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Author: Russell Dowden

Texas over Oklahoma State 69-57

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in TEXAS SPORTS.


By JIM VERTUNO, AP Sports Writer
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — In a Big 12 season of ups and downs for Texas, none was more befuddling than an early loss to last-place Oklahoma State.
The Longhorns made sure there would be no repeat on Saturday.
Kerwin Roach II scored 16 points, Dylan Osetkowski scored 14 on 5-of-5 shooting a 69-57 Texas win that sent the Cowboys to their fifth straight loss and eighth loss in nine games.


“It was our emphasis today to come out, just be aggressive, don’t take these guys lightly,” Roach said. “Respect them. They beat us the first time. We wanted to pay them back.”


Oklahoma State (9-16, 2-10) jumped on Texas early the first time the teams met and looked to do it again with a flurry of 3-pointers, including three by Thomas Dziagwa. Texas responded when the Longhorns pushed out to defend further on the perimeter, and Oklahoma State made just one from long range over the final 9 minutes of the first half.


Dziagwa finished with 23 points behind seven 3-pointers.
“We just shut down everybody else,” Roach said. “We made it tough on him, too, but he still made some tough ones.”
Texas (15-11, 7-6) led 20-19 before closing the first half on a 19-7 run punctuated by Roach’s 3-pointer from the corner with 1 second left in the half.


Texas led by 13 early in the second before the Cowboys cut it 42-38. The Longhorns responded with three straight baskets and a 3-point play by Courtney Ramey to end the threat.


Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton dismissed three players for team rule violations after a 2-3 start in the Big 12 that included the previous win over Texas. The Cowboys are down to just seven scholarship players.
“That’s kind of a moving target. I put a walk-on on scholarship, but he broke his foot,” Boynton said. “(Texas) has players who weren’t even dressed that could start for us … I still sense a very frustrated group that feels like it cannot win.”


BIG PICTURE
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys had very little working offensively when Dziagwa wasn’t firing away from long range. They were 12 of 30 inside the arc and went 9 of 18 from the free throw line. Dziagwa was 0-6 when he wasn’t shooting 3-pointers.
“Even on a night we make eight (3-pointers) we still don’t get to 60 points,” Boynton said.


Texas: The Longhorns will like the confident shooting stroke from Osetkowski, who came in just 2 of 21 shooting 3-pointers in the previous nine games. He made two from the same spot in right corner in the first half, then made another with 7:12 to play that put Texas ahead by 10. His ability to score away from the basket will be key to the Texas offense over the stretch run of the season.


Osetkowski’s three 3-pointers were his season high.
“I’m looking for seven 3s like I did last season at Iowa State,” Osetkowski said. “It’s great see some going in.”


SCORING DEPTH
Texas’s deeper bench made a big difference. While Oklahoma State had four players log at least 38 minutes and two — Cameron McGriff and Lindy Waters III — played the entire game, Texas has only two players on the court for more than 30 minutes.


The Texas bench outscored Oklahoma State’s 16-2. Longhorns guard Elijah Mitrou-Long had six points and three assists and Royce Hamm Jr. had four points and three aggressive rebounds.


“Those guys gave us a real lift in terms of spirit and energy,” Texas coach Shaka Smart said. “We wanted to take advantage of the fact we had more depth.”


UP NEXT
Oklahoma State hosts TCU on Monday. The Cowboys lost the previous matchup 70-68.


Texas plays Oklahoma Saturday, looking for a season sweep over the Sooners. Texas won the previous meeting 75-72 when the Sooners missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds.

More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Rams Escape Big Easy: Advance to Superbowl 53

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.


By PAUL NEWBERRY, AP National Writer
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A big comeback. A blown call. And, finally, a booming kick that sent the Los Angeles Rams to the Super Bowl.
After rallying from an early 13-0 deficit, the Rams stunned the New Orleans Saints with Greg Zuerlein’s 57-yard field goal in overtime for a 26-23 victory in the NFC championship game Sunday — an outcome that might not have been possible without an egregious mistake by the officials in the closing minutes of regulation.


Los Angeles cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman committed a blatant interference penalty with a helmet-to-helmet hit inside the 5, forcing the Saints to settle for Wil Lutz’s 31-yard field goal that made it 23-20 with 1:45 left in regulation.


