USA TODAY International Edition
Hamilton closes gap
The three- time Formula One champion cuts his point deficit with a victory in the U. S. Grand Prix,
Lewis Hamilton got the victory he needed to keep his Formula One championship hopes alive. Now he needs more, and he needs Mercedes teammate and rival Nico Rosberg to make a mistake or have a bad race.
Hamilton won his fourth U. S. Grand Prix in five years Sunday, bolting from the pole position and cruising to an easy victory that cut Rosberg’s lead to 26 points with three races left.
“Yeehaw!” Hamilton roared over his radio as he rounded the final turn for the checkered flag on his 50th career victory. “The battle will continue. I’ll be going for it.”
Victories won’t be enough for the three- time 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 season title and match father Keke Rosberg’s 1982 championship.
Nico Rosberg is keenly aware he controls his destiny. Unlike last season, when tensions boiled over in the postrace cool- down room and Rosberg tossed a podium cap at Hamilton’s face, the German was all smiles Sunday as Hamilton celebrated his win.
Rosberg shrugged off any suggestion he had lost momentum. The Mercedes duel now heads into a stretch Rosberg dominated last year when he reeled off victories in Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi. He has failed to finish one race this season and has only four that didn’t end on the podium.
“It’s a pity it didn’t work out for a win ( in the USA),” Rosberg said.
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.
The Haas F1 Team’s Romain Grosjean finished 10th, earning the rookie American- led team a point in its debut appearance in its home race. Teammate Esteban Gutierrez dropped out on lap 17 with a brake issue.