Ricciardo steals the show from Hamilton on the Texan podium!

Lewis Hamilton: The Adopted American

Who else but the three-time world champion could ultimately triumph in Austin this Sunday? After the impressive pole position the day before, Hamilton delivered a masterclass on American soil, an exercise he now has down to perfection. With this fifth victory in the land of Uncle Sam, he joins the ranks of the greats: Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna already had such a number of wins in the United States.

Inspired by American culture (in the broad sense), the Briton was of course delighted to step onto the top of the podium:

« I feel good after this victory. I love being here, it’s a real playground for me. I truly feel at home in the United States. I received incredible support all weekend, thank you all, what an amazing crowd.

I am proud of the team’s efforts to lift me to the top step of the podium.

However, his joy remained quite restrained, far from the 2015 edition that had allowed him to secure his third crown. This year, the context is entirely different: the battle is reignited in the quest for the 2016 title. He now totals 305 points in the overall standings. (You can also find the complete updated standings on this page)

« All I can do now is to continue to do my best. Nico has driven very well this season but when I see this support from the fans, I cannot let up. »

From a global perspective, Lewis Hamilton is the third driver in the history of Formula 1 to reach the milestone of fifty Grand Prix victories, after Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher. The next milestone will now be the fifty-first victory, a number reached by the “Professor,” who indeed expects to be joined very soon in the pantheon of the sport.

The good records of Nico Rosberg

Second under the checkered flag, the German led a race full of wisdom. A mature behavior necessary in such conditions, especially since the two Red Bulls made life difficult for him, notably through Daniel Ricciardo at the start.

« I lost a position at the start, I gave it my all afterwards to come back. The second place is a good thing, I limited the damage.

Greedy, the leader of the World Drivers’ Championship would have still wanted the cherry on top of the cake with a first victory in Texas. Let’s remember that he was already able to reclaim second place from Ricciardo through a race neutralization, during the evacuation of Verstappen’s Red Bull.

I wanted to win in the United States, I attacked until the end of the race. But it will be for next time. I won’t give up until the end.

With a tally that remains fixed at 9 victories, compared to Hamilton’s 7, Rosberg keeps the lead with three races to go. Better yet, the German will have a first match point next week in Mexico. To do this, he will need to win and hope that his teammate does not score more than one point. However, on the flip side, anything can still happen in the event of a personal failure.

The suspense remains intact for the climax of this 2016 season!

The inimitable shoey show for Ricciardo

Our third driver in Austin could have been grumpy on the podium. And for good reason, he was the one who paradoxically suffered from his teammate’s retirement shortly after mid-race. With that notorious virtual safety car, number 3 saw his second place snatched away by Nico Rosberg’s opportunistic pit stop.

But his natural self returned as soon as he stepped on stage. The Red Bull driver appeared very jovial on the podium, even having fun with English actor Gerard Butler (who notably played King Leonidas in the film 300) in charge of conducting the interview with the three champions.

Obviously, the Australian took the opportunity to pull off his signature move: the Shoey, a true trend of the 2016 season! The actor couldn’t resist the charm of the Perth native and drank a few drops of the famous energy drink from the driver’s shoe. A good (intentional?) product placement in the process…

My start was ok. The plan was to overtake the two Mercedes at the start: I only managed to overtake Nico.

The second Virtual Safety Car was frustrating for me because Nico overtook me. But the second part of the race was rather fun!

The #USGP 🇺🇸 Where else are you going to see @GerardButler do a SHOEY 🍾👞 #F1 pic.twitter.com/YwQqHDT3yD

— Formula 1 (@F1) 23 octobre 2016

This new podium allows him to now total exactly 50 points over Sebastian Vettel in the world standings. With 75 points still up for grabs, it’s safe to say that the third place among drivers seems secured for the former Toro Rosso driver. This position also strengthens his Red Bull team’s lead over Ferrari. The gap now stands at 53 points, also marking a clear advantage heading towards the finish in Abu Dhabi.