US Grand Prix 2019
Lewis Hamilton successfully clinched his sixth Formula 1 championship — and his third in a row — at the US Grand Prix.
Hamilton finished second behind team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who took over the lead from the Briton late in the race to claim his second victory in three races. Bottas also won in Japan when Mercedes clinched the constructors’ championship.
After just barely missing out on winning the title in Mexico, Hamilton didn’t really have to exert so much effort in Texas; he needed just four points to clinch. But like the champion that he is, he rose from his low starting position to finish on the podium once again.
Highlights of the game
Hamilton did not have a particularly strong qualifying session as he finished a mere fifth. Meanwhile, team-mate Valtteri Bottas improved his US Grand Prix 2019 odds by claiming pole.
The two Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc were second and fourth, respectively, and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was sandwiched in between in third.
However, Hamilton wasted little time to work his way up the order as he made a brilliant start which saw him overtake both Ferraris. And by lap 2, Vettel had dropped from second all the way down to seventh.
Alexander Albon and Carlos Sainz Jr. also had a coming together in a start that was filled with several US Grand Prix 2019 highlights.
As things eventually settled down, Bottas found himself in the lead over Verstappen and Hamilton in second and third, respectively.
But more misfortune was to come for Vettel, who slid off the track due to rear suspension failure. That meant his nightmare of a race was over after just seven horrific laps.
Meanwhile, Verstappen was the first of the top three to make his pit stop on lap 13, which allowed Hamilton to move into second. Race leader Bottas then came in for his stop a couple of laps later to hand Hamilton the race lead.
It didn’t take too long for Bottas to claw his way back behind his team-mate, who was operating on a one-stop strategy. And on lap 24, Bottas overtakes Hamilton to reclaim the lead. Hamilton then dives into the pits to make his first — and likely only — stop of the race.
Hamilton worked the one-stop strategy to perfection in Mexico City as he managed his tyres brilliantly. And after slashing almost three seconds off Bottas’ lead shortly after his stop, he decides to slow down the pace a tad.
Verstappen went into the pits for his second stop on lap 35, and Bottas followed shortly as Hamilton reclaimed the lead. But similar to his situation in Mexico, Hamilton rumbled about his tyres to his team.
Once again, Bottas wasted little time eating into Hamilton’s lead. With just 10 laps remaining, Bottas managed to whittle the lead down to just over two seconds.
The Finn finally got to within striking distance with five laps left. And while Hamilton was able to stave off Bottas’ first attack, he eventually surrendered the lead to his team-mate the following lap.
With Hamilton’s tyres all worn down, Bottas went relatively unchallenged in the final few laps to claim the chequered flag. But despite losing the lead late, Hamilton had quite the consolation prize: the world championship.
Key statistics
Hamilton’s six world championships breaks his tie for second with Juan-Manuel Fangio on the all-time list, where he is now behind only Michael Schumacher’s seven.
Hamilton is also now just five behind Schumi’s all-time mark for podium finishes after the Brit scored his 150th career podium in Texas.
As for Bottas, he has now won four races this season, which is a new career-best. He has also set a new career-best for most points in a single season with 314 and still has two more races to add to that tally.
Verstappen made it three consecutive top-three finishes at the US Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Vettel recorded his first-ever retirement in nine career US Grand Prix starts.
What’s next?
While both the driver’s and the constructors’ championships all sewn up, there will still be a lot of pride left to race for in penultimate GP of the season: the Brazilian Grand Prix on November 18.
Hamilton is the defending champion in this race and has won in two out of the last three years. The SBOBET odds will surely have the Briton as the favourite as he looks to get one more victory before the end of the season.
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