How Lewis Hamilton Can Win Fifth Title Without Finishing Mexico GP

Lewis Hamilton is all but certain to be crowned the 2018 Formula 1 world champion after this Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix with the Mercedes driver needing just six points or more to clinch his fifth Drivers’ title.

In what started as a season that could finally end Mercedes’ dominance — the reigning champions have once again shown why they are so tough to beat in the current era by surging forward compared to their rivals in the second half of the campaign.

Ferrari mounted their best challenge in recent years and many expected the Italian manufacturer to push Mercedes right to the wire and it looked that way until the summer break. Sebastian Vettel was tipped as the favorite with many believing Ferrari had finally built a car on par with that of Mercedes.

However, it was not to be as Vettel’s season unraveled with one mistake after another starting before the summer break at the German Grand Prix when he crashed out from the lead. He then made numerous mistakes after the break in Italy, Singapore, Japan and the United States, while at the same time Hamilton remained unshakeable.

Mercedes made a step forward while Ferrari went backward in the development race and with three races to go the championships — the Constructors and the Drivers — are all but decided. The Silver Arrows team are set to win their fifth consecutive world championships since the start of the V6 Turbo era.

Hamilton has won six of the last eight races to build an insurmountable 70 point lead over Vettel and needs just six points to wrap up the title in Mexico. The only way the Ferrari driver can keep his hopes alive is by winning the race on Sunday and hoping the Mercedes driver finishes lower than seventh place, which is unlikely to happen unless the Briton faces mechanical issues with the car.

Mercedes’ four-time world champion can also add a fifth title without scoring a point if Vettel finishes second or lower. And with Red Bull Racing also in contention this weekend it could very well see Hamilton being crowned the winner regardless of where he finishes.

Vettel, who is also a four-time world champion, has come under heavy criticism for throwing away his best chance of winning a title with Ferrari. The German racer’s numerous mistakes during the course of the season is the reason for him being 70 points behind Hamilton.

The Ferrari driver admitted on Thursday that his recent in-race spins during the Italian, Japanese and United States Grand Prix’s did damage his title chances, but insisted that the spins were not because he was being reckless and said he is taking unnecessary risks.

"If you are the one spinning then obviously something didn't go right," Vettel said Thursday, as quoted on Sky Sports. "The main thing is that fundamentally I didn't try to do anything silly or anything stupid. I wasn't hard-headed trying to do something that would never work.

"Obviously now it's happened a couple of times too much. Next time there will be a gap I'm sure I will go for a gap but, surely, it's in the back of your head trying to keep the car facing the right direction,” he added.