Motorsport News 11/11/21

World champion Lewis Hamilton is cautious on claiming a record-breaking eighth crown after once again being put in the shade by Red Bull rival Max Verstappen in the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday. The British driver battled to second place in Mexico City but had no answer for his Dutch rival, who claimed top spot at the opening corner and powered to a 16-second victory to extend his advantage at the head of the points table. Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez put pressure on Hamilton at the end of the race and finished in third place. “There are still four races [to go],” said Hamilton, “[but] 19 points is a lot of points.And [Max]’s had a lot of wins. If they were to carry that on to the next ones, we will be in…

The Mexican Grand Prix was hardly a thriller, but more of a stand-off between title chargers Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. And, when the flag fell, it was very much advantage to the Red Bull man. Even Hamilton’s team boss Toto Wolff acknowledged that the silver machines were only really good enough for third place in Mexico City and Lewis’s performance to drag second place out of his W12 exceeded what the car was capable of. This shows how Lewis is extracting every ounce of speed from the Mercedes, and it also means that Verstappen’s climb to the summit of the points table is, perhaps, even more meritorious. The Dutchman has not been gifted any buffer at the summit, he has fully earned it and he is racing with some real aplomb. The…

The run down to Turn 1 in Mexico is the longest on the calendar and this was where Max Verstappen made his crucial move to secure victory last Sunday. When he braked into the first corner later than the two Mercedes on the opening lap, it gave him a clear run to command the race from the front. It was ironic that a poor qualifying performance had left Verstappen only third on the grid, behind his title rival Lewis Hamilton and pole position holder Valtteri Bottas. But with the effect of the slipstream so strong on the long drag to the first bend, the start gave him the perfect opportunity to gain a tow from Bottas, pull out from under his rear wing and brake on the racing line to snatch…

Formula 1 is set to increase the number of sprint qualifying races to six next season and could potentially expand the format to every grand prix in the future. The third and final ‘Sprint’ of this trial year will take place at Interlagos this coming weekend, with the qualifying hour moving to Friday. F1’s managing director Ross Brawn says tweaks will be made to the format, such as increasing the points on offer or even having a separate champion for the points scored in the shorter-format races. “We are taking it step by step and off the back of six we can decide whether we want to increase the number,” said Brawn. “The overall weekend has improved so much that we are discussing with the teams how to make Saturday morning challenging…

Lewis Hamilton hopes this year’s World championship fight won’t be decided by an on-track clash between himself and rival Max Verstappen. Speaking in Mexico last weekend, Hamilton said that he wanted to win the title in the “right way” on the track. Speaking on the potential for a collision to decide the title, Hamilton said: “I’ve never won a championship in that way and would never want to. “I’m here to win through sheer skill, determination and hard work.” From the opposing camp, Red Bull boss Christian Horner echoed Hamilton’s sentiments adding he didn’t want the title decided in a gravel trap. “We want a really fair fight and I think any driver would want to win the championship on track. We’re a team of racers and if we can pull off this feat…

Max Verstappen is refusing to say that he has one hand on this year’s Formula 1 World title despite opening up a 19-point lead at the head of the points table with his ninth victory of the season in Mexico last weekend. The Red Bull driver leapt from third spot on the grid to first at the opening corner by passing polesitter Valtteri Bottas and his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton. The Dutchman was untroubled thereafter as he powered to his second successive grand prix victory. There are four rounds remaining in this year’s competition and the year will conclude with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 12. “It was all about braking late [at the opening corner],” Verstappen said. “I kept it on the track and that basically made my race. It’s…