“At the start it was looking good, we got past Lewis, but we had to realise we couldn’t go at his pace. We were then in no-man’s land and were not quite sure what to do.” (Vettel)
 
formula one cars austin usa

Austin GP Race Results 2017

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Sebastian Vettel(Ferrari)
3. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
5. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
6. Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7. Carlos Sainz Jr (Toro Rosso)
8. Sergio Perez (Force India)
9. Felipe Massa (Williams)
10. Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso)
More on the F1 teams of 2017
 

Hamilton moves closer to the winning finishing line of 2017

Today Hamilton edged closer to his 4th world title with his 9th victory this season – in Austin, Texas. He has won here 6 times, helping to make it one of his favourite circuits. After today’s race he told the crowd “I think this track is now my favourite track, to be honest.”
 
Hamilton began the day by taking Usain Bolt out for a spin in a Mercedes road car and later in the day doing the ‘lightning bolt’ with him on the podium following his win. The huge atmosphere certainly seems to appeal to the Brit, “This was much more like an NFL game, which is exciting.” While Vettel stated that he didn’t “really care, to be honest.”
 
Mercedes secured the Constructors’ title for the 4th year in a row.
 
Hamilton is now 66 points clear of Vettel, with 75 remaining in the final 3 races. For Vettel to win the championship now, Hamilton would need to suffer a spectacular failing of his current form – by only achieving 8 points in total from the last 3 races – while Vettel would need to win all 3. At the moment this seems highly unlikely.
 
Hamilton started in pole, but initially lost the lead to Vettel as the race began. He managed to pass Vettel on Lap 6 and a speed advantage allowed Hamilton to maintain a relatively commanding lead to the finish; with the battle between Vettel, Raikkonen, Verstappen and Bottas then provided the excitement.
 

Ferrari Overtakes One Mercedes, But Not The Main One!

 
Raikkonen passed Bottas on Lap 42 for 2nd, then Vettel passed the Mercedes driver on Lap 51, Verstappen followed on Lap 52. Raikkonen let Vettel past on Lap 52.
 
Verstappen had started in 16th place following a penalty for an engine change, but made his way up the grid in style and overtook Raikkonen on the final lap to take 3rd. But he was controversially given a 5 second penalty for going off track ‘to gain an advantage’ – denying him a podium place and demoting him to 4th.
 
Today was not one of Daniel Ricciardo’s high points, he has had an incredible season up until now – sitting comfortably in 4th place in the drivers’ championship and a recent run of 3 straight podium finishes. After a wonderful battle with Bottas at the start, he went out of the race with engine failure on Lap 15.
 
Alonso’s frustrating season continued as he also suffered engine failure just before half way – when he had been looking on course to take 7th/8th place.
 
On his debut for Toro Rosso, New Zealander Brendon Hartley was unable to make his mark as he got ‘stuck in traffic’ for most of the race, eventually finishing a commendable 13th.
 
Can Hamilton clinch the title in Mexico on Sunday? Or will there be a final twist?
 

Would You Like To Go To Austin Texas Next Year?

 
If you would be interested in going to the 2018 Grand Prix in Texas, then please check our F1 Hospitality Packages that we offer on our Austin Page.