While it appeared that the ever dominant Lewis Hamilton would come out on top after leading the pack for the majority of the race, Nico Rosberg will start in pole position on Sunday. This time, there was only a polite handshake.
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Team boss Toto Wolff, who had explained the team’s expectations to the drivers before the race in an effort to avoid any repeat of the wheel-banging battle that led to discord in Texas, said he had no issue with Hamilton’s questions. “Made no mistakes”, Hamilton said. “It was just racing”.
Formula One’s first race in Mexico in 23 years drew massive crowds, majority cheering Force India’s Mexican driver Sergio Perez, who finished eighth. Formula One’s return to Mexico has been a spectacular success, with an unbelievable and vibrant atmosphere from start to finish. The track also features the longest straight in Formula, a where cars hit a blistering 226 miles per hour (364 kph) in qualifying. That’s where Hamilton had hoped to catch Rosberg at the start.
Lauda believes Rosberg fully deserved the victory and nipped in the bud any suggestions that Mercedes’ conservative two-stop strategy, which Hamilton questioned at the time, was created to help Rosberg. Rosberg says he wasn’t pleased with the decision at the time but in hindsight felt like the race unfolded in his advantage.
“We want to see them race, and not pre-agree who goes through the first corner first and who goes second”. Valterri Bottas finished in third. A clumsy bump by the Ferrari driver broke Raikkonen’s right rear axle. He has taken victory from that position at each of the previous three races.
Vettel then joked: “Can you make sure you take both of you out so I can go through? Yes? No?”
Ferrari’s day was not so respectable. Red Bull Racing, still in search of an engine for 2016, saw their drivers finishing a respectful fourth and fifth, with Daniil Kvyat leading Daniel Riccardo. Sebastian Vettel suffered a puncture early in the race and trailed in last place before a quick fix allowed him to surge back into fourth.
Ferrari’s first failure to score points since Japan a year ago and first double retirement since Australia 2006. “I did a (bad) job today”. Raikkonen denied Bottas a podium finish in Russian Federation last month after he collided with the Williams driver on the final lap and there was a sense of payback in Bottas’ lunge at turn four.
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“But it is also odd that now that it has happened, I come to this race and I have the same hunger as before”, Hamilton, who is currently here for the Mexican Grand Prix, was quoted as saying by the official website.