That was enough time for Jared Goff to lead the Rams down the field for Zuerlein’s tying field goal, a 48-yarder with 15 seconds remaining.
New Orleans won the coin toss and got the ball first in the extra period. But, with a Rams defender in his face, Drew Brees fluttered up a pass that was picked off by John Johnson III, who was able to hang on to the interception while stumbling backward. Johnson hopped up and celebrated by doing with the “Choppa Style” dance popularized by New Orleans rapper Choppa, whose namesake song had become a Saints’ rallying cry and was even performed during the halftime show.


The Rams weren’t able to do much offensively, but it didn’t matter. Zuerlein booted through the winning field goal from just inside midfield with plenty of room to spare.


“It’s unbelievable, man. I can’t put it into words,” Goff said. “The defense played the way they did to force it to overtime. The defense gets a pick and Greg makes a 57-yarder to win it. That was good from about 70. Unbelievable.”


The Superdome, which had been in uproar all afternoon, suddenly turned eerily silent. It was the first home playoff loss for the Saints with Brees and coach Sean Payton, who and been 6-0 in those games since their pairing began in 2006.


The Rams (15-3) and their 32-year-old coach, Sean McVay, capped a remarkable rise since moving back to Los Angeles three years ago. The team will be appearing in its first Super Bowl since the 2001 season, when the “Greatest Show on Turf” was still in St. Louis.
“Shoot, I don’t even know what day it is,” McVay said. “All I know is we’re NFC champs, baby!”


It was another bitter end to the season for the Saints, who lost the previous season in the divisional round on the “Minnesota Miracle” — the Vikings’ long touchdown pass on the final play of the game.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow,” said Brees, who was denied a shot at adding to the Super Bowl title he won during the 2009 season.
This time, New Orleans (14-4) couldn’t hang on to the lead or overcome a mistake by the officials.


The Saints were on the verge of blowing out the Rams, scoring on their first three possessions and taking advantage of an interception off a dropped pass by Todd Gurley.


Then a fake punt early in the second quarter gave Los Angeles its initial first down of the game. Sparked by that play, the Rams finally came to life offensively and drove into position for the first of four field goals by Zuerlein. Gurley made it 13-10 at halftime on a 6-yard touchdown run just before the intermission.


INJURY REPORT:
The Saints lost tight end Josh Hill to a concussion in the first quarter.
Hill was injured after hauling in a 24-yard pass from Brees. While making the tackle, Los Angeles Rams linebacker Cory Littleton delivered a forearm to Hill’s head.


No penalty was called, but Hill staggered off the field to be evaluated by the medical staff. Just before halftime, the Saints announced he was done for the game. The loss of Hill led to a much bigger role in the offense for Garrett Griffin, who spent most of the season on the practice squad. He caught a 5-yard pass for his first career touchdown.


UP NEXT:
The Rams head to Atlanta in about a week for the Feb. 3 Super Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They will face either the Kansas City Chiefs or the New England Patriots, who met Sunday night for the AFC title.

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paul%20newberry

For more AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Cowboys Win NFC East Host Seattle in Wildcard Saturday

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in NFL FOOTBALL.

The Cowboys will start their playoff journey on Saturday night. Will it be short lived or a long one into Feb?

Should the Dallas Cowboys advance to the divisional round who they play still depends on what happens in the other NFC wild card game. If Chicago wins, Dallas would go to New Orleans. If Philadelphia won, Dallas would head to Los Angeles. The Cowboys won their last game of the regular season over the Giants Sunday in dramatic fashion with a 2 point conversion after a Cole Beasley diving catch. Dallas came back to win with 1:19 to play in the 4th. Cowboys 36 – Giants 35. Dallas ended the regular season as the NFC EAST CHAMPS at 10-6 in 2018.

This Weekends lineup:

Colts/Titans at Houston Texans, 4:35 pm ET on ESPN

Seahawks at Cowboys, 8:15 pm ET on FOX

Sunday, January 6th

Chargers at Ravens, 1:05 pm ET on CBS

Eagles at Bears, 4:40 pm ET on NBC


Texas Held Up by Rampage in San Antonio

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in HOCKEY.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Texas Stars, American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Dallas Stars, ended the 2018 calendar year on the wrong end of a 4-2 decision against the San Antonio Rampage. The Rampage continued their home win streak, extending the streak to six games.

