing were very close to a one-two finish.

Verstappen extends lead over Hamilton in dominant fashion

Momentum. Verstappen doesn't want to know about it, but he's got it. He's continuing the strong streak we saw in the United States Grand Prix, where he outsmarted Hamilton against the odds. The Red Bull driver increased his lead from 12 to 19 points and can look forward to the next week of racing with a feeling of bliss. The Brazilian Grand Prix is Red Bull's next chance to make a big impact. If Verstappen wins there too, he will gain a points lead of more than one victory for the first time.

Perez man of the match in Mexico

The Mexican looked good in front of his home crowd and started alongside his teammate from the second row. At the start he drove somewhat conservatively, making it through the chaos of the first corner. He was then able to join Hamilton, who was unable to pull away from Perez and was chased by the Red Bull driver. In the closing stages of the race, Perez looked set to make a run for second place at the expense of Hamilton, cheered on by a crowd that cheered so loud he could hear them in his helmet.

It was a close call, but the podium for the local hero was never in jeopardy. He crossed the finish line just metres behind Hamilton to become the first Mexican to the podium in his home race. Perez could be seen as the moral winner of the race and that was how it was celebrated. Confirmation came in the form of a convincing win for the honorary title of Driver of the Day, which Perez won with a whopping 37 percent of the vote.

Hamilton limits damage, but the title starts to slip away

After the race, Hamilton's face was contorted with disappointment. The Briton drove a good race but lost his backing in the form of Valtteri Bottas at the start. He then had to stay ahead of Perez, as Verstappen was already out of reach after just a few laps. The Mercedes driver managed to hold on to second place, minimising the damage. Nevertheless, he has been dealt another blow in the title race, which seems to be falling increasingly towards Verstappen.