Lewis Hamilton claimed victory at a scintillating Brazilian Grand Prix to clinch the Constructors’ Championship for Mercedes.
Hamilton and Mercedes struggled for pace and tyre preservation through the 71-lap Grand Prix but were handed a golden chance when the outstanding Max Verstappen was spun by Force India's Esteban Ocon.
Verstappen, who was controlling the race, sustained floor damage when he was tipped into a spin by the lapped Ocon, but nonetheless placed second.
Verstappen starred for much of the race as he rose from fifth, passing Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas in quick succession with a sequence of moves into the Senna S to emerge as Hamilton’s nearest challenger.
Verstappen extended his first stint and took on Softs, as opposed to the Mediums employed by Hamilton at his earlier stop, and quickly reeled in the Mercedes driver.
Verstappen cruised past Hamilton on lap 40 of 71 to take the lead and looked in a strong position to control the remainder of the Grand Prix.
But just five laps later he was spun by Ocon at the Senna S as the Force India driver attempted to un-lap himself.
Verstappen railed against Ocon, who was issued with a 10-second stop-and-go penalty, before later confronting and shoving the Frenchman as they were weighed post-race.
Verstappen, having sustained floor damage in the contact, dropped five seconds behind Hamilton and while he closed the gap to under two seconds during the closing laps, the Mercedes driver stayed clear.
It marked Hamilton's 10th victory of his title-winning campaign, the first time he has won a Grand Prix after securing a championship early, and it sealed the Constructors' crown for Mercedes.
Daniel Ricciardo made early gains from 11th and overhauled both Vettel and Bottas, but was unable to clear Kimi Raikkonen, who took another podium finish for Ferrari.
Bottas came home a low-key fifth while Vettel had a subdued run to sixth, having run wide through Descida do Lago before allowing Raikkonen through after team instructions.
Both drivers opted to undertake a two-stop strategy compared to the one-stop approach used by the top four.
Charles Leclerc picked up a haul of points for Sauber with a lonely run to seventh place, while Haas bagged a double top 10 finish, as Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen took eighth and ninth.
Sergio Perez salvaged a point for Force India, ahead of Brendon Hartley, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Pierre Gasly, with the Toro Rosso drivers embroiled in an argument over the radio in the closing laps.
Stoffel Vandoorne put in a fine display to rise from last to 14th, ahead of the sanctioned Ocon, Sergey Sirotkin and Fernando Alonso.
Alonso had a miserable race as he was slow away at his pit stop and also picked up a time penalty for ignoring blue flags.
Lance Stroll was the final classified runner in 18th position.
Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg retired due to high engine temperatures and he joined Marcus Ericsson on the side lines.
Ericsson started from sixth place but had already sustained rear-end damage; he lost ground early on and eventually retired following a spin.
Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit will host the final round of the 2018 season from November 23 to 25
