Current Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team Technical Director and former Scuderia Ferrari Technical Director James Allison has praised Lewis Hamilton’s fourth World Championship Title win, following the Brit’s season-long battle with Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel.
Mercedes beat Ferrari to take the Constructor’s Championship last time out in Austin, and headed into Mexico knowing that Hamilton could take the Driver’s title should Vettel fail to score second or above.
Whilst this helped the team going into the race, Allison says that they knew it was by no means a done deal.
“We knew that the championship arithmetic favoured us going into this race. But that didn’t mean that it was a comfortable afternoon after the melee of the first corner – either for us sitting on the pit wall with all the information at our fingertips but much more for Lewis who had the lonely task of picking his way back through the field from stone-cold last.
“In truth, as long as the front stayed reliable, this looked like Lewis was safe throughout, especially since Valtteri drove very capably, holding down a very assured second place. But you can’t rely on that and so we were very keen to get Lewis up into 9th place and it was an amazing achievement for him to do that at this track which is so difficult to overtake at.
“It’s a great feeling for us after sealing up the Constructors’ Championship last week to come here and finish the championship that the rest of the world really cares about and to make sure that Lewis was crowned champion for the fourth time.
“It’s hard to imagine a season where the champion has more richly deserved the spoils.
“It’s been a brilliant, competitive, inspiring year of motorsport and Lewis has been the one constant throughout. We couldn’t be happier for him.”