The Rampage opened the scoring on a beautiful tip by Ryan Olsen nine minutes into the game. Olsen set up at the left side of the net and waited for Mitch Reinke to launch a shot from the blue line. The effort flew three feet wide of the net before Olson redirected the puck past Philippe Desrosiers. Late in the period, the Rampage scored again as Austin Poganski notched his fifth of the season on a rebound. The goal put San Antonio up 2-0 with 20 seconds left in the period.

Texas responded with a goal early in the second period. Nicholas Caamano pushed the puck out to center ice for the Stars to spring up the ice. Adam Mascherin entered the offensive zone and found Gavin Bayreuther for a partial breakaway. The defenseman collected the puck and took a shot between his own legs, causing a rebound off the pads of Jordan Binnington. Stars forward Joel L’Esperance was there to slam the loose puck home and cut the lead in half. It was one of 19 shots in the period as Texas outshot the Rampage 39-30 in the game.

Unfortunately for the Stars, all their shots came with no result on the scoreboard but two rushes for the Rampage put the game out of reach. Zach Sanford and Connor Bleakley each scored goals 33 seconds apart to extend the lead. Sanford was the trailer on a 2-on-1 and collected a pass from Sam Blais to make it 3-1 while Bleakley’s shot deflected into the net off the Stars defense.

The Stars carried a power play into the third period and wasted no time finding the net. L’Esperance again connected, this time on a one timer from the left circle. Ben Gleason and Justin Dowling set the play up for a blast by the rookie to score his 17th goal of the season.

Countless efforts in the third period would be stopped by Binnington and the Stars were unable to best the netminder even with Desrosiers on the bench for an extra attacker. Texas’ loss to the Rampage places them 5-3-1-0 against San Antonio this year, as the teams will not meet again until March.

Any Given Friday

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in Football, HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL. 2 Comments on Any Given Friday

Any Given Friday…A Behind the Scenes Look at Friday Night Lights-

by Keri Wootton

Is it just me or does everyone feel the electricity in the air under the Friday Night Lights?

Even at 2 pm when I arrive to begin preparing both the concession stands and spirit wear booth, I can feel the storm brewing within the walls of the high school, the explosion of energy just waiting for the team to hit the field. Is it the smell of the grill being fired up at the tailgate? The sound of the band warming up? The sight of the Legacies and cheerleaders lining up for the Viper walk? This Viper fan and volunteer says it’s all of those things, along with something most don’t see or know anything about; the incredible village of support for these nights made up of staff, coaches, and volunteers who put in countless hours to make our Friday nights so special.

A high school football game is much more than just the battle going on between two teams. Friday Night Football is a season of community, a gathering of friends from every generation; grandparents wearing their grandchild’s picture button; gaggles of middle school girls giggling in line at concessions; swarms of teammates’ little brothers and sisters, running themselves ragged in the grassy area while their parents high five, cheer, question calls, and support their kids out there under the lights.

But before all of that can occur, the battle plans are laid – our amazing coaches (fifteen in all) began preparing for our season long before we have brought out the sunscreen and swimsuits. Having coached our players all summer – four mornings a week at conditioning camp, then two-a-days, followed by morning & afternoon practice once school begins, they are well into their workday before we even think about brewing our first cup of coffee. Overseeing the players’ hydration, health, and that the equipment is in order are Chris Shivers & Linda Bowman and their team of student trainers.
Supporting the players, coaches, and trainers is our Football Booster Club, made up of parent volunteers, most of whom serve multiple years on the board. This crew assists Drew Sanders, Head Football Coach and Athletic Coordinator, with all of the financial, logistical, and practical aspects of running a 6A football program. When asked for his thoughts on the many volunteers that put in countless hours of support, he stated, “I am so appreciative to have so many dedicated parent volunteers in our community. We couldn’t do what we do without them.”

