The Hot Rod is a dangerous but also fast vehicle. Somehow Toto Wolff failed to recognise the consolation.Hot Rod is one of the Vehicles available in the game Hill Climb Racing 2. That difference kept Verstappen’s gap to Hamilton below 20 points and ensured Mercedes-AMG still holds a one-point advantage over Red Bull. In the end all he could contribute was stealing fastest lap from Verstappen, not to score a point himself – he was too low down the order for that – but to ensure Max didn’t grab it. Once he and Ricciardo stopped for repairs and the hard tyres, Valtteri found himself bottled up behind the McLaren and appeared powerless to get past. Then when Daniel Ricciardo’s McLaren clipped him and sent him spinning – despite Pérez apparently and oddly putting his hands up for a crime he didn’t commit – Bottas knew he was facing a miserable and long afternoon’s graft. No wonder he was a little too careful on the brakes. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place: he was smack bang between the two title protagonists, simply had to keep out of Hamilton’s way and absolutely didn’t want to get mixed up in a stormy controversy by clashing with Verstappen. But put yourself in Bottas’s racing boots for a moment. But Verstappen followed them, took the outside line and was so much later on the brakes as he swept from third to first it was almost embarrassing. His initial getaway was decent as he and Hamilton dragged down to Turn 1 side-by-side. And this time there really wasn’t much he could do about a race that went against him almost from the start. If Pérez is a threat to Hamilton, that more than Verstappen’s gap at the front rams home just how strong Red Bull-Honda is right now as the end of the season looms into sight.Īfter Valtteri Bottas’s top-draw performance in qualifying to claim a surprise pole position, the Finn was once again out of luck on Sunday. But let’s face it: it’s also bang-on true. “It shows just how fast this Red Bull is when Sergio is that close behind.” Oof. He shrugged off the threat afterwards and made a pointed statement that summed up his feelings about the day. But through a bit of traffic – Lando Norris’s McLaren, George Russell’s Williams – the moment passed and it became obvious that Hamilton was never going to be ruffled. Pérez loomed large and briefly looked set to get within range for a stab at Hamilton’s second place.
But while Verstappen showed Red Bull’s clean pair of heels to Hamilton and Mercedes, Pérez didn’t quite have it in him to deal a further blow and deliver a team 1-2 – no matter how much the partisan crowd cheered him on.Īfter Hamilton remained in front as Pérez ran long to the pitstops, to the tune of a 12-lap tyre advantage on Pirelli’s hard compound, the chase at least appeared to be on. It was impossible not to be moved by the enthusiasm and emotion that surrounded ‘Checo’ who performed well in front of his adoring public, as Mexico City rivalled Austin’s Circuit of the Americas for the best atmosphere of this remarkable season.
Instead he found himself in defensive mode against the other Red Bull of home hero Sergio Pérez. It was arguably the case already, but now we know for sure: the 2021 F1 world championship is Max Verstappen and Red Bull’s to lose.įrom those early laps Hamilton knew he wasn’t in a race with Verstappen on Sunday. But if that’s what Hamilton is relying on, and after Mexico it increasingly appears he might have to, his bid is starting to look a little desperate.
HILL CLIMB RACING 1 VS 2 DRIVERS
But with engine life critical for both Mercedes and Honda, and penalties coming left, right and centre for drivers down the field, it’s not out of the question that either driver could suffer a devastating mechanical failure in one of the remaining races. “Of course it’s looking good, but it can turn around quickly.” That gap is one point short of the equivalent of a second place for Hamilton and a DNF for Verstappen, and such an occurrence is never out of the question in motorsport, even in F1 today when reliability is generally so strong. “There’s still a long way to go,” he said. Of course, it isn’t over yet – as Verstappen was quick to point out. Verstappen was stroking it for his 18 th F1 victory and a 19-point lead in the standings. At the flag the difference between the two title protagonists was 16.555 seconds, but you got the feeling it could have been more. That was it right there, where Max made the difference and put himself in the position to control the race, forget the rest and win as he pleased. Just look how late Verstappen was on the brakes into Turn 1.
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