Lewis Hamilton must treat the climax of the Formula One season like "three FA Cup finals", Christian Horner has claimed as the Red Bull boss conceded it is Nico Rosberg's championship to lose.
Hamilton, who arrived in Mexico City on Tuesday ahead of this week's race, is 26 points behind his Mercedes team-mate Rosberg with three rounds remaining.
Indeed the Briton could win in Mexico on Sunday, and at the ensuing grands prix in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, and still come up short in his bid for a third consecutive title.
"For Lewis it is simple for him, it is like three FA Cup finals," said Red Bull team principal Horner. "He has got to win all three races, and then what happens with the other car he cannot control.
"It is Rosberg's to lose, isn't it? If he finishes second in the next three races then Lewis has run out of time. But anything can happen. A puncture, or a DNF, and Lewis puts in a win, and then suddenly there is one point between them."
Hamilton ended a five-race winless streak with his first victory since the summer break following a dominant performance in Austin on Sunday.
The 31-year-old Briton led virtually every lap to claim the 50th win of his career, and join Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost as the only other driver in the sport's long history to have recorded a half-century of wins.
Hamilton will move alongside Prost, the French four-time world champion, in second place in Formula One's all-time winners' list with victory in Mexico on Sunday.
"It was great to finally get that 50th win after a couple of tough weekends," Hamilton, who finished second to Rosberg in Mexico last year, said on Tuesday.
"I've just continued to keep a positive frame of mind, avoid dwelling on the past, work and train hard and I knew eventually the result would come.
"Next up it's Mexico, which was a great experience last time out. I'm looking forward to giving it another go and hopefully going one better this time.
"On top of that, it has to be one of the best crowds I've ever seen. There are so many people with so much energy and excitement for the sport in Mexico.
"I saw a few Mexican flags with my name on them in Austin which was awesome, so hopefully those guys will be there to give me that extra lift this weekend, too."
Source: PA
