Hamilton wins US race

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Lewis Hamilton has won the inaugural United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin. The victory was Hamilton’s first since Monza in September. The outgoing McLaren star overtook Sebastian Vettel in the closing stages to secure his fourth victory of the season.

Vettel finished second with championship rival Fernando Alonso completing finishing third. Hamilton’s win means the drivers’ world title will be decided at the final race of the season in Brazil next Sunday.

Vettel now leads the drivers’ race by 13 points, having gained another three in Austin, as the circus moves to Brazil, where rain is expected and anything can happen. Vettel’s 100th Grand Prix did not end as he might have wished although 15 points from Vettel’s runner-up spot means that Red Bull will are crowned constructors’ champions for a third consecutive grands prix.

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After signing for Mercedes, Hamilton has faced so many frustrations this season and fully deserved his 21st win on a good day for McLaren, with Jenson Button working his way from 12th to fifth.

There was a lot of attention before the race when Ferrari broke the seal on Felipe Massa’s gearbox. That gave him a five-place grid penalty, promoting team-mate Alonso to seventh place and, more importantly, to the cleaner side of the track.

Vettel made his customary fast breakaway but there was frustration for Hamilton who, starting on the dirty side of the track, quickly lost his second place to Mark Webber.

Lewis Hamilton- Victory in US

But by lap four, Hamilton had got some heat into his tyres and started to produce some of the thrilling speed that had seen him get to within 0.1 seconds of Vettel in qualifying. He was particularly fast in sector one and regained his second place by passing Webber before closing on Vettel. He soon cut the time between himself and the German to just 2.1 seconds, and started to view DRS country.

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