Daniel Ricciardo was running in second place when smoke emerged from his car. DANIEL Ricciardo’s torrid season continued at the Mexico Grand Prix after an eighth retirement of the season ended what appeared to be a podium-destined drive. The Australian was running well, recording the fastest lap of the race at the time and going in second as Sebastian Vettel tried to pass him in pursuit of race leader Max Verstappen as he was attempting a one-stop strategy. However, it all came to a heartbreaking finish for Ricciardo, who qualified in pole position. It is his fourth retirement in his last six races – incidentally the six races since he announced his departure from Red Bull – and his eighth overall, which is more than any other driver on the grid this season. He was so desperate for a final celebration with Red Bull before leaving and it looked like he would get it with a one-two for the Milton Keynes outfit until his reliability issues kicking in again and smoke starting coming from the back of the car. Christian Horner, who was initially unable to give a reason for the fault, summed it up best mid race: “Absolutely gutting.” It was later revealed to be hydraulic failure, which is a slightly different problem to the ones than have plagued him recently. He is still someway short of the record for DNFs in a season, which is held by Andrea de Cesaris with 14 in 1987. RICCIARDO’S TIMELINE OF WOE BAHRAIN : Running in fourth, Lap 2 – power unit AZERBAIJAN: Running in fifth, Lap 40 – crash AUSTRIA: Running in fifth, Lap 54 – power unit GERMANY: Running in sixth, Lap 29 – power unit BELGIUM: Running in eigth, Lap 1 – crash ITALY: - Running in 11th, Lap 24 – clutch USA: Running in fourth, Lap 9 – power unit MEXICO: Running in third, Lap 61 – power unit Watch every remaining F1 practice, qualifying and race LIVE & EXCLUSIVE with no ad-breaks during racing. Get Sport HD + Entertainment with no lock in contract and no iQ4 set up costs. Get Foxtel Sport. T&C’s Apply<doc-sep>Max Verstappen admits he was nervous about retiring from the lead of the Mexican Grand Prix after seeing Red Bull Formula 1 teammate Daniel Ricciardo hit by another mechanical problem. The Dutchman controlled proceedings throughout to claim his second successive victory in Mexico City with an impressive drive to finish ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. But when Ricciardo dropped out of contention in what marked his eighth retirement of the season with 10 laps to go due to a suspected hydraulic issue, Verstappen was worried about the health of his own Renault power unit. Renault Vs Red Bull Video of Renault Vs Red Bull Asked if he was nervous about suffering a similar issue, Verstappen replied: “Yeah, of course. “Without the issue for Daniel we could have had a one-two or at least two cars on the podium. Then of course afterwards it was making sure I didn’t retire. “You just want to make sure that nothing happens, we were that far in the lead there was no pressure you can always turn it down.” Verstappen believes the key to his race win was the start, as he muscled his way past the fast-starting Lewis Hamilton at Turn 1 after Ricciardo had bogged down off the line. “The start was the key, it was very important,” he said. “Of course Lewis didn’t want to risk anything and from there on I was able to do my own thing. That was very crucial to the race. “To be honest I didn’t sleep very well last tonight, I was really determined to win today. Luckily we did that - amazing job by the team as well. We had the right tyres available and the car was working really well.” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner put Verstappen’s fifth win in F1 down to his sheer focus and determination to make a strong getaway. “You could see from the moment he arrived at the track this morning, you can see the determination in his eyes,” he said. “We had a debrief, and we talked about scenarios and you could tell his focus was at the start. Then he got the lead, and was able to really command it from there. “For Max to win the race today is a continuation of Austin really. I mean he just drove an incredible race. The thing that feels bittersweet is that we should’ve had them both up there but focusing on Max for now, it was an incredible performance.”<doc-sep>Lewis Hamilton has clinched a remarkable fifth Formula One driver's championship after finishing fourth in the Mexico Grand Prix, in a day to forget for Daniel Ricciardo. Key points: Lewis Hamilton only needed to finish in top seven to clinch driver's championship Lewis Hamilton only needed to finish in top seven to clinch driver's championship HIs fourth-place finish sees the Briton clinch a fifth career title HIs fourth-place finish sees the Briton clinch a fifth career title Daniel Ricciardo bails out with eight laps to go with a smoking engine for yet another DNF The Mercedes driver equalled the five titles of late 1950s Argentine great Juan Manuel Fangio, with only seven-time champion Michael Schumacher ahead of them. Hamilton, 33, had needed only five points to be sure of the title while four times champion Vettel had to win to have any hope of denying the Briton. He finished second. "That's how you do it, just like that," Hamilton heard Hollywood actor Will Smith say over the radio at the chequered flag, ignoring the fact that Hamilton had a far from comfortable afternoon at the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit. Australian Red Bull driver Ricciardo started the day on pole but immediately lost ground after a dud start, before apparent engine failure eight laps from the finish ended his race. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton is embraced by team physiotherapist Angela Cullen after winning his fifth driver's championship. ( AP: Alfredo Estrella It was an eighth DNF for Ricciardo in his final season with Red Bull before a move to Renault. Loading Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen won the race for a second year in a row, ahead of Ferrari pair Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen. Ferrari clinching second and third in Mexico meant the constructors' championship remained open at least until the Brazilian Grand Prix in two weeks' time with Mercedes' lead trimmed. "It wasn't won here, just throughout the season and a lot of hard work," said Hamilton after doing "donuts" at the finish of an unusual race without a Mercedes driver on the podium. "To complete this when Fangio did it with Mercedes is an incredible feeling and very surreal," he said. In a nice sporting gesture, the Briton hugged Vettel and then ran back to the Mercedes garage to embrace his teammates one by one. Lewis Hamilton finished fourth at the Mexico GP to secure a fifth F1 driver's championship. ( AP: Marco Ugarte ABC/Reuters<doc-sep>DRESSED in a flamboyant cowboy-themed outfit, Daniel Ricciardo was bucked out of the US Grand Prix as his rodeo of an F1 season continued. And this time the normally cool, calm and collected Aussie let his frustration explode, punching a hole in a wall after his fifth premature exit in 10 races. A brief collision with Sebastian Vettel during the first lap didn’t appear to hurt the West Australian as he managed to hold on to fourth place. It was shaping up to be a satisfying finish ahead of teammate Max Verstappen, who started in 18th after a qualifying blowout. But we should have known better than that by now. Ricciardo was sent spiralling out of the race after another mechanical failure saw his Red Bull grind to a halt in the ninth lap. The 29-year-old raised his hands in the air in rage at his seventh DNF of the year as the all-too-familiar trackside motorbike arrived to bring him back to the sheds. Ricciardo, widely regarded as the nicest bloke on the grid, rarely lets his frustration show but it was clear the latest mechanical slip up was the final straw for the embattled Red Bull star. ⚠️ Virtual safety car ⚠️ Ricciardo has become the third retirement with a mechanical failure striking his Red Bull 😢 Hamilton pits under the VSC, dropping down to P3 in the process 🤔 Is this a piece of tactical genius? Time will tell 👀#C4F1 🇺🇸 #USGP pic.twitter.com/DqBWVH5bJ5 — Channel 4 F1® (@C4F1) October 21, 2018 Team boss Christian Horner revealed Ricciardo “put his fist through a wall” after returning to the Red Bull shed. “It was a crying shame for Daniel and I feel so sorry for him,” Horner told Sky after the race, which saw Verstappen claim second place ahead of Lewis Hamilton. “It looks like the identical power issue from Bahrain. He was driving a strong race, it’s so frustrating for him. I hope no more penalties, we should have enough components for him not to.” Ricciardo’s shock decision to join Renault rocked the Formula 1 world in August and sent rumours flying over his relationship with Red Bull. Horner took an interesting jab at Ricciardo’s future employer, who currently supply Red Bull with their engines. “I’m sure he will have a word with his future employers about this because it’s so frustrating losing him from races,” he said. “He doesn’t blame the team in any way, he knows we are doing everything we can, it’s just one of those things.” A host of Ricciardo fans believe the Austrian-based team has sided with the 21-year-old Verstappen — tipped to become the youngest ever F1 champion after taking the sport by storm — behind the scenes. But Horner remained adamant both stars, equal in the eyes of Red Bull bosses, can be in with a fighting chance in Mexico next weekend. “I think both guys can be strong in Mexico. We (Verstappen) won it well last year, a really dominant win for us,” Horner continued. “At that altitude the engines can’t breathe and it brings it all closer together, and that gives us a chance. “We’re lacking that horsepower, and this will give us a fairer chance on a Saturday, and you can see we’ve got a good race car.” Verstappen held off Lewis Hamilton in a stunning finish to the US Grand Prix, which saw the Englishman fight furiously for second place. Hamilton needed to claim second with rival Sebastian Vettel finishing fifth to wrap up his fifth championship on Monday morning (AEDT). But in the end it didn’t matter as Vettel made a last minute charge on the straight to overtake Valtteri Bottas for fourth, sending the championship battle into next week’s visit to Mexico. Ricciardo, meanwhile, has three races left before his rollercoaster relationship with the Bulls comes to a close. Renault were denied access to Ricciardo following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the end of the season. “I’m not allowed to test,” Ricciardo said before Austin. “I can’t drive for Red Bull and they won’t let me drive for Renault. So, it’s okay. I can have a holiday.” Horner said Ricciardo has “obligations to tidy up until the end of his contract”.<doc-sep>
