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Telly Talk Supreme
Lewis Hamilton fastest in US GP practice
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Austin
Lewis Hamilton set a searing pace as he dominated first practice at the United States Grand Prix.
The title leader's Mercedes was 0.593 seconds quicker than rival Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari, with Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas third.
Hamilton will clinch his fourth title on Sunday if he wins the race with Vettel lower than sixth.
But he has labelled this idea as "silly", saying he expects Ferrari will not have a fourth bad race in a row.
Meanwhile, Hamilton has been in a rich vein of form that has seen him win four of the five races since Formula 1 returned from its summer break at the end of August.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen ended the session fourth, on a day on which his team announced that he had extended his contract with the team until the end of 2020 in a deal that is believed to include a significant pay rise.
But Verstappen starts the weekend knowing he will drop down the grid as a result of Renault fitting an upgraded engine to his car.
Although it has not been officially confirmed, the Dutchman is to be given a new internal combustion engine which will mean a penalty for excessive engine usage.
The new engine is also being given to Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg, whose 20-place grid penalty was confirmed on Friday, and Toro Rosso debutant Brendon Hartley.
Hartley ended the first session of his belated F1 debut 14th quickest and then received a 25-place grid penalty for his car's engine change.
Their team-mates will not receive the upgrade for the rest of the season.
Hulkenberg ended the session 12th, two places behind new team-mate Carlos Sainz, who impressed on his first outing for his new team following his transfer from Toro Rosso.
The session started wet, with the drivers running on intermediate tyres for the first half-hour or so before gradually moving on to slick tyres.
McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne and Williams driver Felipe Massa were fifth and sixth after runs on the faster ultra-soft tyre while the four drivers ahead were on the super-soft. Vandoorne has a five-place grid penalty for a new engine.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was seventh on the super-soft with the Force Indias of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez eighth and ninth.
Vandoorne's team-mate Fernando Alonso, who was confirmed as staying at McLaren in 2018 on Thursday, was last having not set a time as a result of a hydraulic leak discovered after just three laps.
McLaren did get him out again before the end of the session but he managed only one lap before returning to the pits.
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Austin
Lewis Hamilton set a searing pace as he dominated first practice at the United States Grand Prix.
The title leader's Mercedes was 0.593 seconds quicker than rival Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari, with Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas third.
Hamilton will clinch his fourth title on Sunday if he wins the race with Vettel lower than sixth.
But he has labelled this idea as "silly", saying he expects Ferrari will not have a fourth bad race in a row.
- Verstappen signs new Red Bull deal to 2020
- Who will top United States GP qualifying?
- Spiders, chocolate? What makes the Hulk angry?
- Hamilton focused on race win, not 'take a knee'
Meanwhile, Hamilton has been in a rich vein of form that has seen him win four of the five races since Formula 1 returned from its summer break at the end of August.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen ended the session fourth, on a day on which his team announced that he had extended his contract with the team until the end of 2020 in a deal that is believed to include a significant pay rise.
But Verstappen starts the weekend knowing he will drop down the grid as a result of Renault fitting an upgraded engine to his car.
Although it has not been officially confirmed, the Dutchman is to be given a new internal combustion engine which will mean a penalty for excessive engine usage.
The new engine is also being given to Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg, whose 20-place grid penalty was confirmed on Friday, and Toro Rosso debutant Brendon Hartley.
Hartley ended the first session of his belated F1 debut 14th quickest and then received a 25-place grid penalty for his car's engine change.
Their team-mates will not receive the upgrade for the rest of the season.
Hulkenberg ended the session 12th, two places behind new team-mate Carlos Sainz, who impressed on his first outing for his new team following his transfer from Toro Rosso.
The session started wet, with the drivers running on intermediate tyres for the first half-hour or so before gradually moving on to slick tyres.
McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne and Williams driver Felipe Massa were fifth and sixth after runs on the faster ultra-soft tyre while the four drivers ahead were on the super-soft. Vandoorne has a five-place grid penalty for a new engine.
Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was seventh on the super-soft with the Force Indias of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez eighth and ninth.
Vandoorne's team-mate Fernando Alonso, who was confirmed as staying at McLaren in 2018 on Thursday, was last having not set a time as a result of a hydraulic leak discovered after just three laps.
McLaren did get him out again before the end of the session but he managed only one lap before returning to the pits.
