Max Verstappen wins third consecutive Formula One world championship
Lewis Hamilton managed to back up his latest warning to Max Verstappen at the United States Grand Prix despite being disqualified from the race after the chequered flag. The 38-year-old was only able to celebrate his podium finish for a matter of hours, with the FIA later finding Mercedes guilty of running his car too low to the ground.
It was a hugely disappointing blow for Hamilton, who deservedly took second place after giving Verstappen a serious run for his money. A late charge up the field saw him move within two seconds of the lead and it might have been an even better result if he had a few more laps to work his magic.
Hamilton’s performance went a long way to backing up his words at the start of the weekend, when he suggested that he was ‘one of the only drivers’ with the ability to challenge Verstappen. The latter has run away with the last two Drivers’ Championship titles but Hamilton clearly believes that he is still capable of beating him with the stakes at their highest.
He would, of course, need a quicker car in order to keep up with Verstappen over the course of an entire season. Mercedes have lagged behind Red Bull in terms of pace this year but looked much faster at the Circuit of the Americas after introducing their final upgrades of the campaign.
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Their improvements over the weekend allowed Hamilton to demonstrate that he is still a force to be reckoned with, especially when he is given a car fast enough to challenge for victories. The Silver Arrows will, therefore, be desperate to keep making strides in order to give Hamilton what he needs to fight Verstappen next season.
However, there is still work to be done when it comes to their strategy after leaving Hamilton in no-man’s land at the end of his first stint. He stayed out for longer than expected on worn tyres as Mercedes tried to make a radical one-stopper work, only to go back on their decision a few laps later in a less-than-ideal scenario.
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It saw Hamilton lose crucial track position, which later prompted Verstappen to admit that his Mercedes rival would probably have beaten him to the chequered flag with ‘a better strategy’. The Dutchman could easily have been there for the taking on another day, given that he was carefully managing a brake issue during the closing stages of the race.
Only time will tell if Hamilton will be able to mount a title challenge next season after showing on Sunday that he can still give Verstappen a fright when it comes to battling for victories. It will likely depend on whether Mercedes can return to their former glories, with the Silver Arrows still fighting an uphill battle in their bid to overthrow Red Bull’s dominance.
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