How can Hamilton win his fourth title?

Hamilton has 306 points and Vettel 247, giving him a lead of 59 ahead of the final four races of the season in Austin, Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Abu Dhabi.

Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton has to score 16 points more than nearest rival Sebastian Vettel to make the F1 title a mathematical certainty.

Lewis Hamilton can clinch his fourth Formula One world championship title at this weekend's United States Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver has to score 16 points more than nearest rival Sebastian Vettel to make it a mathematical certainty.

That means there are two scenarios in which the 32-year-old Briton can be triumphant for Mercedes:

1. Hamilton wins and four-time champion German Vettel finishes outside the top five for Ferrari.

2. Hamilton finishes second and Vettel is outside the top eight.

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If Hamilton is third or lower, the 2017 title battle continues to the next race in Mexico.

Hamilton has 306 points and Vettel 247, giving him a lead of 59 ahead of the final four races of the season in Austin, Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Abu Dhabi. If Vettel can recover the form he and Ferrari enjoyed before their Asian slump and reel off four wins, Hamilton can still take the title by scoring 42 points in the remaining races.

A race winner scores 25 points, second scores 18 and third 15, fourth wins 12, fifth 10, sixth eight, seventh six, eighth four, ninth two and 10th scores one point.

Hamilton feels at home in Texas, having won at the Circuit of the Americas the last four years with Vettel winning in 2012. Hamilton has already clinched the title at this race, two years ago.