(CNN)Lewis Hamilton was left to rue his Mercedes team’s tactics at the US Grand Prix, which forced the British driver to keep his champagne on ice for another week at least.
Hamilton could have clinched his fifth world title Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas, but a costly decision to pit twice meant he could only manage third place.
Hamilton needed to beat his now distant championship rival Sebastian Vettel by eight points, but the German overtook Mercedes’ other driver Valtteri Bottas on the penultimate lap to take fourth place and keep the title race alive heading into this weekend’s Mexico Grand Prix.
