Hamilton's plan to defend Verstappen's Mexico start line tow

Lewis Hamilton has explained he and pole-sitter Valtteri Bottas need to "work as a team" to negate the powerful tow Max Verstappen will enjoy at the start of the Mexico City Grand Prix.

The run from pole position into the first braking zone at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a little over 900 metres, a distance topped only in Russia.

Although confident the thinner air of the high altitude Mexico City circuit will limit the benefit Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will enjoy, the Red Bull drivers both starting from the second row, the absence of a corner such as there is in Sochi could in fact increase the effect.

"It’s a little bit different," said Hamilton. "It’s obviously probably almost as long, if not, yeah, I don’t know exactly.

"It feels exactly the same sort of length but obviously, in Russia there’s a lot more drag and a lot more tow-effect.

"Here there’s less but still there is a tow effect and so you know, Valtteri and I will no doubt work as a team to try and hold one-two for the team."

Starting from second, Hamilton could pick up a tow from pole-sitter Bottas but the single-file formation required to achieve this would risk benefitting Verstappen further.

Reflecting on the difficulty of the task ahead, Bottas added: "Like Lewis said, it’s maybe a bit less drag here, so but I think to maintain the first two places, you still need a really good start.

"If the guys behind us have even a little bit better start then they will have an upper hand."

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