Horner says Red Bull's constructors' crown means the world, Hamilton defiant in defeat

The team clinched their fifth constructors' title, and first since 2013, when double world champion Max Verstappen won the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, on Sunday and Mexican Sergio Perez was fourth.

The championship ended a record run of eight in a row for Mercedes.

"It means even more (than previous ones) because we’ve had the tough years. We’ve had to keep picking ourselves up, dusting ourselves, coming back and coming back," Horner told Sky Sports television.

"And we’ve done that. So the hard work and the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into this, this one just means the world to us."

Red Bull entered the sport in 2005 and, with top designer Adrian Newey on board, took four successive drivers' and constructors' titles with Germany's Sebastian Vettel from 2010-13.

Then the rules changed, with a V6 turbo hybrid engine replacing the much simpler and fuel-thirsty V8s, and Mercedes made big gains while Red Bull's then-partners Renault struggled.

While Verstappen won his first drivers' title last year, Mercedes kept their constructors' crown.

This year, with another rules rewrite, there has been no contest. Red Bull have racked up 15 wins in 19 races with three to come.

"Credit to Red Bull, they’ve done a mega job all year," said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. "Max was really strong so them winning the constructors’ championship today is what they deserve."

Verstappen also equalled the Formula One record for most wins in a single season - the 13 previously achieved only by Vettel and Ferrari great Michael Schumacher - and looks set to break it.

Sunday's triumph came a day after the team's billionaire owner Dietrich Mateschitz, founder of the Red Bull energy drink company, died at the age of 78.

The Austrian was a reclusive but passionate supporter of his teams in various sporting arenas and a long-standing fan of Formula One.

Horner was sure Mateschitz would have been proud of the way in which Verstappen won, fighting back from a long pitstop to overtake his rivals and trigger the celebrations.

"We will celebrate as a team in true Red Bull fashion. We’re going large," he added.

However, a second-place finish appeared to energise Lewis Hamilton, with the Mercedes seven-times world champion saying that when his team builds a more competitive car, he will take it to the top.

With just three races remaining for the first time since entering Formula One in 2007, Hamilton is in danger of finishing a season without a victory which would add to what has been an annus horribilis for Mercedes.

But there was hope not despair around the Mercedes garage on Sunday after a battling Hamilton engaged in a breathtaking duel with Verstappen over the final laps before surrendering victory to the Dutchman.

"We are much closer now, the upgrade worked and we were racing for a win," said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff. "I think we understand more now what it is where we got it wrong with the car.

"We thought we can run the car on the deck but you can’t so it's small little hamster steps and as long as the trajectory is going up I think we are on a good path."

Hamilton has had two other runner-up results this season in France and Hungary but it was the manner of the fight in Texas that had both the Englishman and his Mercedes team looking ahead to next year.

"What's happened this year in terms of our performance and everything to get a win would be a huge triumph for us," said Hamilton. "But what I think of from today we had good pace, I'm still here and I know that when they build the car I will take it to the top.

"So we just have to keep working."

Verstappen seized the lead into the first corner and was in control when he made his second stop on the 36th of 56 scheduled laps.

The stop lasted an agonising 11.1 seconds when the front left wheel nut would not tighten returning to the track in sixth place.

Verstappen set to reducing the gap with determination. He passed Ferrari's Charles Leclerc with aplomb and after a wheel-to-wheel fight with Hamilton - which had the massive crowd at the Circuit of the Americas on its feet - went to the front again six laps from the finish.

"I felt amazing to even just be in shooting distance of Max for some parts of the race," said Hamilton. "For a second I thought we might be able to hold onto it but that second medium tyre they had was just a little stronger than compared to us.

"I'm still here.

"Through the year we made all the mistakes we needed to make to build a stronger foundation for next year.

"If we can get that car on par with these guys we could have a really exciting year next year."