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Lewis Hamilton top in US GP practice as Vettel struggles
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Austin
Listen to coverage of final practice and qualifying for the United States Grand Prix across BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, BBC Sport website and mobile app
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton was in scintillating form as he set the pace for Mercedes in second practice at the United States Grand Prix.
Hamilton's title rival Sebastian Vettel could manage only third quickest, 0.524 seconds behind the Mercedes, and behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
Hamilton leads Vettel by 59 points and will take the title if he wins the race and the German is lower than fifth.
Vettel suffered a spin at Turn 19, costing him significant track time.
Hamilton showed off a special red helmet during second practice
Hamilton has won four of the five races held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and heads into the weekend on a run of four wins in the past five races.
His form has dramatically turned the championship around, after Vettel had led it all season until Hamilton took the lead with victory in Italy in early September.
Vettel then had a terrible run in the three Asian races, crashing out in Singapore at the start and then hitting engine problems in both Malaysia and Japan.
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Nico Hulkenberg: So what does make the Hulk angry?
Hamilton's progress in Austin has been serene so far this weekend, the Briton topping both sessions in impressive style.
He was more than 0.5secs quicker than Vettel in the first session, with Bottas 0.6secs slower, the same margin the Finn was behind his team.
A terrible start for Ferrari
In addition to his spin, Vettel also did not manage to complete any kind of race preparation in the second part of the session as Ferrari fiddled with his car in the pits after Vettel complained that the front of the car "felt like jelly".
He managed to get out with a minute still to go but could only do one lap before the end of the session.
Team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who was sixth quickest overall behind Bottas and Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, did complete a race run but was 0.5secs slower than the evenly matched Mercedes and Red Bull.
"It was a messy afternoon," said Vettel. "Not an easy session, but the car is quick so we don't need to worry.
"The main thing is Kimi did some running. I need to find the rhythm tomorrow. We just need to make sure we get everything in order and it should be a good day."
Ferrari have decided to change the chassis over night following the problems.
Bevo the Texas Longhorns mascot was having fun in the Red Bull garage
Sainz proving his worth
Behind the big three teams, Fernando Alonso was seventh fastest for McLaren ahead of the Williams of Felipe Massa and Force India's Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon.
Carlos Sainz made an impressive debut for the Renault team following his switch from Toro Rosso and was 11th, one place and 0.005secs quicker than team-mate Nico Hulkenberg.
New Zealander Brendon Hartley was 17th on his F1 debut for Toro Rosso, 1.2secs behind team-mate Daniil Kvyat, who has been drafted back in to replace Sainz for at least one race after being dropped last month.
The Renaults of Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz are accompanied by two pink cats in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month for the race in Austin
What a welcome: Brendon Hartley will start at the back of the grid for Sunday's race due to engine penalties
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Austin
- 8 hours ago
- From the section Formula 1
Listen to coverage of final practice and qualifying for the United States Grand Prix across BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, BBC Sport website and mobile app
Championship leader Lewis Hamilton was in scintillating form as he set the pace for Mercedes in second practice at the United States Grand Prix.
Hamilton's title rival Sebastian Vettel could manage only third quickest, 0.524 seconds behind the Mercedes, and behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
Hamilton leads Vettel by 59 points and will take the title if he wins the race and the German is lower than fifth.
Vettel suffered a spin at Turn 19, costing him significant track time.
Hamilton showed off a special red helmet during second practice
- Predict who will top qualifying for the United States GP
- Can Hamilton wrap up the title in Austin?
- 5 live F1: Listen to United States GP preview
- How US Grand Prix practice unfolded
Hamilton has won four of the five races held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and heads into the weekend on a run of four wins in the past five races.
His form has dramatically turned the championship around, after Vettel had led it all season until Hamilton took the lead with victory in Italy in early September.
Vettel then had a terrible run in the three Asian races, crashing out in Singapore at the start and then hitting engine problems in both Malaysia and Japan.
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Nico Hulkenberg: So what does make the Hulk angry?
Hamilton's progress in Austin has been serene so far this weekend, the Briton topping both sessions in impressive style.
He was more than 0.5secs quicker than Vettel in the first session, with Bottas 0.6secs slower, the same margin the Finn was behind his team.
