America’s motor racing fraternity put on their Sunday best, a show of shiny glitz that courted no subtlety or nuance. The only caveated part of the afternoon was Lewis Hamilton inching – just inching – closer to his fourth world title.
After the extravagance of the pre-race rituals, it seemed fitting that the British driver should deliver the title knockout with one swish, sweeping aside the threat of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel to wear the crown in the country whose red carpets he wears out.
But although Hamilton won the US Grand Prix to take his 62nd career victory – double the amount of race wins held by the next most successful Briton, Nigel Mansell – he still needs nine more points in Mexico on Sunday to convert a likely outcome into a mathematical certainty.
Lewis Hamilton was overtaken on the opening lap by Sebastian Vettel but got back ahead to win in the USA Grand Prix
Hamilton’s Mercedes was passed by the Ferrari of Vettel early on in Austin however Hamilton quickly regained control
Hamilton needed to win and for Vettel to finish sixth or lower in order to win the championship, but the German was second
Hamilton, who started on pole, now leads Vettel by 17 points after the German finished a hard-fought second, with Max Verstappen, of Red Bull, third.
It was a decent race on a dazzlingly sunny Texan afternoon, and the build-up was as theatrical as one could imagine. The drivers were called out by Michael Buffer, the boxing announcer. His well-oiled larynx could not quite get itself around Carlos Sainz, who came out as Saints. He also introduced Kimi Raikkonen, as ‘always smiling’, which must have been meant ironically, though as one sceptic suggested this country is one that irony forgot.
It was diverting ‘bread and circuses’, as Juvenal wrote, though not suitable for every grand prix. I cannot see, for example, the old Midlands airfield in Northamptonshire called Silverstone being ripe for this kind of spectace of national self-proclamation.
On the grid, stood the 20 drivers and one former leader of the free world, Bill Clinton, as a naval rating with a neck the size of bull warbled the Star Spangled Banner, offering a salute of four seconds when he finished the rendition.
Perhaps all this build-up had disturbed Hamilton’s concentration. He had earlier given Usain Bolt a lift around the track in a Mercedes roadcar that he took up the kerbs until the laidback Jamaican’s blood pressure threatened to lift the car roof off.
But watching Hamilton in those final moments going through the utilitarian ritual of putting on his balaclava and helmet, standing, for some reason, on a step half a foot high, he looked focused.
Yet when the lights went out he was a touch sluggish away. Vettel, sharing the front row, was on charge. Hamilton came over to try to push the German aside, and he ran over the white line under pressure. But, on the inside line, Vettel cornered the first, left-hand, bend in front.
That was not in the script. However, Hamilton sounded content over the radio. ‘Pace feels pretty good,’ he said. And he closed in on the scarlet car ahead of him, and, whoosh, down the back straight he deployed DRS and went through. He roared into a lead.
It looked to be all over, but Hamilton had a slight scare when Vettel, having pitted before him, banged in three fine laps on kindly tyres, and was right on the Briton’s tail when the Mercedes returned after being reshod.
This was a fleeting concern, as Hamilton extended his lead comfortably, giving him a remarkable fifth win in the six stagings of the US Grand Prix here, 20-odd miles out of downtown Austin. His brother Nic watched avidly from the paddock, his headphones on, while his mother Brenda was also in attendance.
The family were here for a coronation. That eventuality was unlikely, however, given that Vettel was sure to have adequate pace to finish in the top five – the requirement to stay in the title arithmetic if Hamilton won – if only Ferrari’s brittle form did not crack, as it has in the past three rounds.
There were worries for the Scuderia, though. Vettel, on a two-stop strategy to Hamilton’s one, had to pass Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas, and was then let through by complaint team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, to move back, finally, into second place with five laps remaining.
So it is off to Mexico City, where Vettel must finish in top two or be ruled out before the final rounds in Brazil and Abu Dhabi. If he wins, Hamilton need only come fifth to be certain of joining Vettel and the little Frenchman who stood on the grid, Alain Prost, as a four-time champion.
Most eyes all afternoon were drawn to the two title protagonists – Vettel got the bigger cheer when he was introduced by Buffer – but there were a couple of other worthwhile moments to report. Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull gave up on him and he pulled over on to the grass. ‘Engines gone, engines gone,’ said the Aussie, who had just set the fastest lap.
As for his team-mate, Max Verstappen, he carved his way through the field from 16th to third, a fantastic move on Raikkonen at the end providing a dramatic statement of his rare talent. ‘Max Verstappen you are brilliant,’ said Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
However Verstappen’s joy was shortlived as his move on Raikkonen earned him a five-second penalty – promoting the Finn back onto the podium.
Although Hamilton was made to wait for his title, it was a night of celebration at Mercedes, who won their fifth consecutive constructors’ title. Some bemoan their level of dominance, and say it has stifled competition, but their record is a massive tribute to a highly professional team.
‘I enjoyed that,’ said Hamilton, biding his time for one more week.