The preferred strategy seemed to be the 2-stopper, and indeed Leclerc pitted early on lap 14 and Bottas the following lap to avoid the undercut from the Dutchman.

Perhaps attempting to keep the champion-to-be in free air for as much time as possible, Hamilton’s side of the garage opted for the less popular one-stop strategy and car number 44 stayed out longer, inheriting the lead. He was then caught by his teammate, and immediately thereafter stopped for his only tire change on lap 25.

Hamilton then immediately put in a blistering time some 2.7 seconds faster than his rivals, then settled into tire preservation mode, waiting for the inevitable attack from his teammate Bottas after the latter’s second stop.

Bottas and Verstappen pitted again on laps 35 and 36, respectively, and the chase was on, with Hamilton in the lead and attempting to keep as much grip in his older tires to defend at the end of the race against rivals on fresher tires.

Lewis began to question whether his stop was too early, and whether he had enough left in the tires to hold on to the lead. Many times in the past, viewers have seen Hamilton question the strategy over the radio, damning an early stop, only to seemingly waltz to the end. Tire preservation is, after all, one of his great strengths.

But this time it wasn’t to be, as Bottas steadily ate into Hamilton’s lead, and then it became academic after Hamilton lost three seconds getting past backmarker Lance Stroll in the Racing Point. With just 4 laps left in the race Hamilton was overtaken for the lead and left fighting with Verstappen behind him for 2^nd. A late yellow flag with just two laps left for Magnussen stuck in the gravel set the podium.

Bottas came home for his 7^th win, and Hamilton in second secured his 6^th Championship with another great drive. Verstappen finished 3^rd, less than one second behind.