US Grand Prix: Can Lewis Hamilton seal sixth drivers' crown?
All eyes will be on Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton at the United States Grand Prix. The Briton, who finished fifth in qualifying, stands poised to seal a sixth drivers' championship title. Valtteri Bottas took the pole position ahead of Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. Here are further details and what lies in store at the US GP.
If Bottas wins the US Grand Prix, Hamilton needs to finish eighth and above to run away with the honor. He can finish ninth and still win as well. However, for this to happen, he needs to set the fastest lap and claim the bonus point. If Hamilton goes on to beat all odds and finishes first, he will be crowned champion.
Hamilton has 363 points this season. He has won 10 races including 15 podiums. Bottas is second and has 289 points under his belt. He trails Hamilton by 74 points. Leclerc (236), Vettel (230) and Verstappen (220) follow suit. Meanwhile, Mercedes sealed the 2019 Constructor Championship earlier. They have 652 points and are ahead of Ferrari (466).
A satisfied Bottas said: "It was a nice lap at the beginning of Q3 and to get one of those kind of laps on a track like this is a good feeling." "The last run there was a bit less grip overall and I am glad no-one could improve at the end." Bottas will be aiming to do well and win in Austin.
Bottas clinched his fifth pole of the season. Prior to this, Ferrari had sealed six successive poles stretching back to the Belgian GP in August. It is unlikely that Bottas will take the title battle into the final two races of the season.
Hamilton was 0.292 seconds slower than Bottas. He said he only had himself to blame for the performance. "The car was great," he said. "I just wasn't on form and I just couldn't pull the laps together. It was me. I will continue to work at it and I hope tomorrow I can do a better job."
The United States Grand Prix race day will start at 12:30 AM IST on Monday. One can watch the race live on the Star Sports Network.
