Lewis Hamilton will have to wait another week before sealing his fifth world championship title, after Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen seized victory at the US Grand Prix.
Ending a five and a half year wait for a win, Raikkonen vaulted ahead of Hamilton at the start of a race which evolved into a strategic tussle involving Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes.
In a throwback to the Raikkonen on old, the Finn’s excellent tyre preservation allowed him to extend his opening stint while Hamilton made an early pitstop onto the soft compound tyres.
When the championship leader’s yellow marked tyres began to blister, it emerged that he would have to complete the race on a two-stop strategy. Sacrificing track position to the one-stopping Raikkonen and resurgent Max Verstappen, Hamilton soon joined the pair in a three-way scrap for the win.
Raikkonen held his nerve to seize his 21st career win and break Ricardo Patrese’s record for the longest time between race wins. Verstappen resisted a late-race attack from Hamilton to clinch second from 18th on the grid.
Here are our DRIVER RATINGS for the 2018 US Grand Prix.
