Lewis Hamilton laments Texas near miss - 'I gave it everything but unfortunately could not convert it'

ByAlex Livie

Updated 25/10/2021 at 09:53 GMT

“We gave it everything we had and they were just quicker than us,” defending champion Lewis Hamilton told Sky Sports. “It looked like they had better rear end, less sliding. I gave it everything but unfortunately could not convert it at the end.” The F1 season heads to Mexico next, with the title rivals set to continue their battle.

Lewis Hamilton lamented dirty air and overheating tyres for his failure to reel in title rival Max Verstappen at the United States Grand Prix.

Verstappen’s victory in Texas extended his lead in the title race to 12 points, but it was in the balance the whole way.

Hamilton jumped Verstappen off the start, but the Dutchman used the undercut to reclaim the lead.

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• United States Grand Prix - as it happened
• Verstappen pips Hamilton to victory

Verstappen led by eight seconds after the final round of pit stops, but Hamilton gave chase and had far superior pace in his Mercedes.

It seemed inevitable that Hamilton would go on to win, but once he got within striking distance of the Red Bull the pace evened out.

Hamilton got within a whisker of DRS, which could have made a difference on the final couple of laps, but he was unable to make the jump and Verstappen held on for the win.

“We gave it everything we had and they were just quicker than us,” Hamilton told Sky Sports. “It looked like they had better rear end, less sliding.

“I gave it everything but unfortunately could not convert it at the end.”

Race winner Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing and third placed Sergio Perez of Mexico and Red Bull Racing celebrate in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of USA at Circuit of The Americas

Image credit: Getty Images

Asked for his thoughts on why he could not mount an overtake, Hamilton said: “The dirty air and overheating of the tyres.

“I felt for a second we might be able to win the race, but we have to wait for the next one.”

There are five races remaining for Hamilton to overhaul the Dutchman and retain his title, starting with a trip to Mexico.

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