So, what goes into Friday Night Lights you ask? You would be surprised at the army it takes to host upwards of 5000-6000 fans each week. With six football teams and their games played on both Thursday and Friday nights, it literally takes multiple squads of parents and staff to execute the maneuvers required each week. Much of this planning begins in the summer as well; stadium to be renovated (Thank you LISD), uniforms to be ordered, meals and snacks for concessions to be planned, Viper swag to be designed & ordered, parking plans to be laid out, Viper Moms & Dads events to be communicated, food/drinks/hospitality for the Band & Vision – 450 members strong (enter all the food allergies for said students), freshman and JV football players, cheer teams, and legacies to be organized, Friday tailgate volunteers to be recruited, sponsors to be secured, and parent volunteers to be enlisted, trained, and mobilized. Many of these tasks continue week in and week out to make the Friday Night Lights experience what it is. No one but a few very lucky ones are part of the Angel Troops, spending hours fixing uniforms, stocking concessions, creating playlists (that fun music you hear during the game), ordering additional rain ponchos when they sell out the first rainy game of the season, drafting parents to bring Gatorade to each away game for our players as they get back on buses, organizing said buses….oh, then there is the other level of hospitality – feeding visiting coaches and staff for every game, not including the press box! Yup, all of this all happens long before Friday Night begins, many parent volunteers logging the hours of a full-time job just to finish all of the tasks by kickoff.

So, what does all this have to do with you? It is this mom, volunteer, and High School Football fan’s hope that you might enter Friday Night Lights with a new appreciation/perspective for that electricity you feel in the air when you pull onto McNeil drive to take your seat and experience what happens Any Given Friday. Being a part of Friday night lights has been one of the most meaningful endeavors I have ever experienced. After moving to Texas and attending Friday Night Football for many years, I enjoyed it but had absolutely no idea what went into these special events. I, like many, paid for my ticket, sat in the stands, and cheered on our Vipers without being aware of how it all came together. But over the last 2+ years, I have learned so much, not just about football, but about what can be accomplished when so many generous volunteers come together to give their time, talents, finances, and most of all, their heart for our community, school, and football program. I have said for a long time that the Four Points Community is special, but was unable to put my finger on what exactly “it” is that makes it special. I now realize that that thing I couldn’t put my finger on is most evident at Vandegrift High School. That Friday Night Lights electricity is the positive, get-it-done-with-fun energy of our Viper community. If you have never experienced the sense of belonging that happens every time we stand to honor our military heroes or the powerful voice of our crowd as our players take another “first and 10,” I encourage you to join us in the stands Any Given Friday. I can guarantee you will feel “it,” too.

RED RIVER II Big 12 Title Game

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in Football, TEXAS SPORTS.

Not since 1903 — and the third time ever will the Longhorns and Sooners play for a second time in a single season, but this time for the Big 12 Championship.

In a series that began in 1900 these two Rivals will go head to head once more with the conference on the line. A Texas defeat of Kansas in Lawrence last Friday clinched the first appearance in the Big 12 Championship game since 2009 for the Longhorns. Then  Friday night, Oklahoma edged out WV in an all out thriller in Morgantown 59-56 Sooners.

The Cotton Bowl rematch  in Arlington  is set for December 1st this Saturday at AT&T Stadium.The Longhorns narrowly escaped the Sooners back in October at the Red River Showdown this season, in a 48-45 thriller over OU.

The Sooners have been red hot since the loss to Texas and have won every game since.

Texas has seen some offensive woes in recent weeks and QB Sam Ehlinger has gone down in two games due to a shoulder injury. Which Texas team will show up for coach Tom Herman at this Big 12 title match? The team who struggled against Kansas and Baylor, or the team that put up 41 against West Virginia and 48 against the Sooners?

The stakes are high with implications of a potential playoff. Then there is the New Years Six bowl placement, and don’t forget bragging rights in this rivalry. And while I am rooting for my Longhorns to win this game, I also know it will be tough against a high flying Kyler Murry lead offense, however Texas also has the receiver core in Lil Jordan Humphrey and Collin Johnson. With the arm and legs of Sam Ehlinger and a Texas secondary that is lead by Kris Boyd and Caden Sterns the Horns need only stay within a score to catch the Sooners. In fact I’ll bet that the last team with the ball will win.”

The Arlington kick off at is at 11 a.m. Central on ABC.

Texas survives Tech & Prepare for Iowa State

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in TEXAS SPORTS, UT FOOTBALL.

Texas held off the Red Raiders in a nail-biter last Saturday night in Lubbock getting the win 41-34 over Texas Tech improving to 7-3 on the season.

The win came from some improved plays on the offensive side of the ball for Texas with the sophomore quarterback Sam Ehlinger hooking up with Humphrey once more for the go-ahead touchdown. The two hooked up earlier in the game when Humphrey hauled in his fifth catch for a 9-yard touchdown. That gave Texas the lead, 10-7 with 3:46. Texas played loose at times but this game basically came down to whoever had the ball last before the clock read zeros.

