Heavy mechanical attrition, key protagonists hobbled by contact and a dominant victory may not be the ideal ingredients of a championship-decider, but there were nonetheless some intriguing plotlines throughout the field in Mexico.
Hamilton may have dominated the headlines – and rightly so, considering the Brit’s illustrious achievement – but Verstappen did a good job of trying to steal Lewis’ thunder. Just as in Malaysia, the 20 year-old showed that if the car is capable, he has all the tools he needs to compete, and even beat, the likes of Vettel and Hamilton.
It was a race that arguably promised much for 2018. If Red Bull can give its dynamic duo a capable car for Melbourne, Verstappen has shown the likes of Hamilton and Vettel that their habitual monopoly on grand prix victories might be short-lived. Similarly, a banzai lap in Q1 to go just two tenths shy of Hamilton poses the question whether a Renault-powered McLaren has the potential to put Alonso right in the midst of the action next year.
Some races are more interesting in retrospect than they were to watch. The Mexican Grand Prix was one of those races:
