Lewis Hamilton won his fifth Formula One Grand Prix in a row and his tenth of the season at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin Texas Sunday afternoon, stretching his lead over teammate Nico Rosberg to 24 points with two races remaining.
Hamilton started second behind Rosberg, swapped with his teammate on Lap 16 pit stops, then passed Rosberg for the lead on Lap 24. The British driver dove under Rosberg entering Turn 12 and then let his car drift to the right until Rosberg was out of track and had to ease off.
Rosberg fought back later in the race, but never got the gap under 1.8 seconds. Both Mercedes drivers had their cars working perfectly after braking issues in practice; Hamilton was just a bit more precise.
The one-two finish locked up the Constructors Championship for Mercedes, the first for the manufacturer throughout its long racing history.
Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo finished third, 4.3 seconds behind Rosberg. Despite finishing on the podium, the “second” Red Bull driver was eliminated from the championship chase.
Meanwhile his teammate, four-time consecutive World Driving Champion Sebastian Vettel finished seventh after starting from pit lane due to an engine change.
Vettel fought hard throughout the race, but was struggling to stay in the top ten when he pitted for a set of Soft tires on Lap 49, hoping to make a bravura charge in the final eight laps. His plan didn’t pay off, as he couldn’t get by Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who finished sixth.
The two Williams drivers, Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas, continued their strong season finish, coming home fourth and fifth, with Massa finishing only 1.3 seconds behind Ricciardo and closing as time ran out. Bottas crossed the line a further four seconds back—over a minute ahead of Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.
With only two races left on the schedule, and the season finale in Abu Dhabi worth double points, there are 75 points left on the table. Unless Rosberg has a disaster at Sao Paulo, the German driver will be in the hunt for the Drivers title until Abu Dhabi.
Even if Hamilton were to DNF at Sao Paulo and Rosberg win, the two would be within a point; the British driver would have a chance to take his second title in the final race.
The Formula 1 Grande Prêmio do Brasil takes the green flag at 11 a.m. EST on Nov. 9, and the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix starts at 8 a.m. EST on Nov. 23.
Tickets and travel packages are available through the official F1 website Formula1.com.
