F1 news: Lewis Hamilton warns Mercedes just not fast enough to catch up with Max Verstappen | Local News

Verstappen passed his championship rival at the start of the Mexican Grand Prix yesterday and was never threatened throughout the race to take his lead in the drivers’ standings to 19 points.

Hamilton said it was his responsibility to win the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday, but admitted he might not even come close.

“I naturally feel that I have to win every race because we need those extra points,” he said. “But they’re just too fast so we’re giving absolutely everything we have but unfortunately it’s not enough at the moment to compete with them.”

Hamilton limited the damage by keeping Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez at bay for second place while Valtteri Bottas took the only point offered for the fastest lap of the race.

The Briton was not ready to concede defeat in the title race but said: “I think today with their top gear, if they were to wear this in the next ones, we might be in. difficulty or we will be in difficulty. We’ll know when we get there [to Brazil] but I hope we are closer.

“They have the fastest car, but all I can do is try to squeeze everything out of mine and make sure I don’t neglect anything and give it my all. I have four races left and I have to keep pushing.

After bouncing back from a poor qualifying session when race-favorite Red Bull lost to Mercedes, Verstappen refused to be carried away by the margin of his lead in a fluctuating championship.

He said, “There is a long way to go. It is of course beautiful but it can also turn very quickly. I don’t believe in momentum. It’s going to be really tight and exciting until the end.