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With his fifth title already acquired, Lewis Hamilton had been explicit: he wanted to end the season with vigor. Yet, while winning the Brazilian Grand Prix, it was an almost unexpected victory that had turned for a moment. Max Verstappen had a superb shot but was not denied the first step after a clash that left his chances to fly when Hamilton took the lead to ensure Mercedes to win its fifth consecutive world constructor title.
The victory was far from one of Hamilton's relentless dominators in the second half of the season, but he and the team did not allow him to halt their fervor for a remarkable feat.
With the fifth title won by Hamilton in Mexico, Mercedes has now tied the Ferrari record with five consecutive drivers and doubled the Scuderia constructors' championship with Michael Schumacher between 2000 and 2004.
"These guys have worked so hard in the last six years," Hamilton said. "It was an incredible trip. That's what we worked for every day. I always said it was such an honor to drive for them. "
Team manager Toto Wolff has testified to the satisfaction his team has felt after being pushed harder than ever in the era of turbo hybrids. "It was a very difficult season," he said. "We had some highs and lows, Ferrari came back in force and Red Bull at the end, but that makes the championship win even more enjoyable."
But the race had been entirely centered on Verstappen, who could barely contain his fury at the end. Hamilton started from pole and kept his lead, but Mercedes could not push his tires because Red Bull's racing pace was strong and it soon became clear that the fight was with Verstappen.
He had started from fifth place, but had a good start from the start, ahead of Kimi Räikkönen, third, Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas, second in 10 laps. He then performed a masterful relay, managing his tires and remaining 16 laps more than Hamilton before stopping. This allowed him to go out with faster flexible tires, which paid off. Four laps later, Hamilton was helpless against the Dutch's extra resistance, which allowed him to take the lead in the final straight.
He quickly departed and the race was clearly in the hands of the Dutchman until the 44th lap. Esteban Ocon hit him on the second corner, making him turn and lose five seconds for Hamilton and damage his floor. Ocon took a turn trying to deflate, an unnecessary risk against the leader of the race who was leading in the turn. "What a fucking idiot," was Verstappen's answer. Ocon was sentenced to a stop-go penalty for the incident, a cold comfort for Verstappen, as Hamilton managed to retain his lead in the flag.
Verstappen was naturally furious, a mood that had clearly not improved at the end of the race and the situation looked like a sudden outbreak as he repeatedly pushed Ocon into the weighing zone. "We are passionate about sport, it would be strange for me to shake his hand," he said. The two drivers were then summoned to the stewards.
Verstappen could have given more space to Ocon but was obviously not expecting the French to continue coming to him, understandable given that he was leading the race. "We did everything today," he said. "He [Ocon] was so stupid that he gets out when he gets bitten. "
He was supported by Christian Horner, director of the Red Bull team. "As a torn car, you must not interfere with the leader," he said. "What did Ocon think, that begs in itself. It does not make sense. "
He also defended the actions of his driver after the race. "Esteban was lucky to be able to get away with all honesty. Max lost a victory without any fault on his part. It's enormously frustrating to lose a win from behind. "
For Hamilton, however, the victory was complete as the team and he had rightly celebrated. The record book will only show victory and the one that keeps an extraordinary record that illustrates its dominance for half a decade. He has now averaged 10 wins per season since 2014. Verstappen once again proved his reputation, but the weekend finally belonged to Hamilton and Mercedes.
1 Lewis Hamilton GB 25pts Mercedes 1h 27min 09.066sec
2 Max Verstappen Neth 18pts Red Bull +0: 01.469second
3 Kimi raikkonen Fin 15pts Ferrari +0: 04.764sec
4 Daniel Ricciardo aus 12pts Red Bull +0: 05.193sec
5 Valtteri Bottas Fin 10pts Mercedes +0: 22,943sec
6 Sebastian Vettel Ger 8pts Ferrari +0: 26.997sec
7 Charles Leclerc Mon 6pts Sauber +0: 44.199sec
8 Romain Grosjean Fr 4pts Haas +0: 51.230sec
9 Kevin Magnussen Lair 2pts Haas +0: 52.857sec
ten Sergio Perez Mex 1pts Force India +1 tower
Also finished: 11 Brendon Hartley NZ Toro Rosso + 1 layer; 12 Carlos Sainz sp Renault +1 tower; 13 Pierre Gasly Fr Toro Rosso +1 tower; 14 Stoffel Vandoorne beautiful McLaren +1 tower; 15 Esteban Ocon Fr Force India +1 tower; 16 Sergey Sirotkin Rus Williams +1 tower; 17 Fernando Alonso sp McLaren +1 tower; 18 Lance Stroll can Williams +1 tower;
Unclassified: 19 Nico Hulkenberg Ger Renault DNF; 20 Marcus Ericsson Swe Sauber DNF
Championship standings: drivers: 1 Lewis Hamilton 383pts; 2 Sebastian Vettel 302pts; 3 Kimi raikkonen 251pts; 4 Valtteri Bottas 237pts; 5 Max Verstappen 234pts; 6 Daniel Ricciardo 158pts; 7 Nico Hulkenberg 69pts; 8 Sergio Perez 58pts; 9 Kevin Magnussen 55pts; ten Fernando Alonso 50pts. manufacturers: 1 Mercedes 620pts; 2 Ferrari 553pts; 3 Red Bull 392pts; 4 Renault 114pts; 5 Haas 90pts; 6 McLaren 62pts; 7 Force India 59pts; 8 Sauber 42pts; 9 Toro Rosso 33pts; ten Williams 7pts.
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