US Grand Prix: Hamilton dominates as stars shine in Texas

Sebastian Vettel made the perfect start. After Lewis Hamilton led the formation lap at snail's pace, the Ferrari darted past the Mercedes at turn one to take the lead.

He couldn't hold on to it, though, and seven laps in the championship leader marched past him once more.

Hamilton told his team four laps previously that the car felt "pretty good", suggesting that he was happy to reclaim the lead when he had the chance - and he snaffled it as soon as he could.

With Vettel finishing second, the Brit couldn't wrap up the drivers' championship - but Mercedes did take the constructors' title.

Four stars out of five. A focused performance, with no panic or desperation after that poor start. He got the lead back, communicated well with his team about potential tactical manoeuvres, and secured the win to extend his lead at the top of the standings.

Lewis Hamilton, to his team, about the rest of the field: "How are they so close?"

Readers, he had a nine-second lead at that point.

Off the track, let's give the nod to Williams, who welcomed the newborn son of team boss Claire Williams by painting his name on their livery for the weekend. Sweet.

The duelling between Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo's nimble driving and Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas' sheer horsepower in the opening laps was absolutely magnificent, as they swapped places repeatedly. Terrific entertainment.

Ferrari took a chance with this call, so hats off to Kimi Raikkonen, who let his team-mate Vettel through to second place in the closing stages in order to keep the championship as competitive as possible. With Verstappen sweeping through too, the Finn thought he had finished off the podium - but a post-race penalty for the Red Bull meant he got to claim a deserved third place. He might be the oldest man on the grid this season, but that doesn't mean he always gets the plaudits he deserves.

Carlos Sainz enjoyed his weekend in his new job, bringing his shiny yellow Renault up to seventh place as he enjoyed racing the Force Indias of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez.

Is it even worth bothering to scorn McLaren at this point?

Probably not. Let's roll our eyes, therefore, at Red Bull, as poor Ricciardo had to retire his car less than a quarter of the way through due to engine issues.

And then Verstappen thought he'd finished third - but after a five-second time penalty for leaving the track, he was bumped down a place. It was all sorted out before the drivers filed out for the presentations and podium interviews, but it was all a bit awkward.

There are always plenty of celebrities in Austin - qualifying was delayed yesterday so that the crowd could go straight to Justin Timberlake's concert afterwards without having to hang around.

The legendary announcer Michael Buffer showed up in white tuxedo to announce each driver to the grid - yes, he said, "Hailing from STEVenage, ENGland!" when he called Lewis Hamilton to his position. It was all a bit showy for some, but the championship leader, of course, revelled in it.

There were former F1 drivers there, including Juan Pablo Montoya.

And there were former Presidents.

And there were athletic legends - Usain Bolt was around all weekend, posing for selfies with the drivers, and waving the green flag as the drivers put in their formation lap.