Motorsport

EX-FORMULA One driver Martin Brundle says Lewis Hamilton didn’t give Mercedes team-mate George Russell the “same courtesy” during their opening-lap battle at the Mexico Grand Prix.Russell afforded seven-time F1 world champion Hamilton room through Turns 1 and 2, only to be pushed out wide through Turn 3.
Hamilton forced Russell wide at Turn 3Credit: Getty
Hamilton came home in second while Russell finished fourthCredit: AP
Brundle says Hamilton didn’t show Merc team-mate Russell the ‘same courtesy’Credit: Alamy
Hamilton then powered onto the back straight while Merc team-mate Russell was left dealing with the threat of home racer Sergio Perez.
The Mexican quickly passed Russell, demoting him to P4, the position where he would eventually cross the finish line in.
Russell said after the race that if it was anyone other than Hamilton, he’d have got his elbows out more – but Brundle says Hamilton didn’t show the same courtesy.
Brundle wrote in his column for Sky F1: “Verstappen was very smart away from pole position in heading to the dusty but more easily defended right-hand side of the track.
READ MORE IN F1
“This played nicely into the hands of second-placed qualifier George Russell, who gladly accepted the slipstream until he was obliged to move left and partly alongside.
“Having had a few skirmishes recently, not least seven days earlier in Austin, George was generous with space on the inside of Turn 1 for his team-mate Lewis Hamilton and again in Turn 2, but didn’t receive the same courtesy swinging right through Turn 3 as he was squeezed wide and bounced over the kerb.
“The Ferrari boys were flying in side-by-side formation behind trying to scavenge some places, but in reality those first few corners decided the running order for the rest of the day – Verstappen, Hamilton, Perez, Russell, [Carlos] Sainz and [Charles] Leclerc.
“The 800-metre run to, and through, the first chicane defined the race.”
Most read in Motorsport
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
A shoving match in the early stages of the race is as exciting as it got at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Brundle highlighted the three on the podium this year finished in the same order in 2021.
He continued: “There’s a lot of hype and energy around the Mexican GP and there’s always a festival atmosphere created by the fiercely partisan crowd willing Sergio Perez along.
“If you took away that, along with the 55,000-seat stadium area and dramatic podium, we have to concede the racing has not been especially good at this track of late.
“In fact, the top three finishers of Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Sergio Perez were identical to last year with very similar and unexciting gaps.
Read More on The Sun
“To further underline that, Ferrari were once again a distant fifth and sixth, albeit with Sainz ahead of Leclerc this time.
“With the six fastest cars in the top six having disposed of Valtteri Bottas’ impressively qualified Alfa Romeo early doors, it promised to be quite something – but major excitement sadly failed to materialise.” More

LEWIS HAMILTON has appeared to defend Max Verstappen after the Dutchman confirmed he was boycotting Sky Sports indefinitely.World champion Verstappen, 25, and the rest of his Red Bull team are refusing interviews with Sky after reporter Ted Kravitz implied he “robbed” Hamilton of the F1 title last year.
Hamilton supported Verstappen’s criticism of social mediaCredit: Rex
Verstappen passed Hamilton in Abu Dhabi to dramatically win his first title last yearCredit: Getty
On the last lap of the final race of the 2021 season, Verstappen passed Hamilton in controversial circumstances to claim a dramatic first title of his career.
Now, just weeks on from securing a second championship in much more straightforward fashion, he has begun a war of words with Sky Sports, accusing them of fuelling negativity online.
He said: “At the moment, social media is a very toxic place. And if you are constantly being like that, live on TV, you make it only worse instead of trying to make it better in the world.
“You keep being… You keep disrespecting me, and one point I’m not tolerating it any more, so that’s why I decided to stop answering.”
READ MORE F1 NEWS
In response, Hamilton, who many felt was unfairly treated during the 2021 finale, has surprisingly supported Verstappen’s point.
As reported by The Express, he said: “Yeah, I think social media is getting more and more toxic as the years go on.
“I think we should probably get off it, ultimately. So many people… mental health is such a prominent thing right now.
“I know so many people reading their comments and the stuff that people say and it is hurtful.
Most read in Motorsport
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
“Fortunately, I don’t read that stuff but the media platforms definitely need to do more to protect people, particularly young kids and women.
“But at the moment, they’re not doing that so I think it will just continue.”
Kravitz’s comments came after Verstappen passed Hamilton late on to win the United States Grand Prix in Texas.
It denied the seven-time champion a first win of 2022, with Verstappen then going on to break the season record for most victories at the Mexican GP seven days later – where he claimed a 14th win of the year.
After the American race, Kravitz said: “[Hamilton] doesn’t win a race all year, and then finally comes back at a track where he could win the first race all year, battling the same guy who won the race he was robbed in the previous year, and manages to finish ahead of him.”
Read More on The Sun
He then went on to add: “What a script and a story that would have been. But that’s not the way the script turned out today, was it?
“Because the guy that beat him after being robbed actually overtook him, because he’s got a quicker car, because of engineering and Formula 1 and design, and pretty much because of [Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s Chief Technical Officer] over there.” More