LEWIS Hamilton is the 2018 Formula One world champion following his fourth-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix. It was the Brit’s fifth world title in total as Max Verstappen won in Mexico City, with Kimi Raikkonen rounding out the podium. Here are five things we learned from Hamilton’s championship-winning drive… MEXICAN GRAND PRIX: Mexico Grand Prix race results in full Daniel Ricciardo suffers eighth retirement of season at worst possible time ﻿Lewis Hamilton reveals significance of emulating Mercedes legend Hamilton has Schumacher in his sights Lewis Hamilton now has five world championships to his name having secured his quintet in Mexico, meaning he only has Michael Schumacher, who is on seventh, who has won more than him. It was far from the smoothest drive as he fell from second to fourth after problems with his tyres but it wasn’t his result that mattered as Vettel failed to overtake Verstappen, thus handing the Brith the title. He is now clear of both Alain Prost and Sebastian Vettel and level with Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio and you would not bet against him catching Schumacher given Mercedes’ dominance in the hybrid era. Lewis Hamilton’s drive was far from perfect but it was enough. Source: Getty Images Alonso misses record Fernando Alonso’s Formula One career was destined to end with a whimper rather than a triumph given McLaren’s struggles over the last few seasons but he was at least holding out hope of getting a piece of personal history by ending his F1 career with the highest number of completed laps ever. However, he was cruelly robbed of even that in Mexico after some midfield shenanigans on the first lap forced him off track to avoid a crash and collected a piece of the pink Force India that he was consequently dragging around. He needed 197 laps to break Michael Schumacher’s record but with only two races remaining, he can no longer do that. Fernando Alonso only has two more races left in Formula One now Source: AP Verstappen a man on a mission Verstappen doesn’t have a reputation as a calm man when things don’t go his way and he was clearly angry after being pipped to being the youngest-ever pole-sitter in F1 by his teammate Ricciardo. However, he channelled that anger superbly from the moment the lights went out in Mexico as he stormed into the lead before the first corner and never looked back. If Hamilton is going to challenge for Schumacher’s record then Verstappen will be the man who he needs to beat as the Dutchman will be eyeing a world title of his own next year. Max Verstappen led from the first turn and never looked back. Source: Getty Images Ricciardo’s last chance of a celebratory goodbye? Everything was going Daniel Ricciardo’s way – finally – for the first time since the announcement he was to leave Red Bull for Renault at the end of the season, and while he was unable to convert it into a final race victory for his soon-to-be former team, he was looking good for second position... until disaster struck. Ricciardo admitted he was running out of time for a celebratory goodbye having suffered his seventh retirement of the season in the US last weekend but with Red Bull dominating in the altitude in Mexico and the Australian securing only his second pole of the season – he won the first, at Monaco – things were looking up. And despite almost instantly losing his position at the front before the first turn, Ricciardo’s one-stop strategy kept him in contention as he completed a Red Bull one-two. That was until smoke began billowing out of his car while running in second and handing him a heartbreaking eighth DNF of the season. Daniel Ricciardo’s pole gave him a great chance to win. Source: AFP No home joy for Perez Sergio Perez was unable to finish the Mexican Grand Prix for the first time in his career, as he was in the hunt for his first top-six finish at his home track. In fact, it was a disappointing day all round for the home supporters as fellow Spanish speakers Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso also failed to finish. Anyone know the Spanish for ‘bad day at the office’? Watch every remaining F1 practice, qualifying and race LIVE & EXCLUSIVE with no ad-breaks during racing. Get Sport HD + Entertainment with no lock in contract and no iQ4 set up costs. Get Foxtel Sport. T&C’s Apply