Lewis Hamilton mastered his tyres to claim a surprise Mexican Grand Prix victory, which even the Mercedes driver doubted would happen throughout the race.
Hamilton's tenth win of the 2019 season wasn't enough to see him secure a sixth Drivers' Championship though, as team-mate and title rival Valtteri Bottas finished third, doing just enough to ensure the title battle remains alive for the next race in Austin next weekend.
It was a race of strategy as the top four all went down separate paths, with Hamilton pitting on Lap 24 for new hard tyres, which he was forced to manage for 47 laps, a feat even he thought would be impossible as he complained over team radio on numerous occasions.
Mexican GP: Drivers' Standings | Constructors' Standings
However it proved possible, just, as he held off Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel by just over a second as he crossed the finish line, with Bottas a further second adrift.
All four strategies converged in the final ten laps, but none of the top four were able to find a route past those ahead, meaning Vettel kept Bottas at bay, with the Finn keeping Leclerc behind, but it could have been a different story had Leclerc, who was the only one of the top four to go with a two-stop strategy, not been held up during his second stop.
The Monegasque racer had to wait for four seconds as a rear-tyre failed to attach properly, which dropped him down the order, costing him a potential victory, and at worst a podium finish.
Although Hamilton drove a great race, it didn't all go to plan as at the start he was forced onto the grass by Vettel, forcing him to back off, which allowed Max Verstappen to get alongside, only for the pair to tangle at Turn 2, forcing them both to run wide across the grass.
Hamilton dropped back to fifth as Red Bull's Alex Albon and McLaren's Carlos Sainz got ahead, whilst Verstappen dropped back to seventh. Verstappen though was able to pass Bottas with a brave move in the stadium, only to suffer a puncture as the paid briefly touched, which put the Dutchman to the back.
He would recover to finish sixth behind team-mate Albon, followed by local hero Sergio Perez, Renault's Daniel Ricciardo and Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly.
Completing the top ten over the line was Daniil Kvyat, but the Russian was handed a ten-second time penalty after he collided with Nico Hulkenberg at the penultimate corner, forcing the German into the wall. Hulkenberg managed to crawl over the line to finish 11th, and was then promoted to tenth.
It was a race to forget for McLaren despite their strong start as Carlos Sainz's pace fell apart on the hard tyre, to finish 13th, whilst Lando Norris retired following a loose wheel following his stop.
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