U.S. GP paper review: Fleet Street pays tribute to record-breaking Lewis Hamilton

The Fleet Street scribes have heaped more praise on Lewis Hamilton after the Mercedes driver’s record-breaking victory in the United States GP extended his championship lead to 24 points.

Hamilton's win at Austin, his tenth of the season, was the 32nd of his career – a new record for British drivers in F1 and a welcome tonic to the political infighting which had enveloped the sport all weekend.

‘Although the grand prix in the Texas capital of Austin failed to set pulses racing, it came as a relief after three days of infighting among the teams that almost led to a boycott by Force India, Lotus and Sauber,’ wrote Kevin Eason in The Times.

‘Everyone seemed to have forgotten why F1 was here, such was the overwhelming cacophony of complaints that swamped every corner of this magnificent arena…There was no sign of a peace pipe but Hamilton did enough to remind the American public that F1 remains the pinnacle of motor racing and he is the man most likely to be crowned its champion.’

Regardless of the result in Brazil this week, the title race will go down to the wire in the ‘Abu Double’, but The Daily Mail’s Jonathan McEvoy suspects that a decisive blow has been struck:

‘The mathematics says the at the contest is far from over, but the psychology says it is. Rosberg has provided Hamilton with a far tougher test than many imagined possible at the start of the season yet ultimately he may have to concede defeat to his team-mate’s one stupendous gift: improbable speed.

In The Guardian, Paul Weaver was even more effusive in his praise for the Austin victor:

‘Hamilton wore a cowboy hat at the end of the United States GP when a crown would have been more appropriate, for whatever happens now he has been the outstanding driver of the 2014 Formula One season…If Nico Rosberg wins the title now, it will represent an outrageous piece of larceny by his Mercedes team-mate.

'Hamilton will have to threaten to boycott future races, it seems, if other drivers are to get a look-in. The threat of a boycott from Force India, Sauber and Lotus did not materialise, though there is destined to be more trouble in Brazil and Abu Dhabi unless a coherent strategy is quickly put in place to let the smaller teams know where they stand.'

The prospect of further disruption in Brazil is also picked up by Daniel Johnson in The Daily Telegraph:

‘The chances of a walkout always seemed slim at best. This is a crucial market for F1 and the three teams. Both Sauber and Force India have Mexican drivers, Esteban Gutierrez and Sergio Perez, and a sizeable portion of the 100,000 crowd at the Circuit of the Americas comes from across the border. However, the three teams indicated that should any offer not prove satisfactory, they are prepared to threaten another protest in Sao Paulo next Sunday.'

But the final word must go to Ben Hunt in The Sun:

‘Someone should have told the German not to take a knife to a gun fight. Like a Hollywood production of the Wild West, Hamilton was poised with his finger on the trigger and ruthlessly dispatched his title rival in one shot. It took place not at high noon but on lap 24 in the form of a thrilling overtaking move from the Brit before he rode off into the sunset.’

Yeeha!