Lewis Hamilton's victory in Austin secures fourth consecutive title for Silver Arrows
Sunday 22 October 2017 23:43, UK
Mercedes have wrapped up their fourth consecutive Constructors' Championship title at the United States GP.
Lewis Hamilton's victory, combined with Valtteri Bottas' fifth-place finish, took Mercedes onto 575 points and handed them an unassailable 150-point lead over Ferrari. There are a maximum of 129 points available from the three remaining Grands Prix.
Ferrari needed to outscore the Silver Arrows by 17 points in order to take the battle to Mexico but Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen were second and third respectively.
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"They've been the best team this year," said Hamilton. "It's a really humbling experience."
And team boss Toto Wolff told Sky F1: "I'm so happy. The gang in Brackley and Brixworth have done a fantastic job, 24/7 and so much sacrifice."
"It's been the whole group that has made the car quick, made it reliable and Lewis has been perfect in the execution.
"In years where you are competitive, everything just needs to come together - the right work ethic, the right resource and also the right mindset."
It is the fourth time a manufacturer has won four straight titles after McLaren (1988-1991), Red Bull (2010-2013) and Ferrari, who won six in a row between 1999 and 2004.
Mercedes' non-executive director Niki Lauda said: "Thank you to everyone at Brackley and Brixworth. Together we made it. An unbelievable result and I'm really happy."
In total, Mercedes have claimed 11 race victories and a further 11 podium finishes this season.
Their "diva" W08 has not enjoyed the same dominance as its predecessors of the V6 hybrid era following this year's regulation changes, but it has been 2017's most reliable car.
The team have only suffered one DNF - Bottas' engine failure at May's Spanish GP - while Ferrari and Red Bull have suffered a series of technical issues over the season.
"What a team, to have won four on the trot like this and win across a massive regulation change which no one has done before," said technical chief James Allison, who joined Mercedes from Ferrari in March.
"The season has been incredibly tightly fought. The margin between the cars on average is fractions of a second and that's why the championship has yo-yoed backwards and forwards.
"But over the season, the strength across every area in this team has exerted the difference. It is every area and a little bit here and there has made the difference in what has been one of the most epic championships we've had in many years."
Mercedes claimed last year's championship with a record 765 points, having led the way with 703 and 701 points in 2015 and 2014 respectively.
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