Hamilton struggled in qualifying in the next round in Austin as Bottas took pole position, but battled through to second on an alternative strategy in a race where Mercedes was superior in race pace against the field. The Ferraris struggled, with Vettel retiring after a suspension failure and Leclerc falling away rapidly after the first several laps. Mercedes finished 1–2 with Bottas winning, but this result was enough to clinch Hamilton the driver's championship, meaning Mercedes surpassed Ferrari's record with a sixth straight "championship double".