Raikkonen breaks win drought with victory in Texas stymieing Mercedes celebration; Verstappen banks another wonder drive for P2; Hamilton a disappointing P3 as Vettel lives to fight another day after spin

One of the more captivating and enjoyable Grand Prix of the 2018 season ended up providing one of the more popular results, as well — a win by Ferrari’s hard luck Kimi Raikkonen at the United States Grand Prix on Sunday. Racing brilliantly at the beautifully designed Circuit of the Americas, Raikkonen passed the pole-sitting Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton going into the uphill Turn 1 on the opening lap. The Finnish veteran refused to be shoved out of the way by the aggressive Englishman, commandeered the optimal apex and exit angle and promptly pulled away from the normally superlative Silver Arrow and into the race lead. Ferrari’s strategy of starting Raikkonen on the Ultra Soft Pirelli tires paid instant dividends in that high traction moment against Hamilton’s Soft-running Merc and Raikkonen instantly established a commanding race lead. But Ferrari’s opening lap joy was short-lived, as their team leader and sole remaining championship contender, Sebastian Vettel, once again could not control his aggression. The German 4-time Champion, desperate to keep his slim title hopes alive and recover from a foolish 3-spot grid penalty incurred by speeding under a Red Flag in Friday practice, diced with the Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo as he tried to pull himself up from P5. But Vettel pushed too hard, wheel banging with the tough-to-pass Aussie and coming off second best with yet another catastrophic spin. Just as he had done in Suzuka two weeks ago, Vettel watched as the field streamed by him. He rejoined far down the order and another difficult day of recovery in front of him.

Pics courtesy GrandPrix247.com

The race’s first major strategy decision came on Lap 9 when Ricciardo’s Red Bull ground to a halt on track and necessitated a Virtual Safety Car. Told to do the opposite of the lead Ferrari, Hamilton watched Raikkonen jink slightly to the pits but then continue on. So Hamilton dove in for his first tire change for the Soft compound. It seemed a shrewd move by the Mercedes pit wall, as their ace only lost a fraction of the time to the field under yellow as he would have during a normal stop. However, by pitting so early it put the possibility one-stop strategy into serious doubt. Hamilton rejoined in P4 behind his teammate Valtteri Bottas, who lost a position to the hard charging Red Bull of Max Verstappen on an undercut during their own respective pit stop sequences. Amazingly Verstappen had battled his way up to P2 from way back in P18 on the grid yet another passing clinic by the just-turned-21 Dutch phenom.

Hamilton did indeed have to make a second stop for fresh rubber late in the race on Lap 41, unlike Raikkonen and Verstappen who were able to make the one-stopper work by running longer opening stints. Once again the faithful Bottas let his teammate by in the hopes that Hamilton might score enough points to secure his fifth Drivers’ title and extinguish Vettel’s hopes of doing the same. The top 3 of Raikkonen, Verstappen and Hamilton pulled away from the rest of the field and while Hamilton harassed Verstappen for his precious P2 position the Englishman could not make a side by side move on Lap 55 f this 56-lap classic stick. Perhaps realizing that discretion was the better part of valor on this day, Hamilton went wide in what looked to be an effort at self-preservation while Vertsappen stuck to his line and secured his remarkable P2 from P18 finish.

Meanwhile Raikkonen swanned away for the victory as those two squabbled behind him. It was the Finn’s first win since Australia way back in 2013, breaking a streak of 112 winless efforts, and sweet satisfaction for the 39-year-old former champion after being demoted by Ferrari down to Sauber for the 2019 season. For those of us of a certain age it was a pleasing sight to see the old Iceman on the top step once again. And with Vettel’s pressure-packed recovery drive to overtake Bottas for a valuable P4 finish at the death it meant that both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships continue on until at least next week in Mexico. Vettel will be ruing his unforced errors but still clings to the slimmest chance of running the table and taking the crown. Hamilton and Mercedes will perhaps be ruing being outfoxed by the Scuderia in this Texas shootout and will be keen to wrap things up in then rarefied air of Mexico City and put finally Ferrari to sleep. For his part, Raikkonen will simply be looking to score another win or two in the last 3 contests before riding off into the sunset of a year in an uncompetitive car in 2019.

Top 10 finishers of the United States Grand Prix:

Complete race results available via Formula1.com.

The next race is in but a week’s time — at the high altitude Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. Hamilton will be looking to seal the deal while Vettel will be looking for redemption for his series of late season miscues. Hope to see you then find out how it all shakes out!