On Nov. 3, Lewis Hamilton clinched his sixth Formula 1 drivers championship at the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. Entering the weekend, Hamilton led his teammate Valteri Bottas in the driver’s championship by 74 points. If Bottas won the race, Hamilton only needed either 8th or 9th place with the fastest lap point. If not, then Hamilton would become champion regardless of his finishing position. Hamilton qualified in 5th compared to his teammate who got pole position. With the race underway, Hamilton rose to 3rd place at the end of the first lap. Third turned into second and eventually became first when his teammate and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen both entered the pits early on a two-stop strategy while Hamilton stayed out for a one-stop strategy.

However, his conservative one-stop strategy did not get him the win. With five laps left, Bottas passed him with his fresher and faster tires, but he was able to hang on to second place due to yellow flags, which prevent overtaking, due to Haas driver Kevin Magnussen retiring from the race. With that second place finish, he clinched the 2019 driver’s title, his 3rd consecutive and his 5th in six years. His team, Mercedes AMG Petronas, also clinched the constructor’s title in the previous race, making it their 6th double championship in a row (both driver and constructor), continuing their dominance since the 2014 season. With this championship, Hamilton is now second in all-time championships with only Michael Schumacher ahead with seven championships total. With two races left in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, every team will focus on developing next year’s car to try and stop Mercedes and Hamilton from winning a seventh consecutive driver and constructor championship.