F1 LIVE | Hamilton pushed for penalties for Verstappen and Leclerc, FIA budget cap review is out

Lewis Hamilton believes the mental challenge of defending a championship lead outweighs that of chasing one, as Formula 1’s title battle intensifies.

Speaking after the Mexico City Grand Prix, he told Sky Sports: “You have got three incredibly talented drivers. I can’t predict how they’re all going to behave. Of course, Max has won it four times, so he knows what it’s like, and being the hunter is much easier than being the defender.”

Hamilton elaborated on the psychological dynamics of a close fight: “When you’re in the lead and someone’s chopping away at your lead, that plays on you more than if you’re chasing. If you’re chasing, you have nothing to lose, as opposed to when you’re in the lead, you have everything to lose.”

With four races and two sprint rounds remaining, the seven-time world champion expects the final stretch “will be exciting to watch.” Lando Norris now leads the standings by one point over Oscar Piastri, with Verstappen 36 points behind after his third-place finish in Mexico.

Max Verstappen dismissed any controversy surrounding the Mexico City Grand Prix start, saying “it’s not my problem” after escpaing a potential penalityfor running off-track at the start.

The Dutchman and Charles Leclerc both went wide as four cars went side-by-side into Turn 1, cutting across the grass before rejoining. The stewards opted against taking action, unlike with Lewis Hamilton, who was handed a ten-second penalty for rejoining unsafely at Turn 4, a decision he later called “pretty nuts.”

Starting from fifth, Verstappen produced a strong recovery drive, using a powerful second stint on soft tyres to climb onto the podium behind Lando Norris.

“It was just very hectic in a lot of different scenarios, and I felt like I didn’t do anything wrong,” he explained regarding the chaotic start and his subsequent battle with Lewis Hamilton.

“On the medium, it was a big struggle for everyone, but once on the soft, it looked more competitive.” A late Virtual Safety Car ended his chance to attack for second, but the four-time champion maintained that “every Grand Prix must be a win” to stay in title contention.

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