The mixed up grid made things interesting at the start with a number of midfield runners in the top ten. It was a strong start from newly-crowned champion, Max Verstappen, who nipped in front of the Ferrari off the line.
Sainz has had a torrid time in the races this season with a number of DNFs and things got no better for him in Austin. He was taken out at T1 by an out of control Russell who attempted a move up the inside.
His teammate Hamilton did well to avoid the damage swooping around the outside of the spinning Ferrari.
It was a clumsy move from the Brit that warranted a 5-second penalty, according to the FIA, and was served at his first pit stop.
A punishment that felt lenient with Saint retiring shortly after with damage.
This proved to be beneficial for Aston Martin who, after starting high up the field, found themselves in 5th and 6th once the field had settled.
Leclerc did well to gain positions with three teams occupying the final points positions in the form of Gasly, Norris and Bottas in 10th.
Valtteri Bottas was first in on lap 10 providing crucial data for the other teams with the undercut expected to be strong.
Meanwhile the complaints were coming thick and fast over the radio with tyres degrading and the win making it difficult for the drivers on track.
Hamilton was the first of the frontrunners to come in putting the hard tyre on.
Any hopes of passing Verstappen looked slim though, with the Red Bull pushing out a five second gap at the front.
The others followed him in with Verstappen and Red Bull displaying the ruthless efficiency that has catapulted them to both titles this year.
Russell took his penalty that relegated him to 8th while Perez seemed comfortable with his minor damage with no changes of front wing at his stop.
The race was settling into a rhythm with the threat of the Ferrari missing from the front. It was stating to look promising for Sainz’s teammate however.
A spinning Alfa on lap 18 that hugely benefitted Leclerc as he sat second having not yet made a pit stop.
Taking advantage of the time gained behind the SC he put himself back into contention with the field closed up.
It marked another disappointing weekend for the Flying Finn though.
He just hasn’t been managed to carry his early form into the second half of the season as Alfa Romeo have struggled again to keep up in the development race.
With the car beached in the gravel there was no way out for Bottas this weekend.
As the race restarted on lap 21 it was all to play for.
Hamilton was in a Red Bull sandwich with Verstappen leading the way, Leclerc and Russell were close behind.
In behind cars were darting left and right to try and find space and manoeuvre their way up the field.
The racing didn’t last long though with scary incident down the long straight.
Alonso was tucked up behind the Aston Martin and shifted to the left to overtake Stroll.
Fernando claimed the Canadian had moved at the last minute but it looked more like a racing incident.
More of a concern was the Spaniard moments airborne. He was lucky to connect with the barriers side on meaning he could continue in the race.
Stroll sustained serious damage to his rear wing and was out – he is yet to score at COTA in his career.
This brought out the second SC of the day with a worry from the teams about debris on track.
“I would’ve red flagged it” said Martin Brundle on commentary and it remained to be seen whether this would impact drivers later in the race.
Schumacher was doing well in 10th in a crucial race for the German.
Team boss, Gene Haas, made it perfectly clear in the build up to this weekend that points and no crashes would put him in a good position for next years drive.
Leclerc was looking dicey as he tried to salvage some points from another dissapotning weekend for Ferrari.
A dive up the inside of Checo Perez took him up to third with the Red Bull being left to fight off Russell in behind.
Pierre Gasly was chugging along nicely after the set of Safety Cars. That came to an abrupt holt with a penalty for a Safety Car infringement – deemed to be more than 10 car lengths behind the car in front.
Tyre troubles in Texas
Verstappen had been one of the most vocal drivers during the race complaining about his tyres.
The Dutchman looked in control though keeping the gap to the guys behind.
However something strange was about to happen. A Red Bull mistake. I guess they are human.
A slow stop for the Verstappen dropped him back as he followed Leclerc out of the pits way behind Hamilton.
A sarcastic message from Max followed and boy was it deserved.
Verstappen and Leclerc – on the softer compound – were now hunting down the Mercedes who had opted for the hard compound.
The Dutchman was on a charge and looked like a man on a mission as he charged past the Ferrari.
Out in front, if only momentarily, was Sebastian Vettel.
The lone Aston Martin still on the medium tyre with a pit stop to make.
He may not be a force in F1 anymore but it’s nice to see him lead a few more laps before moving on to the next chapter.
The final laps
It was a straight fight to the finish with three teams in contention.
Hamilton – hoping to keep his record of winning a race in every season – led the way with Verstappen and Leclerc chasing.
Perez wasn’t letting his dodgy wing ruin his race as he charged up to the leaders in fourth.
Magussen was in 6th while remarkably Alonso, who found himself airborne earlier in the race, had made his way back up to 7th.
Whether the Alpine proves to be a fast car or not next year, they will certainly miss Fernando’s driving ability at least. He has lost none of his speed even at the age of 41.
The Red Bull continued to close up to the gearbox of Hamilton with the Dutchman having too much pace.
He overtook him with a brave move on lap 50 with the Brit powerless to come back with all the desire, but no speed left in the car.
He closed out the race and with it the Constructors Championship in what has been a fantastic year for the team.
A fitting tribute to the late Red Bull co-owner, Dietrich Mateschitz, who passed away this weekend. The win also means Verstappen is tied for the most wins in a season and will hope to move out on his own in the coming weeks.
Hamilton finished second in a strong performance for the Mercedes team – although that first win of the season still alludes him.
Charles Leclerc did well to comeback in third.
Vettel overcame a horrendous final pit stop to get passed Magnussen for 8th on the last lap and rightly got driver of the day.
There’s still life in the old dog yet.
Next week F1 stays in North America for the Mexican GP.
Sergio Perez will hope to get the team another win in front of his home fans.