Conclusions from the United States GP

Nico Rosberg is playing the “long game” while Carlos Sainz may have lost out in the Fernando Alonso tussle but could yet have the last laugh.

Playing the long game Venus Williams was one of the high-profile figures in the Mercedes paddock this weekend and the US Grand Prix, although not a classic, was befitting of a match at Flushing Meadows as F1’s big boys probed and pushed their opponents on the track.

The strategic battle between Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari made for compelling viewing, while some drivers literally pushed their rivals around – here’s looking at you Daniil Kvyat while Fernando Alonso’s light ‘kiss’ on former team-mate Felipe Massa also stands out.

Lewis Hamilton may have trimmed Nico Rosberg’s lead to 26 points but as the German said repeatedly on team radio, what matters is the “long game”.

Rosberg does not need to take any risks and made it clear in Austin that he will be playing the percentages in Mexico, Brazil, and Abu Dhabi.

Reliability notwithstanding, it is clearly Rosberg’s title to lose.

How to measure greatness While it might be too much to suggest that Hamilton’s was a pyrrhic victory, the big points’ deficit to Rosberg will have erased some of the sweetness from winning in America.

But the triple world champion did notch up a remarkable milestone in winning in Austin as he claimed his 50th grand prix – only Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost have won more.

Hamilton’s desire to equal Prost’s four titles is under threat from Rosberg, who, it is worth noting, has won almost as many races as the likes of Nelson Piquet, Juan …

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