Lewis Hamilton goes into this race with the potential to clinch his 5th World Drivers Championship. It is mentioned during the pre-race that every time a Grand Prix has been run on October 21st, the World Championship has been decided on that day. Sebastien Vettel starts the weekend off badly with a rules violation during practice that earns him a 3 place grid penalty. Hamilton qualifies on pole with Kimi Raikkonen second. Vettel will start 5th and Max Verstappen will start 18th after a suspension failure in qualifying and a gearbox change penalty. Raikkonen got the lead on the first lap and Vettel spun after tangling with Daniel Ricciardo. Ricciardo retires early with another Renault engine failure and Hamilton pits under the resulting virtual safety car. The pit stop proves to be too early as his rear tires blister and he has to make another stop. Raikkonen wins a close finish over Verstappen and Hamilton. Vettel finishes 4th to keep his title chances alive. Esteban Ocon and Kevin Magnussen are disqualified after the race for fuel rules violations.
