Vettel: "I think they had nothing to lose"

F1 News

27 October 2019 at 22:46

Sebastian Vettel almost came into contact with Lewis Hamilton at the start of the Mexican Grand Prix. Hamilton was squeezed onto the grass which dropped him back to Max Verstappen. The German was not aware of any Hamilton attack in the long run down to turn 1. 

"That wasn't so bad," he tells Ziggo Sport. "He [Hamilton] early after the race had happened, but I couldn't see him at all. By the time I saw him, I turned right again. After that, it was fairly simple actually. I tried to attack Charles a little bit, but at the very moment that he was slowing down, I was slowing down too, that was a shame."

Hamilton went on to win the race. Vettel says Mercedes took a gamble and it paid off. 

"Then we did what we could. He [Hamilton] kept his tyres very well. I think they had nothing to lose, they opted for the hard tyres early on and I don't think anyone expected them to finish it until the end would love."