LEWIS HAMILTON is confident Mercedes will win an F1 race this season following a “huge” result in Mexico.The Brackley-based team, spearheaded by Hamilton and team-mate George Russell, experienced countless issues with the 2022 car earlier in the year, including relentless bouncing.
Lewis Hamilton is determined to get at least one race win this seasonCredit: Getty
It left them way behind rivals Red Bull and Ferrari for speed as the Austrian and Italian teams dominated.
Neither Hamilton nor Russell have claimed a chequered flag yet – with just two races left of the season.
This could be the seven-time world champion’s first-ever season without a single race win in 16 years in F1.
But after a steady improvement in results – Hamilton finished second in the United States and Mexico GP with Russell fifth and fourth after qualifying in third and second respectively – the Stevenage star believes Mercedes will have something to celebrate before the end of the campaign.
READ MORE ON F1
That is despite the team relinquishing their eight-year grip on the constructors’ title.
Hamilton, who sits fifth in the F1 drivers’ championship 200 points behind champion Max Verstappen, said: “I’m really happy to be up here and to be able to split the Red Bulls is a huge result for us.
“We brought an upgrade into the last race and that seems to have kind of closed the gap a little bit – they still have the edge – but it was amazing for us to be fighting in qualifying and have the second and third.
“I was speaking about in strategy about us taking a risk with one of the cars at least doing something different.
Most read in Motorsport
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
“I had a gut feeling that they will be on the soft to start with and when everyone took their blankets off, everyone around us was on the softs and we’re on the mediums.
“At that moment, I thought that we may be in trouble.
“But then again, it’s a long, long race, so I thought maybe they’ll be on a two-stop. But that medium tyre just had no drop-off.
“So ultimately, I think they were on the right tyre strategy.
“But I am grateful I was able to just about keep up within that first stint. That’s huge, to be able to keep up with a Red Bull.”
The drivers have this weekend off and then head to Brazil for the penultimate race of the season.
Hamilton has enjoyed plenty of success in Sao Paulo including one of the best race wins of his career in 2021 to set up the dramatic finale in Abu Dhabi, where the 2022 season also culminates.
Hamilton and George Russell have made steady improvements over the yearCredit: Splash More

LEWIS HAMILTON has admitted that it was “awkward” being booed at the Mexican Grand Prix. Jeering reigned down on the seven-times World Champion as he gave his post-race interview yesterday.
Hamilton is still searching for that elusive first win of the seasonCredit: Getty
Sergio Perez celebrated a second podium at his home race in MexicoCredit: Splash
Perez could be seen wagging his finger at the crowd as they boo HamiltonCredit: https://twitter.com/sainzhub/status/1586840208162562050/photo/1
He was defended by home hero Sergio Perez who tried desperately to urge his countrymen and women to stop booing.
It is the latest sign of the heated division that runs among fans after last season’s controversial ending.
Max Verstappen and Perez found themselves on the receiving end of boos at the US Grand Prix last week.
Hamilton still sought to praise Mexico despite his reception and rued a dodgy strategy that left him far off eventual winner Verstappen.
READ MORE IN F1
He said: “It has definitely been a bit awkward this time around with boos all day. But, nevertheless, I have so much love for Mexico and for the people here.
“I was so close [to Verstappen] in that first stint but I think the Red Bull was clearly too fast and ultimately they had the better tyre strategy.
“I’m not sure the hard tyre was the right tyre at the end. I thought we should have started the race on the soft [rather than the medium], but obviously we had the opposite tyre to them.”
As the Brit spoke and was booed, Perez wagged his finger at the crowd to try and get them to stop.
Most read in Motorsport
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
He managed to climb onto the podium in his home race as he watched teammate Verstappen claim a record-breaking 14th win in a single season.
With the Driver’s and Constructor’s Championship wrapped up, much of the end of season intrigue is coming from off the track.
After weeks of tension, Red Bull were punished for breaching F1’s cost cap which has reignited unease over Verstappen’s title win last season.
This unease has spread from fans into the paddock with Red Bull now boycotting Sky Sports after reporter Ted Kravitz claimed Hamilton was “robbed” of the title last year. More

LEWIS HAMILTON was left to question Mercedes’ strategy after he lost out to Max Verstappen in the Mexican Grand Prix. Tyre choices proved to be crucial for all the cars up and down the grid with overtaking traditionally difficult around this circuit.
Lewis Hamilton only has two races left to try and claim his first win of the seasonCredit: Getty
With Hamilton and his teammate George Russell starting third and second respectively, behind Verstappen, hopes had risen that the seven-times World Champion could challenge for his first win of the season.
But strategy proved to be the undoing.
Mercedes had Hamilton and Russell start on the medium tyre and switch to the long-life but less grippier hard tyres, whereas Red Bull had Verstappen start on the quicker soft tyre before moving onto the surprisingly durable medium.
Hamilton thought this was the major difference between both teams in the race.
READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
He told Sky Sports after the Mexican Grand Prix: “When I was on the medium tyres there wasn’t really any degradation when they pulled me in, so I think ultimately we should have been on the softs.
“It’s something that I had asked and questioned. I thought maybe one of us, the two Mercedes, should have a soft to be able to attack.
“When both Red Bulls, and everyone behind, took their tyres off [at the beginning of the race] and had softs, I thought ‘shoot’.”
But an upbeat Hamilton added: “It may be a loss for us today but still this is good points. [There are] so many positives [to take]. The upgrade really, really worked in the last race.
Most read in Motorsport
JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET A FREE £10 BONUS WITH 100s OF GAMES TO PLAY AND NO DEPOSIT REQUIRED (Ts&Cs apply)
“We still have improvements to make, which we probably won’t make in the rest of this year, but we know exactly where we need to improve for next year.”
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff admitted that the team messed up on strategy, adding that Red Bull’s soft-to-medium combination “wasn’t even on the radar.”
Meanwhile, Russell reflected on an exciting first-lap when he duelled with Hamilton before eventually losing second place.
He said: “I think the last four races for me have been probably scrappy and going into turn one, I knew I wouldn’t be able to overtake Max around the outside.
“And then when I had Lewis there, probably if it was anyone else but my team-mate, I’d have just ran him off the road.” More