A terrible start for Ferrari
In addition to his spin, Vettel also did not manage to complete any kind of race preparation in the second part of the session as Ferrari fiddled with his car in the pits after Vettel complained that the front of the car "felt like jelly".
He managed to get out with a minute still to go but could only do one lap before the end of the session.
Team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, who was sixth quickest overall behind Bottas and Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo, did complete a race run but was 0.5secs slower than the evenly matched Mercedes and Red Bull.
"It was a messy afternoon," said Vettel. "Not an easy session, but the car is quick so we don't need to worry.
"The main thing is Kimi did some running. I need to find the rhythm tomorrow. We just need to make sure we get everything in order and it should be a good day."
Ferrari have decided to change the chassis over night following the problems.
Bevo the Texas Longhorns mascot was having fun in the Red Bull garage
Sainz proving his worth
Behind the big three teams, Fernando Alonso was seventh fastest for McLaren ahead of the Williams of Felipe Massa and Force India's Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon.
Carlos Sainz made an impressive debut for the Renault team following his switch from Toro Rosso and was 11th, one place and 0.005secs quicker than team-mate Nico Hulkenberg.
New Zealander Brendon Hartley was 17th on his F1 debut for Toro Rosso, 1.2secs behind team-mate Daniil Kvyat, who has been drafted back in to replace Sainz for at least one race after being dropped last month.
The Renaults of Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz are accompanied by two pink cats in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month for the race in Austin
What a welcome: Brendon Hartley will start at the back of the grid for Sunday's race due to engine penalties
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Lewis Hamilton leads Sebastian Vettel in final US GP practice
Listen to coverage of qualifying from 21:55 BST on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and the BBC Sport website. Sunday's race is at 20:00 BST
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton underlined his domination of the United States Grand Prix weekend with fastest time in final practice on Saturday.
It completes a clean sweep of practice sessions for the championship leader, who was 0.092 seconds quicker than title rival Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari.
Hamilton will clinch his fourth world title if he wins the race on Sunday and Vettel finishes lower than fifth.
Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas was third and Kimi Raikkonen fourth.
Although Vettel was slower than Hamilton, the session marked a major step forward for Ferrari after a terrible day for the German on Friday.
Haas' Romain Grosjean was the latest driver to end up in the gravel
Vettel had a spin, was half a second slower than Hamilton and then did no race-simulation work on Friday afternoon, and Ferrari changed his chassis ahead of final practice after being unable to find a problem that he said made the front axle "feel like jelly".
But Saturday morning brought a revived Ferrari, Vettel and team-mate Raikkonen competitive from the outset.
In the end, there was about 0.1secs between each of the drivers in the top four, and 0.277secs covered the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen was fifth quickest, but 0.739secs off the pace and facing a 15-place grid penalty for using too many engine parts.
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Nico Hulkenberg: So what does make the Hulk angry?
Carlos Sainz continued his impressive debut for the Renault team, just 0.042secs off team-mate Nico Hulkenberg as the pair took seventh and eighth places behind the Williams of Felipe Massa.
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was struggling in ninth place, 0.6secs off Verstappen after a wayward fastest lap, and ahead of the Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon.
Massa's team-mate Lance Stroll was 12th, ahead of the McLarens of Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne, the Spaniard complaining that his set-up "didn't work".
New Zealander Brendon Hartley ended the session 15th for Toro Rosso on his F1 debut, but there was no benchmark for him because Daniil Kvyat suffered a technical problem and could manage only six laps.
Unusually, there are four hours before qualifying at 22:00 BST (16:00 local) as the schedule is changed in the hope more people at the track will attend the Justin Timberlake concert in the evening.
Swami
- 2 hours ago
- From the section Formula 1
Listen to coverage of qualifying from 21:55 BST on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra and the BBC Sport website. Sunday's race is at 20:00 BST
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton underlined his domination of the United States Grand Prix weekend with fastest time in final practice on Saturday.
It completes a clean sweep of practice sessions for the championship leader, who was 0.092 seconds quicker than title rival Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari.
Hamilton will clinch his fourth world title if he wins the race on Sunday and Vettel finishes lower than fifth.
Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas was third and Kimi Raikkonen fourth.
Although Vettel was slower than Hamilton, the session marked a major step forward for Ferrari after a terrible day for the German on Friday.
- Predict who will top qualifying for the US GP
- Can Hamilton wrap the title up in Austin?
