Lewis Hamilton needs only finish seventh or higher at Mexican Grand Prix to seal the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship and become a five times World Champion, four times with Mercedes whose boss Toto Wolff is still refusing to throw caution to the wind.
It is important to note that Hamilton can ‘finish seventh or higher’ in any one of the next three races, with only one DNF on his scorecard this season it is hard to imagine the title going anywhere else.
Mexico is likely to be the venue of the coronation but Wolff is still being cautious, “The US Grand Prix confirmed what we said before the race: This year’s championship fight is far from over. While Lewis was able to extend his lead over Sebastian Vettel in Austin, we lost points to Ferrari in the constructors’ championship.”
“We have a battle on our hands and we will have to keep pushing to win both titles. We cannot be happy with the result in Texas, but it provides us with an opportunity to learn and come back stronger.
Wolff: We know that it is not going to be an easy race
“Our next stop brings us to Mexico City where we will face a very different challenge. The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is an outlier given its high altitude and the demands this puts on the cars and power units.”
“It has been one of the weaker tracks for us in previous years and we expect a hard fight with Ferrari and Red Bull. The weather forecast predicts conditions similar to those we had in Austin which might throw everyone another curveball by limiting dry running.”
“We know that it is not going to be an easy race, but everyone in the team is focused, motivated and determined to keep the pressure on until the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi,” added the Mercedes team chief.
Hamilton needs to be 50 points or more ahead of title rival Sebastian Vettel after the race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to seal the deal – thus seventh will do it – while Mercedes lead the constructors’ standings by 66 points with three rounds remaining.
How Hamilton can win the title in Mexico
- If Vettel wins in Mexico, Hamilton must finish seventh;
- If Vettel is second or lower in Mexico, Hamilton is world champion.
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