Lewis Hamilton’s dominant win at Suzuka has him on the cusp of a fifth world championship. Could he clinch it at this weekend’s U.S. Grand Prix?
Focus on… Hamilton set for world championship No. 5
If Lewis Hamilton leads another Mercedes one-two in Austin on Sunday afternoon, he will be crowned the 2018 drivers’ champion. It’s as simple as that.
What was once a tight and gripping battle between Hamilton and Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel has quickly turned into a non-contest. Hamilton has won six of the last seven races to turn an eight point deficit into a mammoth 67-point advantage as Formula One gears up for the United States Grand Prix.
Ferrari and Vettel may have shot themselves in the foot time and time again this year but Hamilton deserves an enormous amount of credit for what he has produced. He has raised the bar in a car that has been slightly inferior for much of the season, he has thrived under pressure as Vettel crumbled and he would be a thoroughly deserved world champion.
Another title for Hamilton would make it five in his illustrious career and he would join Michael Schumacher (7) and Juan Manuel Fangio (5) as the only drivers in history to claim a handful of championships. It cements his place, if not already, among the greatest drivers in the sport’s history.
Just to make Vettel’s life a little more difficult this weekend, Hamilton boasts an incredible record in the United States. He has won six of the last seven races on American soil, including the last four at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas.
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In need of a win? Lewis Hamilton
Yes, you read correctly. The man in red-hot form and who is an almost unbackable favourite to clinch the world championship, does need to win this weekend.
Hamilton will not want the 2018 title fight to drag on into Mexico or even Brazil and Abu Dhabi, instead he wants to put Vettel out of his misery in Austin. Formula One is unpredictable and just imagine if Hamilton had two retirements in the final four races. Unlikely but definitely a possibility. He cannot afford to give Vettel the slightest sniff of a comeback.
As mentioned above, 2018 has been a legacy season for Hamilton and if he is able to wrap things up with three races to spare it only puts an exclamation point on how remarkable his year has been.
Mercedes will also be keen for things to be over when the chequered flag falls in the United States so it can focus on priority number two: ensuring Valtteri Bottas doesn’t end the year winless. Bottas has played a sublime support role for Hamilton in 2018 and deserves to have a win next to his name when the season is over.
In need of points? Kevin Magnussen
The Kevin Magnussen we’ve seen in the second half of 2018 is not the same as the one who was mightily impressive in the first half of the year.
Magnussen claimed four top six finishes in the opening nine races — the only driver outside the big three teams to achieve the feat — but since then the Dane has struggled. He has not returned to the top six since as errors and inconsistency has crept into his driving.
With four races to run, Magnussen sits equal seventh in the drivers’ championship, tied on 53 points with Force India’s Sergio Perez and Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg.
Magnussen will want to make amends for his poor outing in Japan that ended in him causing a collision with Charles Leclerc and retiring from the race. What better place to do it then at his team’s home race.
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Tyre talk
Available compounds: Soft, Super-soft, Ultra-soft
Minimum starting pressures: Front 21.0psi, rear 20.0psi
Weather forecast
This coming weekend at the Circuit of the Americas is set to be affected by rain with showers forecasted on Friday and Saturday. Sunday’s race is likely to be dry, with temperatures rising to around 20C on race day.
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Betting
Bookmakers have Hamilton at the shortest price he has been all season. A Hamilton win pays just 8/15 while if Vettel is to claim top billing, 3/1 can be made.
With the championship looking more than likely to come to end this weekend, why not take a look ahead to 2019. Interestingly, there’s odds of 15/2 for Vettel not to drive for Ferrari next year while if you think good things are in Charles Leclerc’s future, why not back him for the world championship in 2019 at 11/2?
ESPN’s prediction
So many factors, as mentioned above, are pointing towards a Hamilton win in Austin. Could it really go down any other way?
Winner: Lewis Hamilton
Bonus prediction: Mercedes finish one-two, Hamilton wins the world championship