- Spiders, chocolate? What makes the Hulk angry?
- 5 live F1: Listen to United States GP preview
Haas' Romain Grosjean was the latest driver to end up in the gravel
Vettel had a spin, was half a second slower than Hamilton and then did no race-simulation work on Friday afternoon, and Ferrari changed his chassis ahead of final practice after being unable to find a problem that he said made the front axle "feel like jelly".
But Saturday morning brought a revived Ferrari, Vettel and team-mate Raikkonen competitive from the outset.
In the end, there was about 0.1secs between each of the drivers in the top four, and 0.277secs covered the Mercedes and Ferrari drivers.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen was fifth quickest, but 0.739secs off the pace and facing a 15-place grid penalty for using too many engine parts.
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Nico Hulkenberg: So what does make the Hulk angry?
Carlos Sainz continued his impressive debut for the Renault team, just 0.042secs off team-mate Nico Hulkenberg as the pair took seventh and eighth places behind the Williams of Felipe Massa.
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was struggling in ninth place, 0.6secs off Verstappen after a wayward fastest lap, and ahead of the Force Indias of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon.
Massa's team-mate Lance Stroll was 12th, ahead of the McLarens of Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne, the Spaniard complaining that his set-up "didn't work".
New Zealander Brendon Hartley ended the session 15th for Toro Rosso on his F1 debut, but there was no benchmark for him because Daniil Kvyat suffered a technical problem and could manage only six laps.
Unusually, there are four hours before qualifying at 22:00 BST (16:00 local) as the schedule is changed in the hope more people at the track will attend the Justin Timberlake concert in the evening.
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Lewis Hamilton on pole for United States Grand Prix
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Austin
Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the United States Grand Prix and will have title rival Sebastian Vettel alongside him on the front row.
Hamilton beat Vettel by 0.239 seconds as the German rescued his day with a superb final lap.
Vettel was fourth after the first runs in final qualifying, over 0.7secs off the pace, but improved at the death.
Hamilton, who took his 11th pole in 17 races, will clinch the title if he wins the race with Vettel lower than fifth.
Sunday's race is live on radio 5 live and the BBC Sport website at 20:00 BST.
Hamilton can take the title if he wins and Vettel finishes sixth or below, or he is second and Vettel finishes 10th or below
Hamilton in control
It was Hamilton's 11th pole position in 17 races so far this season and it continues a weekend of domination for the 32-year-old at one of his favourite circuits.
Hamilton topped all three practice sessions and all three parts of qualifying to stamp his total authority on the weekend.
Hamilton said he "loved this track" but said qualifying was difficult because of a gusting strong wind in hot and humid conditions.
"It is going to be a great race," he said. It is going to be a tough one. Looking after the tyres in these conditions is going to be tough but I am the best prepared I can be."
American fans make clear what they want on Sunday - Hamilton won the title in Austin in 2015, where Nico Rosberg famously threw his cap at him
Hamilton said it was "highly unlikely" that he would win the title on Sunday.
"Sebastian did a great job to get back up there. Unless he makes a silly mistake - which is very unlikely; he's a four-time world champion - it is going to continue to the next race.
"This is such a fantastic circuit, just the layout and the way the wind comes really makes it challenging. You are constantly dancing with the wind."
A great recovery from Vettel
Ferrari have had a difficult weekend, starting with a spin for Vettel on Friday, a car problem which led to a chassis change, but recovered well on Saturday.
Vettel said: "I was very happy in the end. I was lacking a bit the rhythm, especially the transition from the first to second sector. Got it right in the end, but it was very tricky with the wind."
His front row starts sets up a potentially fascinating battle between the two in the race, when Ferrari are usually more competitive than in qualifying.
Vettel and Hamilton were tied on two US GP poles each - Hamilton now extends his record to three
The heat is also giving Mercedes concerns. The hotter it is, the more problems they have managing tyre temperatures, which could be a significant issue for them in the race, although it is expected to be a few degrees cooler on Sunday than the 30C temperatures in south Texas on Saturday.
Bottas again struggled to match Hamilton, as he has since the season re-started after the summer break in late August and Ricciardo could be a factor in the race, qualifying only 0.469secs off the pace.
Raikkonen exactly matched the Australian's team but as he posted it second was classified behind.
Verstappen was just under 0.1secs off his team-mate and will start from the back because of a 15-place penalty for excessive engine usage.
