Lewis Hamilton leads into the first corner at the start of the Mexican Grand Prix. Mark Thompson / Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton leads into the first corner at the start of the Mexican Grand Prix. Mark Thompson / Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton leads into the first corner at the start of the Mexican Grand Prix. Mark Thompson / Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton leads into the first corner at the start of the Mexican Grand Prix. Mark Thompson / Getty Images

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Rosberg's lead in the drivers' championship cut to 19 points by his Mercedes-GP teammate with two races of the Formula One season remaining.

Graham Caygill

October 31, 2016

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Lewis Hamilton claimed his eighth victory of the season at the Mexican Grand Prix to close the gap on Mercedes-GP teammate Nico Rosberg to 19 points with two races to go of the 2016 Formula One season.

The Briton dominated the race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to prevail and pick up the 51st win of his career.

His only scare came at the start when he out-braked himself going into Turn 1 and ran wide across the grass, but was able to rejoin still ahead and without damaging his car.

The result gave Mercedes their 17th win of the season, breaking the record for most victories by a team in one season.

Rosberg had struggled to match Hamilton on pace all weekend and that continued into the race as he was unable to challenge his teammate.

The German had to spend more time looking behind him than in front as he was put under pressure by Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen.

The two had touched in the opening corners of the race, but escaped unscathed, and then mid-race Verstappen dived down the inside of Rosberg at Turn 4 as they lapped Carlos Sainz’s Toro Rosso, but the Dutch racer was unable to slow his car and ran wide, giving the place back to the Mercedes man.

The championship destiny remains out of Hamilton’s hands despite his second win in a row, coming seven days after his US Grand Prix victory, as even if he wins the remaining races in Brazil on November 13 and the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 27, if Rosberg can finish second and third in those two events then he will be champion.

Rosberg can win the title in Brazil if he is victorious in Sao Paulo, and the track at Interlagos is one that Hamilton has never won at in nine past attempts.

Verstappen was third on track at the finish, with a one-stop strategy getting Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel fourth ahead of the second Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo.

But he was demoted to fifth post-race by the stewards for not giving up track position after running wide off the circuit at Turn 1 while defending from Vettel in the closing laps.

This earned him a five-second time penalty and gave Vettel third and Ricciardo fourth.

Nico Hulkenberg was sixth in his Force India ahead of Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari, with the Williams of Valtteri Bottas completing the top eight.

gcaygill@thenational.ae

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F1Lewis HamiltonMercedes