Relentless Hamilton determined not to miss out
Lewis Hamilton had wanted to seal his fourth world championship with a win but by the time he exited turn three with a puncture it was off the agenda. The incident typified how badly he wanted to fight for the victory, despite not needing it to secure the championship.
He had been three abreast with Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel going into turn one but recognised that continuing to do so would not end well and allowed them to go together through the corner. They duly touched giving him the chance to go up the inside of two and the space to go in front through three. He had played the percentages and looked to be coming out on top until Vettel clipped him and the race changed. Hamilton had checked to allow for Verstappen’s compromised exit and Vettel, it seemed, had not reacted swiftly enough. He was told that Vettel could not make second place – the minimum needed to keep the title fight alive but Hamilton was unwilling to leave anything to chance. He had a broken diffuser but made eight overtakes on seven drivers, including a climactic battle with Fernando Alonso to take ninth – ensuring that even second would not be enough for Vettel. Title-winning determination.
Battle with Alonso a taster for 2018?
Hamilton’s battle with Alonso was magnificent and a worthy way to ensure the title given that he could not win the race. He had tried once round the outside of turn one, but Alonso made it clear he would not back off, taking the apex. Hamilton tried again at the same place and Alonso once again defended stoutly, holding the place with late braking through the left and right of two and three but by four Hamilton had a run on the outside. Alonso switched to the inside line leaving Hamilton just enough space to make it stick through the exit of five. It was breathtaking stuff and another stark reminder of Alonso’s talent.
Hamilton said this weekend he believes the double-world champion is still the best driver on the grid and he was complimentary again afterwards. “To have the battle with Fernando, I was like: ‘this is one tough mofo’,” he said. “Just wait ’til this guy gets a good engine, because the car was great through other sections. Fernando’s a tough cookie and I enjoyed the little battle I had with him and I hope we get to have many more like that.”
McLaren sow seeds of mischief
In contrast, Alonso was rather unfairly critical of Hamilton’s fourth world championship, which has been a very hard-fought affair despite him sealing it with two races remaining.
“It was very easy this year, no opponents,” the Spaniard said. “Last year he had Nico until the last race, fighting every single race. This year was too easy. Mercedes four races to the end – constructors’ champion, Hamilton three races before the end – drivers’ champion.” Which is doing Mercedes some disservice given that Hamilton was behind Vettel until the 13th round at Monza and only took a clear advantage after Ferrari suffered their meltdown though Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.
But perhaps it was mischief rather than malice on Alonso’s part as he wanted to make a point that once he is finally rid of the Honda engines he will no longer be a midfield road block. “Hopefully McLaren-Renault will change this easy time for them,” he added. “He knows how strong the McLaren car is in the corners, he saw it on Sunday. Next year hopefully we can give a him a little bit of a harder time.” They have a way to go to catch Mercedes but further Alonso-Hamilton jousting will be more than welcome.
Verstappen in a class of his own
Hamilton’s title tilt dominated the coverage but at the front of the field Verstappen was in a class of his own for the win, once again making his own future championship-contender credentials clear.
His intent was obvious from the off when he went after Vettel in turn one and when he had the lead on the exit of three he was untouchable. For the opening 30 laps he was putting over two-tenths a lap on Valtteri Bottas. He led for all 71 and by the flag his advantage over Bottas was just under 20 seconds. Indeed he had begun looking to set the fastest lap of the race to stay entertained – as Vettel did when he dominated for Red Bull. But with Renault engines going pop across the field the team were concerned.
“The big challenge in this race was to slow him down, not speed him up,” said the team principal, Christian Horner. The prospect of the title fight going three ways in 2018 is looking better than ever, while Red Bull are considering altering one policy. “We have a minor bonus system regarding fastest lap which I am thinking of eradicating,” Horner said with a smile.
Ecclestone still sails close to the wind
One wonders how long F1’s owners the Formula One Group are going to keep Bernie Ecclestone on in his role as chairman emeritus after he weighed in over the weekend with the sort of claims that certainly do not fit with their vision.
He suggested to an Italian newspaper that Ferrari had received help from Mercedes with their engines in order to make their success look more impressive. Perhaps more damaging from a publicity perspective was his claim that when he ran F1 with Max Mosley, Ferrari had assistance from them.
“Helping Ferrari has always been the smartest thing to do,” he said. “And it always has always been done through the technical regulations. Teams are important for the F1, but Ferrari is the most. That’s why over the years, many things have been done that have helped Maranello win.”
The Ferrari president, Sergio Marchionne, responded by calling it “unadulterated hogwash”. Mercedes’ Toto Wolff took the claims with good humour. “He is the only one who is able to sit on the other side of the world and throw a hand grenade and it actually lands in the paddock,” he said. The Formula One Group, however, may not see the funny side.