Sainz's steller debut
There was an impressive performance from Carlos Sainz on his first outing for the Renault team following his transfer from Toro Rosso to replace Jolyon Palmer.
The Spaniard took eighth place, pipped by Force India's Esteban Ocon but ahead of McLaren's Fernando Alonso and the second Force India of Sergio Perez.
Sainz was on the pace of team-mate Nico Hulkenberg all weekend and was 0.2secs quicker than the German in first qualifying, although Hulkenberg did only one run because he is one of the other drivers with a major grid penalty.
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Nico Hulkenberg: So what does make the Hulk angry?
New Zealander Brendon Hartley qualified 18th on his Formula 1 debut for Toro Rosso, saying he had lost a lot of time locking front wheels at Turn 12 and 15.
He was 0.8secs slower than team-mate Daniil Kvyat in first qualifying but said he was optimistic of a strong race, which he will start from the back because of a 25-place engine penalty.
"It has been a steep learning curve," said Hartley, who is expected to be retained for the rest of the season when Frenchman Pierre Gasly returns for the next race in Mexico.
"I was happy with final practice but I didn't really get it together in qualifying. There is a lot to learn with these tyres and peak performance, the long-run pace I feel confident I can do a good job tomorrow. Bit of work to do on short runs. Pretty happy with how the weekend has gone so far."
Another one bites the dust: Haas' Romain Grosjean ended up on the gravel track during final practice
Midnight cowboy Daniel Ricciardo
Hamilton has worn a yellow, red and white helmet so far this weekend... which colour will he chose next?
Bevo the Texas Longhorns mascot was having fun in the Red Bull garage
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Austin
Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the United States Grand Prix and will have title rival Sebastian Vettel alongside him on the front row.
Hamilton beat Vettel by 0.239 seconds as the German rescued his day with a superb final lap.
Vettel was fourth after the first runs in final qualifying, over 0.7secs off the pace, but improved at the death.
Hamilton, who took his 11th pole in 17 races, will clinch the title if he wins the race with Vettel lower than fifth.
Sunday's race is live on radio 5 live and the BBC Sport website at 20:00 BST.
- Predict who will win the United States Grand Prix
- Can Hamilton wrap up the title in Austin?
- Spiders? Chocolate? what makes the Hulk angry?
- Hamilton, Mercedes and the 'art' of qualifying
Hamilton can take the title if he wins and Vettel finishes sixth or below, or he is second and Vettel finishes 10th or below
Hamilton in control
It was Hamilton's 11th pole position in 17 races so far this season and it continues a weekend of domination for the 32-year-old at one of his favourite circuits.
Hamilton topped all three practice sessions and all three parts of qualifying to stamp his total authority on the weekend.
Hamilton said he "loved this track" but said qualifying was difficult because of a gusting strong wind in hot and humid conditions.
"It is going to be a great race," he said. It is going to be a tough one. Looking after the tyres in these conditions is going to be tough but I am the best prepared I can be."
American fans make clear what they want on Sunday - Hamilton won the title in Austin in 2015, where Nico Rosberg famously threw his cap at him
Hamilton said it was "highly unlikely" that he would win the title on Sunday.
"Sebastian did a great job to get back up there. Unless he makes a silly mistake - which is very unlikely; he's a four-time world champion - it is going to continue to the next race.
"This is such a fantastic circuit, just the layout and the way the wind comes really makes it challenging. You are constantly dancing with the wind."
A great recovery from Vettel
Ferrari have had a difficult weekend, starting with a spin for Vettel on Friday, a car problem which led to a chassis change, but recovered well on Saturday.
Vettel said: "I was very happy in the end. I was lacking a bit the rhythm, especially the transition from the first to second sector. Got it right in the end, but it was very tricky with the wind."
His front row starts sets up a potentially fascinating battle between the two in the race, when Ferrari are usually more competitive than in qualifying.
Vettel and Hamilton were tied on two US GP poles each - Hamilton now extends his record to three
The heat is also giving Mercedes concerns. The hotter it is, the more problems they have managing tyre temperatures, which could be a significant issue for them in the race, although it is expected to be a few degrees cooler on Sunday than the 30C temperatures in south Texas on Saturday.
Bottas again struggled to match Hamilton, as he has since the season re-started after the summer break in late August and Ricciardo could be a factor in the race, qualifying only 0.469secs off the pace.
