Hamilton without race engineer in Mexico

Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton will be without his usual race engineer Peter Bonnington for this week’s Mexican Grand Prix. Bonnington has worked closely alongside Hamilton throughout the five-time world champion’ spell at Mercedes, but he will not be present for this week’s Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, or the race in the United States the following week, as he is undergoing a medical procedure in the UK. Marcus Dudley, who usually operates as Hamilton’s performance engineer, will step into the role in Bonnington’s absence, while his position will be taken by Dom Riefstahl. Hamilton could wrap up his sixth world title in Mexico, although the mathematics mean it is only a long shot, as he must outscore Silver Arrows team-mate Valtteri Bottas by 14 points, something he has only achieved once to date this season. That means it is more likely that Hamilton will secure his third straight title at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin next week – a race he has won a record six times in the past, including four straight successes between 2014 and 2017.