Formula 1

2016 US Grand Prix Results - Hamilton In Control Again at COTA

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

At home in America, Lewis Hamilton continued his strength in the United States Grand Prix, winning the race Sunday at Circuit of the Americas.

North America, home to three grand prix races in the Formula One world championship, has been very kind to Lewis Hamilton over the years. The reigning world champion hoped to capitalize on that good fortune again on Sunday, and close the gap to teammate Nico Rosberg for the 2016 title. He would indeed take advantage of his pole position and prowess on track at Circuit of the Americas, taking his 50th career win in the United States Grand Prix.

With the Mercedes teammates starting on the front row once again, it looked to be another strong day for the silver arrows. They would be challenged, however, throughout the race by Red Bull Racing, with Daniel Ricciardo coming home third behind Hamilton and Rosberg. And while his teammate Max Verstappen showed speed early, a gearbox failure would end the day for the young gun, killing his chances of a podium.

The front of the grid was in lock step for most of the day thanks to pit strategy, but deeper in the field, it was a bit of a jumbled mess. Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat and Force India’s Sergio Perez made contact on the opening lap, leading to a ten-second penalty for the Russian driver. Later in the going, Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso had an incident with just two laps to go that remains under investigation.

Perhaps the biggest bright spot for the fans of the USA at COTA this weekend was the Haas F1 team. Despite a retirement for Esteban Gutierrez, his teammate Romain Grosjean scored a point in their first home race in tenth. The latest in a colorful history of American F1 teams, the team has certainly won over the hearts of many fans in the land of the red, white, and blue.

Here are the full results from the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas:

Nico Rosberg may not have won on Sunday, but he will leave the U.S. with a 26-point lead in the championship. Just three races remain for Lewis Hamilton to close the gap, and that hunt continues next weekend in Mexico City. Catch the Mexican Grand Prix next Sunday afternoon on your local NBC station.