Ted Kravitz particulars the Mexican GP second that introduced Ferrari staff to tears over Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton returns to Mexico GP, revisiting historic moments in opposition to Ferrari and Vettel
This weekend, Lewis Hamilton will compete on the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix carrying Ferrari colours for the primary time in his illustrious Formulation 1 profession. But for a lot of followers and insiders, this circuit evokes recollections from eight years in the past, when Lewis Hamilton’s dominance left the Ferrari staff in tears.
Lewis Hamilton’s file on the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is outstanding. He has secured as many wins at this observe as world championships in his profession – two victories that coincided along with his title-winning campaigns in 2017 and 2018. On each events, he confronted off in opposition to Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, who initially posed a real problem to Mercedes’ supremacy however in the end fell behind after the mid-season break.
2017 collision and the beginning of Ferrari’s heartbreak
The 2017 Mexican Grand Prix is especially notorious. On the opening lap, the Briton collided with Sebastian Vettel, puncturing a tyre on his Mercedes and inflicting important injury to the entrance wing on the German’s Ferrari. Whereas Sebastian Vettel recovered to complete fourth, he wanted a top-two end to stay in rivalry for the championship. Lewis Hamilton’s ninth place was sufficient to safe the milestone, triggering celebrations and marking the tip of Ferrari’s hopes that yr.
Ferrari workers left in tears as defeat turned inevitable
In his e book F1 Insider: Notes from the Pit Lane, Ted Kravitz described the emotional aftermath for Ferrari in 2017. After a string of misfortunes, together with Vettel’s incidents in Singapore with teammate Kimi Räikkönen and Pink Bull’s Max Verstappen, in addition to a retirement at Suzuka because of energy points, Ferrari workers knew defeat was unavoidable. Regardless of this, the second Lewis Hamilton formally clinched the title in Mexico introduced many staff members to tears.
Ted Kravitz famous that though the factors deficit made Vettel’s loss mathematically sure, the emotional affect on the Scuderia was profound, reflecting simply how a lot was at stake of their battle in opposition to Hamilton and Mercedes.
2018: Vettel distraught as Hamilton seals one other title
The next yr, Lewis Hamilton arrived in Mexico with a 70-point lead over Sebastian Vettel, needing solely a top-seven end to say his fifth world championship. Ending fourth within the race was enough, whereas Vettel’s second place couldn’t alter the result. Ferrari strategist Ruth Buscombe revealed that Sebastian Vettel remained hopeful of a comeback proper till the race, making his response after the Mexican Grand Prix one in all seen disappointment.
Even after the end result was confirmed, Vettel demonstrated sportsmanship by personally shaking the palms of the Mercedes crew, acknowledging Hamilton’s dominance and accepting the championship end result gracefully. Buscombe defined that Ferrari’s inside philosophy was to by no means depend a competitor out till they had been mathematically eradicated, which made Vettel’s perception in a last-minute turnaround comprehensible.
The Mexico GP: a historic observe for Hamilton and Ferrari rivalry
The Mexican Grand Prix has develop into synonymous with Lewis Hamilton’s career-defining moments, highlighting his consistency and aggressive edge at high-altitude circuits. These races not solely strengthened Lewis Hamilton’s legacy at Mercedes but additionally underscored the psychological pressures on Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel when the championship was slipping away.
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