Ehlinger has thrown 274 consecutive passes without a pick setting a Big 12 conference record.

SERIES HISTORY: Texas leads the all-time series, 50-17. The Red Raiders won a decisive 27-23 victory over the Longhorns in Austin in November of 2017.  Neither team has won on its home field since the Longhorns defeated the Red Raiders 41-16 in Austin in 2013.

The Longhorns have had several close games this season and now prepare for a statistically tough defense in the Big 12 with Iowa State coming to Austin this weekend.

No. 14 Texas (7-3, 5-2 Big 12) vs. No.18 Iowa State (6-3, 5-2 Big 12)
November 17, 2018
Where: Austin, Texas
Stadium: Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium
Time: 7 p.m. CT
TV: Longhorn Network

 

Texas to Face Red Raiders

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in Football, TEXAS SPORTS.

Can the Texas Longhorns rebound after dropping two in a row in Big 12 play?
Tom Herman’s young Longhorn team has cooled like the Texas weather in recent weeks after defeating 3 top ranked teams in a 6 win streak after falling to Maryland in week 1.

The Longhorns slowly climbed the top 10 ranks eventually getting to #6 in the nation before loosing to Oklahoma State 3 weeks ago then falling yet again to Big 12 Power West Virginia.

Going into the Tech game this weekend Texas fans are bewildered as to what Herman team will show up. Has Todd Orlando’s defense given away the secret sauce to the rest of the Big 12? He is certainly going to have to make adjustments moving into this late in the season in conference play.

Red Raiders Alan Bowman’s partially collapsed lung will apparently keep him from starting against the Longhorns so Tech QB Jett Duffey will start QB against Texas.
Duffy who is listed at 6’1 and 200 pounds, is a smaller back, but ran a 4.60 40-yard dash in high school.While Duffed isn’t Kyler Murray, he does have elite agility and could give the Texas Defense extra running and spying duties Saturday.

Red Raiders host Texas tomorrow night on FOX. Get your umbrella out horns fans, the Tortillas will be thrown at you most likely in Lubbock this weekend.

Formula 1 Grande Premio Heineken do Brasil 2018

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in MOTOR SPORTS.

by Luca Colajanni

It has been very tight in terms of lap times at the first day of track action for
the FORMULA 1 GRANDE PREMIO HEINEKEN DO BRASIL 2018. In free
practice, the fastest four drivers all lapped within 165 thousandths of a
second of one another. Valtteri Bottas was fastest overall with a lap in
1.08.846 in the second session for Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport
going down to Max Verstappen, the slowest of the quartet, with a 1.09.011
for Aston Martin Red Bull Racing. In between, the now five times world
champion, Lewis Hamilton, was second fastest, just three thousandths
slower than his Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport team-mate, with his
worthy rival Sebastian Vettel (Scuderia Ferrari) third in FP2 with a best lap of
1.08.919.
The gaps are always small here, as Interlagos is such a short and quick track,
which has usually produced spectacular racing with plenty of overtaking.
As was the case a fortnight ago at Mexico City’s Hermanos Rodriguez circuit,
here at another track named after a famous driver from the past, namely
Carlos Pace, Red Bull proved capable of mixing it with the two teams still
fighting it out for the Constructors’ title. Unfortunately, reliability problems
continue to be the Milton Keynes team’s Achilles Heel. At the start of the
Brazilian weekend came the news that Daniel Ricciardo will take a five place
grid penalty, for changing the turbocharger on his power unit. As for
Verstappen, he lost the first half of the second session, apparently due to an
oil leak that took a long time to fix. It meant that the winner of the Mexican
Grand Prix completed just 44 laps in total today, four less than Bottas
managed in just the second session.
As always, evaluating the behaviour of the Pirelli tyres is a major part of
everyone’s Friday programme and the results must always be looked at with
extreme caution, especially on a “green” track like Interlagos. The same goes
for the apparent signs of degradation seen on some cars. The work of the
engineers over the next few hours will be crucial in adapting the cars to the
predicted track evolution, given that, at the moment, the forecast is for much
warmer conditions on Sunday.
While the Drivers’ title was decided in Mexico, the Constructors’ one is still up
for grabs with Mercedes leading Ferrari by 55 points. To keep the fight going
down to the final race, the Maranello team has to score 13 more points than
its rival.

UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX

Written by Russell Dowden on . Posted in TEXAS SPORTS.

