F1: Lewis Hamilton Has No 'Hope' Of Mercedes Beating Ferrari In Mexico

Lewis Hamilton has admitted that he has no "hope" of Mercedes doing better than Ferrari in the upcoming race weekend in Mexico City.

For Hamilton to clinch his sixth driver's title in the next race, he must have a podium finish in Mexico, something he has not managed since 2016 Mexican Grand Prix, despite winning his previous two championships there.

Ahead of the Mexico Grand Prix, Hamilton said it is going to be a "tough" one for Mercedes, who he doesn't think, can beat the Ferraris on long straights.

"I think Mexico is generally our worst race of the year because of the way our car is set up and it's going to be a tough one for us. The last few have been pretty shocking, even though we've won the title there. I'm hoping for a better weekend but I think it's going to be very hard to beat the Ferraris with those long straights. We have no hope of getting by on those straights, that's for sure but even if you look at the others, the McLarens are picking up some serious speeds on the straights, so are the Red Bulls so I think it will be a tricky one," the reigning champion told Sky Sports.

Meanwhile, Red Bull racer Max Verstappen, who won the previous two races in Mexico, is wary of their chances ahead of the 2019 edition.

"I expect it to be a little bit more difficult this year because of the Ferrari pace but I think we can still have a very good race. The corners are also very technical so you have to work hard to make sure you get the best out of it but it's a good track for us normally," said the Dutchman.

According to the current scenario in the standings, only Valtteri Bottas can deny Hamilton his sixth driver's title. Bottas, who claimed a dominant victory in Japan, trails his Mercedes teammate by 64 points with only 104 left available. For Hamilton to secure the title in Mexico, he will have to outscore Bottas by at least 14 points.

However, the Briton has predicted that the title race won't end in Mexico. " I don't anticipate it will be Mexico. I think we will be battling for a good few races," Hamilton said.