Celebrations on ice after Hamilton is edged out
Title must wait as Briton is third to Raikkonen Vettel keeps slim hopes alive by finishing fourth
With a prize as great as a fifth Formula One world title at stake, it was only fitting that Lewis Hamilton should have to work for it. In a riveting potboiler of a United States Grand Prix, he strained every sinew in pursuit of his prize, weaving all over this Texan track in his quest to hunt down Max Verstappen, but ultimately had to settle for third place and a coronation deferred.
As that wily veteran Kimi Raikkonen gatecrashed the party, grasping a first win in over 5½ years, the champion-in-waiting realised he would need to wait another week for his moment of history.
Given he holds a 70-point lead over Sebastian Vettel, his only challenger, with just 75 to play for, it is all but certain that Hamilton will secure his place alongside the immortals in Mexico City next weekend. Here he was gracious enough to cede the stage to Raikkonen, who at 39 offered a powerful testament to his ageless talent, outpacing pole-sitter Hamilton off the start line and managing his tyres perfectly until the end.
Indeed, Hamilton looked almost relieved not to be the centre of attention for a few minutes, as questions about his imminent status as a quintuple champion faded amid the surprise at the Finn’s victory.
Under cornflower skies in the Lone Star State, very little about this Austin race unfolded as predicted. Hamilton, expected to assert his supremacy on a circuit where he had won four years in succession, lost out to Raikkonen at the first corner and became sucked into the tensest battle with a defiant Verstappen.
As for Vettel, he committed yet another cardinal error, tangling with Daniel Ricciardo and falling briefly to 15th on a day when he needed to make hay. Ultimately, he did well to cross the line fourth and drop only three points to Hamilton.
Hamilton was sanguine as he prepared to wait another seven days to reclaim centre stage. “Kimi made no mistakes,” he said. “I’m really happy for him.”
There was a trace of irritation, though, at the strategic miscalculations that denied him a shot at wrapping up the championship with three grands prix to spare.
“As a team, we didn’t perform that great,” he said. “It was a like a double-bogey for us. Once Kimi was ahead, I didn’t have the pace to challenge him. We just have to keep working. It can’t always be perfect.”
For all that a monumental feat for Hamilton was anticipated, Raikkonen’s triumph was rapturously received here at the Circuit of the Americas. He had not stood on the top step of the podium since Mel- bourne in 2013, in a Lotus uniform, and this result brought just reward for years of tolerating Ferrari’s preferential treatment of Vettel.
While his “Iceman” moniker is well-deserved, his mask of inscrutability has slipped a little of late, possibly as a consequence of becoming a husband and father, and his post-race smile could hardly have been broader. In the circumstances, it appears frankly perverse that he is being forced to accept a demotion to Sauber from next year.
This occasion had been billed by the US hosts as “Showdown: All or Nothing”. Clearly, that was not true, with Hamilton conscious he only needed to finish ahead of Vettel, rather than to engage hero mode.
“Championships are not won by making silly mistakes,” he said. “It doesn’t matter when you win it, as long as you get the job done.”
While Hamilton was slow out of the blocks, he closed the gap on Raikkonen as the ultra-soft tyres wore down. At the midway point, he was the fastest driver on track. But as his tyres developed severe blisters, he had no option but to pit for a second time, dropping him to fourth, beyond any chance of wrapping up the title battle here.
The stakes were spelt out by his race engineer, Pete Bonnington, who told him: “We just need everything now.” His man was only too happy to oblige.
Hamilton began reeling off fastest laps and purple sectors, giving chase like a man possessed.
There was no issue, at least, with Valtteri Bottas giving way. The un-
palatable team-orders drama that played out in Sochi last month, when the Finn was instructed to gift Hamilton a victory, highlighted his role as the No 2 driver and deferential team player. Dutifully, he moved aside, allowing Hamilton to take third and pursue the far trickier task of passing Verstappen.
While Mercedes’ straight-line speed should have given a priceless advantage, Verstappen has acquired a reputation for trying every trick possible to defend his ground. “He looks pretty quick,” Hamilton muttered, anxiously. It was no illusion: the Dutchman, seeing his rear-view mirrors fill with shimmering silver and green, found an extra turn of speed.
Two fascinating tussles were unfolding concurrently, as the Hamilton-verstappen skirmish coincided with Bottas’s best efforts to keep Vettel at bay. If he could keep him in fifth, then his team-mate would know second place would be sufficient to grasp the overall prize.
Neither could fulfil their half of the bargain, as Vettel claimed fourth late on. Hamilton, meanwhile, could contrive no way past the defiant Red Bull ahead. In a thrilling interlude, they jostled for position through the high-speed S-curves, but Verstappen held firm, completing a remarkable recovery from 18th to second.
As for Hamilton, he had to be content, just for once, to play pageboy to a resurgent Raikkonen.