How Lewis Hamilton can wrap up fifth F1 world title in Mexico

Lewis Hamilton will be crowned the 2018 Formula 1 world champion if he finishes inside the top seven at this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.

Hamilton’s title celebrations were put on hold after he could only manage third in a thrilling United States Grand Prix, despite finishing one place ahead of title rival Sebastian Vettel.

The Mercedes driver heads to Mexico with a 70-point lead over Vettel with just 75 up for grabs in the final three races of the season. Hamilton needs a 50-point buffer by the end of the race to ensure he secures the title.

It means Hamilton needs to score just five points across the final rounds in Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi to wrap up the 2018 world championship, even in a scenario where Vettel took a clean sweep of victories.

Therefore, a seventh-place finish at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez Circuit in the heart of Mexico City would be enough to ensure Hamilton clinches his fifth drivers’ world title with two races to spare.

Vettel, on the other hand, must win in Mexico with Hamilton eighth or lower to keep his fading championship hopes alive heading to Brazil.

Mexican GP title permutations:

Hamilton will be crowned 2018 world champion if

• Hamilton finishes seventh or higher (even if Vettel wins)
• Vettel finishes second or lower

Hamilton finds himself in a similar position in the title race as he did last year in Mexico - which marked the scene of his fourth world championship triumph.

What's Hamilton said?

"I honestly haven’t given a care about the championship, I haven’t had a single thought about the championship this weekend, there were a lot of questions about it and I was just here to win," Hamilton said after the United States Grand Prix on Sunday.

"The sole goal is to win these four races that is what my mind was set on and naturally if you do that you could win the championship but I was just thinking of doing my best performance for the weekend.

"We are still in a great position and we leave here with frustrations but I want to win the title for the team but today we lost points in the constructors’ and collectively we have lost some performance in some areas. I think we know where it is and we still have three races to go."

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