With a thrilling win at the US Grand Prix in Texas, Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton clinched his third Formula 1 Championship, putting him fifth on the all-time championship list alongside revered names of the sport such as Ayrton Senna and Nelson Piquet. Hamilton's German teammate Nico Rosberg, who started on pole, had appeared on course to delay his title celebrations for one more race, but a costly late mistake while in the lead saw him finish in second place. Had Vettel passed Rosberg, the celebrations for the 'double double' -- with Mercedes retaining their constructors' title two weeks ago in Russia -- would have remained on hold. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel took third place after fighting his way back from 13th.
Hamilton needed to beat his closest challenger, Vettel, by nine points and his Mercedes team-mate Rosberg by two, and he did just that andndash;finishing the race 76 points clear of his nearest rival with 75 points still available. Even as he approached the winning line Hamilton could not be certain he had won the championship because Vettel continued to put Rosberg under intense pressure until the end. It was Hamilton's third win in the four races in Austin as he secured the title with three races to spare.
Once he had taken the chequered flag and was congratulated by his team the emotion of the moment finally got to him. "I'm feeling it now, guys, I'm feeling it," he said. "This is the greatest moment of my life. Thank you so much, guys, for everything you do."
Hamilton then jumped into a crowd of Mercedes mechanics. Then he was congratulated by the vanquished Rosberg and Vettel.
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