Two major Italian newspapers have praised the performance and ability of Lewis Hamilton after his latest Grand Prix win in Mexico.

Hamilton was third on the grid and was chasing Charles Leclerc in first mid-way through the Mexican Grand Prix before a combination of mistakes from Ferrari and brilliance from the Brit ensured his victory and put him to within four points of clinching his sixth F1 World Championship title.

The driver leads his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas by 74 points with a maximum of 52 left available after next weekend.

Bottas will have to win in Austin and will require Hamilton to finish in eighth place to stand any chance of keeping it a competition.

Whilst stranger things have happened in sport, it would be a fair assumption to make that Hamilton will retain the championship once again.

Seldom is recognition and high praise expected for British drivers in the Italian media – or anyone other than the two Ferrari racers – however, both the Gazzetta dello Sport and La Stampa have emphasised and commended Hamilton’s qualities after making a one-stop work at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

In disbelief of his win, Luigi Perna of Gazzetta dello Sport wrote, as per Planet F1: “Yesterday, the five-time world champion made another masterpiece, beating Ferrari and Red Bull on a track where his Mercedes wasn’t the fastest car, resisting for half the race to the pressure of Sebastian Vettel who could count on fresher tyres.

“In theory, Lewis at that point was without a chance of winning and the overtaking from Ferrari seemed inevitable. But no. Hamilton, like many other times, has gone beyond numbers and logic. He managed to handle the worn-out tires like and kept his lead over Seb to around two seconds to the finish. He is a giant.”

Similarly, Stefano Mancini from La Stampa added: “Lewis Hamilton smiles on the Mexico City podium along with his Mercedes car, hoisted with a lift in a spectacular play of lights and music.

“His race was a masterpiece of speed and technique that stunned Ferrari.

“It is true that Mercedes gambled with the early stop, but they did so, knowing that they had an extraordinary driver, capable of pushing first and managing tyre consumption after. For the British driver, the victory in the Mexican GP is career number 83, eight fewer than Schumacher’s record, and his tenth of the season.

“This wasn’t an easy success for Mercedes and Hamilton, they didn’t have the fastest car on the track, but they managed to win thanks to the strategy and because Lewis Hamilton is one of the best.”

They finished with perhaps the most fitting of tributes to the legendary British racer.

“As Toto Wolff once said: We will really only realise the greatness of Lewis Hamilton when he retires,” they concluded.