Lewis Hamilton overcame Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who had started the race on the front row, to finish second in the Mexican Grand Prix, behind Max Verstappen.
Christian Horner attributed Lewis Hamilton’s position as Max Verstappen’s closest challenger at the end of the Mexican Grand Prix to “luck.”
The seven-time world champion qualified sixth for the race, but Verstappen was the only one ahead of him when he crossed the finish line. He trailed the Dutchman by 13.8 seconds, with Charles Leclerc, who had dropped from pole position, trailing him in third.
And Carlos Sainz had also dropped back after qualifying on the front row. Hamilton was behind them when the race was stopped after Kevin Magnussen’s huge crash at the mid-way point, but made light work of getting past them after the restart.
The red flags meant everyone could pick what tyres they wanted to restart on. Mercedes gambled on the mediums while Ferrari played it safe with the hard compound. Verstappen was also on the hards but had the pace advantage to mean it didn’t matter.
But the extra grip Hamilton had helped him to beat Leclerc to second place. Regarding the Brit’s race, though, Red Bull team principal Horner thinks he was saved by the timing of the red flag.
“They had a bit of a stroke of luck because they went in very early for a one-stop strategy,” he said. “I think, in the end, they would have been beaten by the Ferraris. But it is true that they had good speed and did well in terms of tyre wear, as we have seen from them all year.
Horner was particularly baffled by that decision from Ferrari to send both their cars back out on the hard compound for the rest of the race. That call, he said, made it simple for his driver Verstappen to speed off into the distance unchallenged.
Regarding the red flag, he stated: “Charles changed to the hard tire at that precise moment, just like us, which was a good thing because it totally neutralized our race. We thought he would target the medium compound. Then Max had everything totally under control once more.”
Following the race, Hamilton acknowledged that he had attempted to catch Verstappen, but had ultimately abandoned the strategy to ensure that he maintained his second-place finish. “We were able to switch to the newer tire at the end because of the red flag,” he acknowledged. “However, I was unsure if the medium would hold up for that long.
“Max was long gone, and I could only just about equal his times, so I was trying to see if I could catch up to him. But the team achieved a fantastic outcome, and I’m very proud of everyone.”