Raikkonen exactly matched the Australian's team but as he posted it second was classified behind.
Verstappen was just under 0.1secs off his team-mate and will start from the back because of a 15-place penalty for excessive engine usage.
Sainz's steller debut
There was an impressive performance from Carlos Sainz on his first outing for the Renault team following his transfer from Toro Rosso to replace Jolyon Palmer.
The Spaniard took eighth place, pipped by Force India's Esteban Ocon but ahead of McLaren's Fernando Alonso and the second Force India of Sergio Perez.
Sainz was on the pace of team-mate Nico Hulkenberg all weekend and was 0.2secs quicker than the German in first qualifying, although Hulkenberg did only one run because he is one of the other drivers with a major grid penalty.
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Nico Hulkenberg: So what does make the Hulk angry?
New Zealander Brendon Hartley qualified 18th on his Formula 1 debut for Toro Rosso, saying he had lost a lot of time locking front wheels at Turn 12 and 15.
He was 0.8secs slower than team-mate Daniil Kvyat in first qualifying but said he was optimistic of a strong race, which he will start from the back because of a 25-place engine penalty.
"It has been a steep learning curve," said Hartley, who is expected to be retained for the rest of the season when Frenchman Pierre Gasly returns for the next race in Mexico.
"I was happy with final practice but I didn't really get it together in qualifying. There is a lot to learn with these tyres and peak performance, the long-run pace I feel confident I can do a good job tomorrow. Bit of work to do on short runs. Pretty happy with how the weekend has gone so far."
Another one bites the dust: Haas' Romain Grosjean ended up on the gravel track during final practice
Midnight cowboy Daniel Ricciardo
Hamilton has worn a yellow, red and white helmet so far this weekend... which colour will he chose next?
Bevo the Texas Longhorns mascot was having fun in the Red Bull garage
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Lewis Hamilton on verge of Formula 1 title with United States GP win
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Austin
Lewis Hamilton passed title rival Sebastian Vettel to take a dominant victory in the United States Grand Prix but will have to wait at least one more race to win his fourth world championship.
The Mercedes driver is 66 points clear of Vettel, who finished second, with only 75 still available in the remaining three races.
It means Hamilton is almost certain to clinch the title at the Mexican Grand Prix next weekend.
Vettel has to make up 17 points on Hamilton in Mexico City to take the fight to the next race in Brazil - which is the equivalent of the German winning the race with Hamilton finishing sixth or lower.
Given Hamilton's rich run of form of five wins and a second place in the last six races, that seems very unlikely, unless the Mercedes has a technical failure, which the Briton's car has not had all season in a race.
Hamilton's drivers' title will make a fourth consecutive championship double for Mercedes, who clinched the constructors' title on Sunday in Austin.
Hamilton and Vettel traded first position at the start of the race
Battler Hamilton not prepared to play percentage game
Hamilton had to fight for his win - at least at the beginning, after losing the lead to Vettel at the start.
He did not have to chase Vettel down to maintain a strong lead in the championship, but he tracked the Ferrari closely for the next five laps and then passed him for the lead at Turn 12 on lap six.
After taking the lead, Hamilton did not look back, clearly with a pace advantage, controlling his pace and doing just enough to manage the race to the end.
He questioned his team's decision in leaving him out for another three laps after Vettel made his first pit stop on lap 16, meaning the German had closed a 4.5-second deficit to nothing by the time Hamilton emerged from the pits.
But he soon pulled away again and drove off to his 10th victory in 17 races this season.
Ferrari not helping themselves. Again
As the race moved past half distance, Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas, with the second Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen right behind, was closing on Vettel, and Ferrari decided to pit their lead driver to give him fresh tyres for an attack at the end of the race.
The decision reflected a recognition that Hamilton was out of reach, and also the pace of Red Bull's Max Verstappen - who was driving beautifully after starting 16th and closing on Vettel - Bottas and Raikkonen in fifth place.
Vettel stopped on lap 38 and dropped down to fourth place, just 1.4 seconds ahead of Verstappen, but on his fresh super-soft tyres the German began to pull away and close on Bottas and Raikkonen ahead.
"Drive thru?" Usain Bolt and Hamilton consider dinner
The fight between the four enlivened the closing stages of what had been a relatively uneventful race.
