106 F1 RACING DECEMBER 2019
PICTURES:ZAK MAUGER;SIMON GALLOWAY;JERRYANDRE;STEVEN TEE;GLENN DUNBARTHE US GP IN 3
FINISHING STRAIGHT F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPROUND^19 KEY MOMENTS
RACE DEBRIEF
1 Hamiltonseals title number six, despite defeat to Bottas
AlthoughLewis Hamiltonstarted an unusually (for
him) lowlyfi fth on the gridfor the UnitedStates
Grand Prix – thanksto a dislodged braking switch
cover on his steering wheel – he didn’t needto win
this raceto claim his sixth world championship.
Indeed, a quietly restrained performance in which
he held onto fi fth would have been sufficient. But
that isn’t Hamilton’s way.
The British driver is now one title ahead of
Juan ManuelFangio and one short of Michael
Schumacher’s all-time record – and, just like those
great drivers, hefoughtfor the win every step of
the way. Ultimately hefi nished 4.1 seconds behind
his victorious Mercedesteam-mateValtteri Bottas
after making the most of an adventurous race
strategy. Then, after parking his W10 on a strip of
asphalt in parcfermé that had been painted with
the words ‘Reservedfor the 2019 world champion’,
he summed up his relentless questto accrue ever
more wins and championships.Second inAustin behind a dominant Bottas
was enoughtoconfirm Hamilton’s sixth titleAs he jumped from his car, the 34-year old said
that as an athlete he was stillfeeling “fresh” and
that he couldn’t waitto fi ght for victories in the
season’s remaining two races. Later he added
that his career was a little like working on a
“masterpiece” he hadn’t quitefi nished yet.
Ominous wordsfor his rivals.
Fromfi fth, Hamilton made short work of Charles
Leclerc and SebastianVettel asFerrari’s pace
evaporated once again. But it was Hamilton’s
delicate balance of raw pace and smart tyre
management that brought him within a whisker of
victory on a one-stop strategy, while his rivalsfor
the win (Bottas and MaxVerstappen) made two.
Bottas was also originally planning a one-stop,
but whenVerstappen pitted early from second
place on lap 13, Mercedes covered theRed Bullby
stopping Bottas a lap later and switching himto a
two-stop strategy. When Bottas made his second
stop on lap 35 he emerged comfortably aheadof Verstappen (again) and nine seconds behind
Lewis. Valtteri’s tyres were 11 laps fresher than
Hamilton’s and he had 20 lapsto passfor the win.
Knowing Bottas was reeling him in, Hamilton
radioed his engineerPete Bonnington with his
concerns, saying: “I don’t know how long these
tyres are goingto last...”
Eventually Bottas closedto within DRS range
and after an attemptto passfor the lead on lap
51 didn’t work, he made the move stick into
Turn 12 on thefollowingtour. Verstappen also
got close but his ambitionsto pass Hamilton
for second place were thwartedby yellowfl ags
waved for a stricken Haas in the gravel at the
end of the back straight.
Bottas had mixed emotions now the title race
was fi nallyover.
“It wasmy best season in F1 so far,” he said.
“But being best of the rest doesn’tfeel good. Next
year is a new opportunity.”106 F1 RACING DECEMBER 2019
PICTURES:ZAK MAUGER;SIMON GALLOWAY;JERRYANDRE;STEVEN TEE;GLENN DUNBARTHE US GP IN 3
FINISHING STRAIGHT F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPROUND^19 KEY MOMENTS
RACE DEBRIEF
1 Hamiltonseals title number six, despite defeat to Bottas
AlthoughLewis Hamiltonstarted an unusually (for
him) lowlyfi fth on the gridfor the UnitedStates
Grand Prix – thanksto a dislodged braking switch
cover on his steering wheel – he didn’t needto win
this raceto claim his sixth world championship.
Indeed, a quietly restrained performance in which
he held onto fi fth would have been sufficient. But
that isn’t Hamilton’s way.
The British driver is now one title ahead of
Juan ManuelFangio and one short of Michael
Schumacher’s all-time record – and, just like those
great drivers, hefoughtfor the win every step of
the way. Ultimately hefi nished 4.1 seconds behind
his victorious Mercedesteam-mateValtteri Bottas
after making the most of an adventurous race
strategy. Then, after parking his W10 on a strip of
asphalt in parcfermé that had been painted with
the words ‘Reservedfor the 2019 world champion’,
he summed up his relentless questto accrue ever
more wins and championships.
Second inAustin behind a dominant Bottas
was enoughtoconfirm Hamilton’s sixth titleAs he jumped from his car, the 34-year old said
that as an athlete he was stillfeeling “fresh” and
that he couldn’t waitto fi ght for victories in the
season’s remaining two races. Later he added
that his career was a little like working on a
“masterpiece” he hadn’t quitefi nished yet.
Ominous wordsfor his rivals.
Fromfi fth, Hamilton made short work of Charles
Leclerc and SebastianVettel asFerrari’s pace
evaporated once again. But it was Hamilton’s
delicate balance of raw pace and smart tyre
management that brought him within a whisker of
victory on a one-stop strategy, while his rivalsfor
the win (Bottas and MaxVerstappen) made two.
Bottas was also originally planning a one-stop,
but whenVerstappen pitted early from second
place on lap 13, Mercedes covered theRed Bullby
stopping Bottas a lap later and switching himto a
two-stop strategy. When Bottas made his second
stop on lap 35 he emerged comfortably aheadof Verstappen (again) and nine seconds behind
Lewis. Valtteri’s tyres were 11 laps fresher than
Hamilton’s and he had 20 lapsto passfor the win.
Knowing Bottas was reeling him in, Hamilton
radioed his engineerPete Bonnington with his
concerns, saying: “I don’t know how long these
tyres are goingto last...”
Eventually Bottas closedto within DRS range
and after an attemptto passfor the lead on lap
51 didn’t work, he made the move stick into
Turn 12 on thefollowingtour. Verstappen also
got close but his ambitionsto pass Hamilton
for second place were thwartedby yellowfl ags
waved for a stricken Haas in the gravel at the
end of the back straight.
Bottas had mixed emotions now the title race
was fi nallyover.
“It wasmy best season in F1 so far,” he said.
“But being best of the rest doesn’tfeel good. Next
year is a new opportunity.”