Lewis wins US GP but Nico’s the one smiling
LEWIS Hamilton got the victory he needed to keep his Formula One championship hopes alive. Now he needs more, and he needs Mercedes team-mate and rival Nico Rosberg to make a mistake or have a bad race.
Hamilton won his fourth US Grand Prix in five years on Sunday, bolting from pole position and cruising to an easy victory that cut Rosberg’s lead to 26 points with three races left.
Victories won’t be enough for the two-time defending champion to keep his title. Rosberg still holds a relatively comfortable lead heading to next week’s race in Mexico City where he won last year. Two seconds and a third in the final three races will be enough for Rosberg to earn his first title.
Rosberg is keenly aware that he controls his destiny. Unlike last season, when tensions boiled over in the post-race cool down room, the German was all smiles Sunday as Hamilton celebrated his win.
Rosberg insists he won’t settle for the safety of second place and will push for wins over the final stretch.
He made a late charge over the final 10 laps to shave nearly five seconds off Hamilton’s lead, but never threatened to overtake him for the win. Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo finished third for his second US Grand Prix podium.
Red Bull’s Dutch teenager Max Verstappen had a wild race that ended with a gearbox problem on lap 32.
After an aggressive start on super-soft tires when he was pressing Rosberg early, Verstappen’s garage warned the 19-year-old, “just make sure you can finish.”
“I’m not here to finish fourth!” Verstappen snapped back.
He later came in for a pit stop when his team wasn’t ready, telling them he mistakenly heard an order on the radio.
The next race is in Mexico this weekend.
- AP