Lewis Hamilton : We must dig deep to stop Max

Lewis Hamilton : We must dig deep to stop Max

Lewis Hamilton has called on his Mercedes troops to dig deeper than ever before and keep alive his dream of winning a record-breaking eighth world crown.

Hamilton slipped from 12 to 19 points behind Max Verstappen following the Red Bull driver’s comprehensive victory in Mexico on Sunday.

With just four rounds left and 107 points available, time is running out for Hamilton to prevent Verstappen from clinching a maiden title.

However, despite his setback in Mexico City, Hamilton, who finished 16.5 seconds behind his Red Bull rival, said: ‘I left it all out there and sometimes that is not enough.

‘We pick ourselves up, dig deeper than we have before and keep on fighting.’

Verstappen’s triumph took him to nine for the season, four more than Hamilton, who has only won on one occasion since the summer break in August.

But Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff insists his superstar driver can still make history this year.

‘I am a pretty realistic person, but I love motor racing because anything can happen,’ he said.

‘None of us are leaving this circuit with the mentality that the championship is slipping away from us.

‘There are four races to go, four wins to take, four DNFs to suffer and we will continue fighting.

‘We know we have a great team and we have it all to win. However, when you look at the mathematical probability I would rather be 19 points ahead than behind.’