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Toto Wolff briefly lost track: 'I thought there were still four'
By now, it is safe to say that Lewis Hamilton actually finished second in the Mexican Grand Prix. If there had been any problems with his Mercedes, it would have been obvious a day later. So it may also be concluded that Hamilton is back in the fight for P2 in the World Championship. 20 points separate the Briton and Sergio Perez(Red Bull Racing), the Mexican who currently holds the second spot.
The '23 season is heading into the final chapter, but there is still everything to play for at Mercedes. "Okay, four races to go, I believe," responds Toto Wolff, Mercedes team boss in conversation with Viaplay. The answer is 'three', and the Austrian said: "It's got to be three only, I thought it was four more travelling. Obviously, super sorry for the Mexican public here, to have their local hero out in lap one. Yeah, it's a shame, but we're hunting down for P2."
Wolff praises Hamilton: 'Fantastic to see'
Mercedes chose to send Lewis Hamilton out on mediums in his final stint, where many competitors opted for the hard tyres. That proved to be a good choice. Hamilton was even able to grab the point for fastest race lap on the last lap. "Yeah, we didn't know whether it would really last, but the longer we went, we saw Norris going really strong, pushing the tyre even more than us, so that were some good indications."
An ever-improving Mercedes AND a Hamilton in top form. Second place in the final standings is looking more realistic.