Martin Brundle believes Mercedes' chances of hindering Max Verstappen's move at the start of the Mexico City Grand Prix were thwarted by Lewis Hamilton getting away a little "too well" off the grid relative to his teammate Valtteri Bottas.
The Red Bull driver drove around the outside of both Bottas and Hamilton at the first corner of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and never looked back thereafter.
"All eyes were on the front two rows, and unfortunately for Hamilton he got away a little too well on the dirty side of the grid, such that he couldn't really tuck in behind his teammate," Brundle wrote in his for post-race column for Sky Sports.
"Verstappen could for a while and then pulled left to make it three abreast. Bottas didn't want to give the Red Bull a slipstream and so just drove in a straight line.
"This perfectly opened up the space, angle, and much cleaner racing line for Verstappen to brake later and sweep around the outside of both Mercedes.
"Bottas' track position effectively pinned Hamilton to the grubby inside and very tight line.
"He was then cautious on the brakes presumably to let Hamilton through and was clouted by Daniel Ricciardo's McLaren which arrived rather hot and locked up into the braking zone and first apex."
Verstappen's dominant win in Mexico, his ninth of the season, has provided the Dutchman with a 19-point cushion over Hamilton with four races to go.
But Brundle believes that both title contenders know all too well that the situation can turn on a dime.
"Max knows very well, just as Lewis does, how quickly this can all turn around given he only has the equivalent of one second place and a fastest lap points advantage," argued the Briton.
"On Sunday race morning back at Silverstone in July, for example, he led by 33 points.
"The crash that day turned the season on its head, and Max is smart enough to keep his hands firmly in his pockets rather than even begin to reach out towards his first world title."
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