LEWIS HAMILTON admitted he was powerless to close the gap on world championship leader Max Verstappen at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Verstappen triumphed on Sunday as he finished 16.5 seconds ahead of Hamilton in what proved to be a major success for Red Bull as Sergio Perez came third in his country.
The British superstar couldn’t catch up with the Dutch driver and admitted his car is “far superior” as he now trails by 19 points in the Formula One rankings.
Hamilton said after the race: “First, congratulations to Max.
“Their car is far superior this weekend and there was nothing we could really do about it.
“I gave it absolutely everything and it was a great fight with Sergio at the end. I was able to at least get second.
“It shows how fast their car is when Sergio is right behind me and able to follow that closely.
“He did a great job and he was applying that pressure and just kept going. I really enjoyed the race still.”
Verstappen gained the lead early on into the race after Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas lost his lead by spinning at the first corner.
But the 24-year-old remains focused on the task at hand insisting there is “still a long way to go”.
Verstappen said: “The start? It was nice, three cars wide, and it was all about just trying to brake as late as you can.
“I kept it on the track, came from third to first, and that was basically what made my race because I could just focus on myself, and we had incredible pace in the car.
“There’s still a long way to go in the championship. It’s of course looking good but it can also turn around very quickly.
“I’m looking forward to Brazil next week. I have very good memories there.”
