The 2018 Mexican Grand Prix is in the books and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton won his fifth world championship at the race. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won the race rather easily but it was Hamilton’s fourth-place finish that clinched his fifth world title. Ferrari had a 2-3 finish as Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen filled out the podium.
Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, sat on the pole position alongside Verstappen in the first row but Hamilton split them at the race start with Verstappen grabbing the lead and Ricciardo dropping to third ahead of Vettel. Hamilton, needing only to finish seventh or higher to claim his world title, was not interested in chasing down Verstappen and spent much of the race managing tire issues and avoiding dropping below sixth place. The battle eventually emerged between former Red Bull teammates Ricciardo and Vettel for second but Ricciardo’s car ceased to exist in Lap 62 of the 71-lap race, gifting second place to Vettel. ASN awards first-place points to Verstappen, second-place points to Vettel and divides the final point three ways between the hard-luck Ricciardo, Toro Rosso’s Brendan Hartley who moved up 10 spots in the race and McLaren’s Stoffel Vandoorne, who moved up seven spots and finished in eighth – tied for his best finish of the year. Hamilton had already clinched the 2018 ASN title earlier in the month.
The Pastor Maldonado Driving School Award was a tough one for this race as there was no clear culprit so ASN awards a split of the point to Hamilton and his Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas, who both went driving on the grass late in the race, due to tire wear but both should have realized that and not pushed into the corners. Verstappen long ago clinched this category.
The Kimi Raikkonen “Leave Me Alone! I Know What I’m Doing!” Award goes to Hamilton [since Alonso wasn’t in the race long enough to have a chance to whinge] for his constant whinging about tires and strategies when he should have known both the track and tire scenarios – everybody else certainly did. With his point, Hamilton takes a slim half-point lead over Alonso and Verstappen with two races left to go on the schedule.
The Bernie Ecclestone Doofus Moment Award was also slim pickings for this race so ASN will award it – admittedly, half-heartedly – to Hamilton for mailing it in on his effort. That point puts Hamilton ahead of Verstappen for the category lead.
2018 ASN Formula One Driver Standings – After Mexican Grand Prix
1] Lewis Hamilton – 35 points
2] Sebastian Vettel – 24
3] Max Verstappen – 14
4] Valtteri Bottas/Kimi Raikkonen – 13
6] Daniel Ricciardo – 9.33
7] Sergio Perez – 3
8] Pierre Gasly – 2.33
9] Nico Hulkenberg – 2
10] Stoffel Vandoorne – .33
2018 Pastor Maldonado Driving School Award – After Mexican Grand Prix
1] Verstappen – 6.83 points
2] Romain Grosjean/Vettel – 2
4] Bottas – 1.5
5] Hulkenberg/Perez/Sirotkin/Vandoorne – 1
9] Gasly/Hamilton Hartley/Raikkonen – .5
13] Red Bull/Ricciardo – .33
2018 Kimi Raikkonen “Leave Me Alone! I Know What I’m Doing!” Award – After Mexican Grand Prix
1] Hamilton – 5 points
2] Fernando Alonso/Verstappen – 4.5
4] Bottas/Raikkonen/Vettel – 1
7] Lecleerc/Perez/Minttu Raikkonen/Verstappen pit – .5
2018 Bernie Ecclestone Doofus Moment Award – After Mexican Grand Prix
1] Hamilton – 3.125 points
2] Verstappen – 2.125
3] McLaren/Mercedes – 1.5
5] Toto Wolff – 1.125
6] Canadian Grand prix officials/Ferrari pit [Raikkonen]/Force India/Mercedes pit [Hamilton]/Monaco Grand Prix officials/Red Bull/Vettel – 1
13] Ecclestone – .625
14] Azerbaijan Grand Prix officials/Nico Rosberg/Spanish Grand Prix officials – .5
17] Gasly/Grosjean/Hulkenberg/Kevin Magnussen – .125