Kimi Raikkonen took his Ferrari to victory in the FORMULA 1 PIRELLI 2018

UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX. It was the Finn’s first win since the 2013

Australian Grand Prix. Joining him on the podium in Austin were Max Verstappen and Lewis

Hamilton, second and third respectively for Red Bull Racing and Mercedes. The Englishman thus closes in on a fifth world title, extending his lead over

Sebastian Vettel by a further three points, after the German finished fourth today. Hamilton now leads by 70 points with three races remaining.

It was a really exciting race, with the crowd on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Raikkonen produced an impeccable drive, doing a clever job of

managing his tyres and getting every last drop of performance out of his Ferrari.

Raikkonen was the only front runner to start on the Ultrasoft tyres and he overtook pole sitter Hamilton at the first corner, settling down to a fast pace,

although he never really shook off his pursuers. Behind these two, Valtteri Bottas held onto third place, while Daniel Ricciardo and Vettel locked horns.

As was the case a fortnight ago in Suzuka, the German found himself colliding with a Red Bull and spinning before dropping down the order.

Ricciardo was able to continue and seemed to be heading for a good result, given his pace, but on lap 9, his Red Bull stopped because of an engine energy

store failure. The Australian thus posted yet another retirement in what has been a troubled season. As for Verstappen, having started 18th, he charged

up the order, just as he had done in Russia, to come up behind his team-mate.

The Virtual Safety Car was deployed while Ricciardo’s car was removed and Hamilton made the most of it to minimise the time lost compared to his rivals,

by coming in for Soft tyres on lap 11. At the time, Mercedes’ strategy seemed to be the right one, in that Hamilton had rejoined in third place and easily

closed on Raikkonen, who was running a longer stint. The Ferrari man stayed out until lap 21 before making his only pit stop, he too now running the Softs.

Behind the top two, drivers went for different strategies: having started on Softs, Verstappen tried the undercut on Bottas, stopping on lap 23 to take on

the Supersofts. Bottas responded next time round, fitting Softs. The Red Bull gamble paid off, because the Dutchman was able to get ahead of Bottas asthe

Finn rejoined the track and also because the Supersoft was clearly able to go all the way to the end without suffering much degradation.

The same could not be said of the Soft compound, especially on the two Mercedes. Hamilton started to suffer with a bit of degradation at the start of

lap 30, which saw his lead over Raikkonen drop from 17 to 9 seconds in just six laps. Inevitably, the championship leader had to make a second stop for a

set of new Softs, after which, he rejoined in fourth place.

On lap 38, Raikkonen led the race, with a 2.5 second advantage over Verstappen. Bottas was 9.1s back, Hamilton at 12s and Vettel trailed his team-

mate by 16.2 seconds. Quite rightly, Mercedes asked Bottas to move over for Hamilton after which the Englishman charged after the two cars in front. If he

had managed to take second place and his team-mate could have held off Vettel, then a fifth title was in the bag, here in the United States.

But the race ended with a different script. Hamilton tried all he could to pass Verstappen, but the Dutchman fought him in a hard but fair manner,

especially on lap 54, when Hamilton seemed to have got the upper hand, before running wide in the final sector, which meant Verstappen could make

good his escape. This scrap played into Raikkonen’s hands, as he managed to eke out a small lead. But it was all he needed to return to the top step of the

podium after a very long absence.

On that 54th lap, Bottas was clearly struggling even more with his tyres and had to give best to Vettel, who thus managed to limit the damage, keeping

the title fight alive for at least one more round.

The fight for the top places was fascinating all the way to the end, but the other points places were not completely decided until well after the

chequered flag had been waved. Nico Hulkenberg crossed the line in sixth spot, followed by Carlos Sainz, Esteban Ocon, Kevin Magnussen and Sergio

Perez. However, post-race scrutineering led to the disqualification of Force India’s French driver, because his “fuel mass flow exceeded 100 kg/hr during

Lap 1 of the race.” A similar fate befell Haas’ Danish driver, because the “amount of fuel consumed exceeded 105 kg during the race.” This promoted

Brendon Hartley to ninth and Marcus Ericsson to tenth.

After this trip to the States, which featured an F1 show on the streets of Miami as well as the Formula 1 race, the pinnacle of motorsport stays in the

Americas, moving on to Mexico City where the FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE MEXICO 2018 takes place at Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez next weekend.