Publications
Partners
Only Lewis Hamilton can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, both at the US Grand Prix today and in the championship race.
Racing to a 67-point lead thanks to his ninth win of this season at the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton can wrap up the world title at the next race – all he needs to do is outscore Sebastian Vettel by eight points.
That means a race win with Vettel in third would do the trick, as would a P2 with Vettel fifth or lower. Such is Hamilton’s advantage that even a sixth-place finish could win him the title, depending, of course, on where Vettel is on the day.
And Vettel and Ferrari have no one but themselves to blame.
Not to detract from the incredible form that Hamilton has shown – “class act” says Toto Wolff – since the summer break, winning four of five races, but Vettel and Ferrari have all but gifted the British racer a fifth world title.
It is, however, a deserved one given that Hamilton and Mercedes have avoided the pitfalls and general implosion that their title rival has suffered.
And what better place for Hamilton to wrap it up than in the US, the country where he has claimed six of his 71 grand prix wins?
Although he has only raced on US soil seven times, his record is impressive. He took his first US win at Indianapolis in 2007 and, five years later, began his love affair with the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.
Dry or wet, it makes no difference for Hamilton, who has mastered the track with five wins in six visits.
It is, however, not all lost for Vettel, who has also shown form on the same track. He was triumphant in 2013 and has an additional three podiums to his name.
But while the focus on the track will be on the title race, one eye will need to be turned to the skies as downpours – similar to those in 2015 when Hamilton took the title away from Nico Rosberg – are predicted for this weekend.
Torrential rain was forecast for the start of the weekend, although it was expected to have dried out by today’s race.
The Red Bull racers, still down on power compared with the W09s and the SF71Hs, will be hoping to benefit from that, as will the midfield behind them.
Daniel Ricciardo is desperate to get back on form having been trounced by Max Verstappen in recent weeks. Both Red Bull drivers want to close out their season with another win, although the power needed at the Circuit of the Americas may be too much for their RB14 and its Renault engine.
Meanwhile, Renault and Haas are locked in a battle to finish this season “best of the rest” with all the millions that come with fourth place. Renault currently have the position, but only by eight points, while it is the Ferrari-powered Haas team who have shown better pace since the summer break.
Behind them, in the standings if not out on track, chasing down McLaren for sixth place – 15 points the difference – may seem a step too large for Force India. However, with four races remaining, it could yet happen, while Toro Rosso will be looking to hold off Sauber.
As for Williams, anything but a double did not finish may be considered a good weekend at this point.
