Menang di Rusia, Hamilton semakin dekat ke juara F1
Lewis Hamilton's chances of securing the world title at Sunday's US Grand Prix have been boosted by an engine penalty for Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.
The German, 28, will be demoted 10 places on the grid after using more than the permitted number of engines.
Hamilton, 30, will win the title if he outscores Vettel by nine points and Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg by two.
If Hamilton wins in Austin with Vettel below second, the Briton will clinch his third world championship.
However, if Hamilton is beaten by either driver, the title race will remain open until at least the race in Mexico next weekend.
"If you look at this race isolated it is not great news, but it was always the plan to have a fresh engine here," said Vettel.
"The plan was to have maximum power in every race. We take a hit here but you have to see the positive in that we were able to make big steps and not just the penalty."
Vettel will take a 10-place penalty for using a fifth engine - one more than is allowed under Formula 1 rules - while Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen has been given a similar punishment.
