Sport
Lewis Hamilton wins U.S. Grand Prix
Vettel finished second and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was third Sunday. Vettel now leads Alonso by 13 points heading into the final race of the season next week in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
“Bit of a shame to lose first place, but I think we did everything we could,” Vettel said. “We’ve been very quick in Brazil the last few years, so plenty to look forward to.”
Vettel had dominated practice and qualifying on a new track none of the teams had driven until this week. But Hamilton consistently posted the second-fastest times and served notice he could be dangerous.
Vettel survived the chaos of the start as the drivers surged for the top of the 133-foot elevation at the signature first turn, then whipped around and down into the second before making a slalom run through a series of curves.
Vettel kept clear of the congestion and looked to be off and running to a victory. Hamilton stayed close and looked for his chance on every pass through the straightaway before finding the room he needed.
Vettel led the first 41 laps until Hamilton zipped by as the cars approached the tight corner on turn No. 12. Vettel tried to move to the inside to hold off Hamilton but couldn’t.
“I knew that lap was going to be the lap that I was going to try, so I turned the engine up and went for it,” Hamilton said.