Raikkonen passed Bottas for second on lap 42, Vettel passed the Mercedes on lap 51 and Verstappen did the same a lap later.
As expected, Raikkonen moved over to give second place to Vettel at the start of lap 52 and then Verstappen set about attacking Raikkonen.
The Red Bull dived past Raikkonen on the inside of Turn 16 on the final lap to take third, but was then penalised five seconds for going off track and gaining an advantage, a decision heavily criticised by Red Bull team boss Christian Horner as "not right".
Driver of the day
There will be disagreements about the penalty Verstappen received for his opportunistic pass on Raikkonen at the end, but none over the quality of his drive. Starting 16th, he was sixth and in sight of team-mate Daniel Ricciardo within 10 laps and nearly made the podium. Terrific.
What happens next?
F1 moves south to Mexico City next weekend, where Ferrari are tipped to have a performance advantage. But it will take more than that to stop Hamilton clinching a well deserved fourth world title.
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Austin
- 25 minutes ago
- From the section Formula 1
Lewis Hamilton passed title rival Sebastian Vettel to take a dominant victory in the United States Grand Prix but will have to wait at least one more race to win his fourth world championship.
The Mercedes driver is 66 points clear of Vettel, who finished second, with only 75 still available in the remaining three races.
It means Hamilton is almost certain to clinch the title at the Mexican Grand Prix next weekend.
Vettel has to make up 17 points on Hamilton in Mexico City to take the fight to the next race in Brazil - which is the equivalent of the German winning the race with Hamilton finishing sixth or lower.
Given Hamilton's rich run of form of five wins and a second place in the last six races, that seems very unlikely, unless the Mercedes has a technical failure, which the Briton's car has not had all season in a race.
Hamilton's drivers' title will make a fourth consecutive championship double for Mercedes, who clinched the constructors' title on Sunday in Austin.
Hamilton and Vettel traded first position at the start of the race
Battler Hamilton not prepared to play percentage game
Hamilton had to fight for his win - at least at the beginning, after losing the lead to Vettel at the start.
He did not have to chase Vettel down to maintain a strong lead in the championship, but he tracked the Ferrari closely for the next five laps and then passed him for the lead at Turn 12 on lap six.
After taking the lead, Hamilton did not look back, clearly with a pace advantage, controlling his pace and doing just enough to manage the race to the end.
He questioned his team's decision in leaving him out for another three laps after Vettel made his first pit stop on lap 16, meaning the German had closed a 4.5-second deficit to nothing by the time Hamilton emerged from the pits.
But he soon pulled away again and drove off to his 10th victory in 17 races this season.
Ferrari not helping themselves. Again
As the race moved past half distance, Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas, with the second Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen right behind, was closing on Vettel, and Ferrari decided to pit their lead driver to give him fresh tyres for an attack at the end of the race.
The decision reflected a recognition that Hamilton was out of reach, and also the pace of Red Bull's Max Verstappen - who was driving beautifully after starting 16th and closing on Vettel - Bottas and Raikkonen in fifth place.
Vettel stopped on lap 38 and dropped down to fourth place, just 1.4 seconds ahead of Verstappen, but on his fresh super-soft tyres the German began to pull away and close on Bottas and Raikkonen ahead.
"Drive thru?" Usain Bolt and Hamilton consider dinner
The fight between the four enlivened the closing stages of what had been a relatively uneventful race.
Raikkonen passed Bottas for second on lap 42, Vettel passed the Mercedes on lap 51 and Verstappen did the same a lap later.
As expected, Raikkonen moved over to give second place to Vettel at the start of lap 52 and then Verstappen set about attacking Raikkonen.
The Red Bull dived past Raikkonen on the inside of Turn 16 on the final lap to take third, but was then penalised five seconds for going off track and gaining an advantage, a decision heavily criticised by Red Bull team boss Christian Horner as "not right".
Driver of the day
There will be disagreements about the penalty Verstappen received for his opportunistic pass on Raikkonen at the end, but none over the quality of his drive. Starting 16th, he was sixth and in sight of team-mate Daniel Ricciardo within 10 laps and nearly made the podium. Terrific.
What happens next?
F1 moves south to Mexico City next weekend, where Ferrari are tipped to have a performance advantage. But it will take more than that to stop Hamilton clinching a well deserved fourth world title.
Swami