Lewis Hamilton became the six-time world champion, getting the points he needed to secure the title with three races to spare.

On a bright and warm day at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, Hamilton started back in fifth. But a good start by the Briton and a miserable one by the Ferraris — Vettel, in particular — allowed Hamilton to move up the field.

Hamilton only needed to finish eighth or higher to win the title and with Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Bottas leading the race for long periods and Red Bull's Max Verstappen in hot pursuit in second, Hamilton was comfortable in third.

But the title leader's one-stop strategy saw him lead the race until four laps from the end, when Bottas eventually seized the lead from Hamilton. Verstappen threatened to bump Hamilton down to third, but a late yellow flag spared Hamilton from an uncomfortable final lap and he eased over the line, pumping his fist in the air as he celebrated a sixth title, and fifth in six years.

Hamilton has dominated the sport for much of the past decade and this title sees him move to within one of German legend Michael Schumacher's all-time record of seven.

As it happened:

Lap 56/56 BOTTAS WINS THE US GRAND PRIX, HAMILTON FINISHES SECOND TO WIN HIS SIXTH WORLD TITLE!

Lap 55/56 Magnussen crashes out and the yellow flag is up — that could save Hamilton from a last lap assault by Verstappen, who was closing in on the Briton.

Lap 54/56 Hamilton is now having to fend off Verstappen in a fight for second.

Lap 52/56 Bottas leads! Hamilton will win the title, but has been denied top spot on the podium by his Mercedes teammate.

Lap 50/56 Bottas is closing in on Hamilton. We could be in for a fascinating finale...

Lap 48/56 Leclerc on course for that bonus point...

Lap 45/56 Bottas sets a fastest lap but Hamilton is keeping the pace up front. He's 11 laps from glory.

Lap 42/56 Hamilton leads and Bottas is gaining on him. Hamilton surely has the title sewn up, but he's going for the win here.

Lap 39/56 Bottas through the traffic and has daylight to Hamilton, who is currently 4.5 seconds clear.

Lap 37/56 Hamilton takes the lead, but questions remain over his tires. 

Lap 34/56 Bottas clocks a slow lap after getting caught in traffic. his lead is cut to 6 seconds.

Lap 30/56 How things stand...

Lap 29/56 Hamilton does just that, hanging back a bit. Hamilton is four seconds behind Verstappen, who is 7 seconds off Bottas.

Lap 27/56 Mercedes to Hamilton on the team radio: “It’s critical we make the one-stop plan work” — a message to Hamilton to slow down a bit and make the tires go the distance.

Lap 26/56 Hamilton halves Bottas' lead in a single lap! He's hunting him down.

Lap 24/56 Bottas opens a five-second lead over Verstappen.

Lap 22/56 Bottas retakes the lead as Hamilton pits. Verstappen is back in second, so it's as you were after the first lap.

Lap 19/56 The moment Bottas flew past Leclerc on the outside...

Lap 17/56 Verstappen sets the fastest lap.

Lap 15/56 Bottas makes the same tire change as Verstappen and rejoins the race in third. He effortlessly passes Leclerc and has Hamilton, who is yet to pit, in his sights.

Lap 13/56 Verstappen pits as early as he's allowed to, switching from the medium tires for the hards. It's currently a Mercedes one-two.

Lap 12/56 Ricciardo enjoying a great race out there. He's made up four places since lights out.

Lap 10/56 Just as Vettel was retiring, Ricciardo made a move on Norris to take fifth place.

Lap 9/56 Vettel is out! A bad race has just got a lot worse for Vettel. He was clipped and is complaining of suspension issues. He grinds to a halt and his race is run.

Lap 7/56 Bottas is closing in on a 2 second lead over Verstappen at the front. 1.9 as it stands. Hamilton is 3.8 seconds off the lead.

Lap 5/56 The FIA reach a quick decision on that clash: no further action.

Lap 3/56 Sainz and Albon collided on the first corner and both are under investigation.

Lap 2/56 That was an aggressive, crazy start. But amid the chaos, Bottas had a good start and managed to extend his lead at the front. He now leads by 1.4 seconds.

Lap 1/56 GO GO GO! — Lights out and Hamilton is up to third after overtaking Leclerc. Vettel has a terrible start, dropping down to seventh.

20:05 — Victory for Hamilton would see him move up to second on the all-time list of F1 champions, one behind German legend Michael Schumacher. It would also be a fifth title in six years for Hamilton, who has been the dominant force in the sport since moving to Mercedes from McLaren in 2013.

19:55 — So what does Lewis Hamilton have to do today to become world champion and continue his decade of domination? Well, it's quite simple really. He just needs to finish in the top eight, and he can finish outside it and still seal the title should his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas not win.

19:45 — Hello and welcome to live coverage of the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. This should be the day Lewis Hamilton does the business and clinches title number six. But he starts back in fifth.