Source: Mercedes-Benz Archive

F1 News

Hamilton WINS the Japanese Grand Prix in Mercedes one-two!

Hamilton WINS the Japanese Grand Prix in Mercedes one-two!

07-10-2018 07:41
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Nicolás Quarles van Ufford

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has won yet another race in the 2018 season as he climbed the top step in Japan, putting one hand on the drivers' championship as Sebastian Vettel slipped up yet again.

The Brit had a perfect race at Suzuka, staying in first place for the entirety of the race with his teammate Valtteri Bottas directly behind him in P2.

Max Verstappen manned the last step of the podium, finishing where he started the race with Daniel Ricciardo behind him, who came all the way up from P15 and earning the Driver of the Day award as a result.

Ferrari had another nightmare, with Sebastian Vettel making up places before spinning out in a duel with Verstappen, damaging his car and ending his chances to amount to anything in the race.

Max the Ferrari nightmare

The start was fairly routine, with Verstappen getting away quickly but not being able to make any move stick on a Mercedes car. Vettel got rid of the two Toro Rosso's in front of him quickly, and was quick to move up to P4 after that as Kimi Raikkonen logically let him past.

This happened after Verstappen and Raikkonen had touched, causing the Dutchman to get handed a five-second penalty and Raikkonen to damage his floor. When Max cashed in his penalty later in the race though, he didn't lose any places, just about leaving Raikkonen behind his Red Bull after emerging from the pitlane on fresh soft tyres.

Verstappen stayed in the spotlight of the race, as he was part of another collision only laps after his collision with Raikkonen. Vettel tried to pass him where there was little to no room, and the two touched, causing Vettel to spin out and lose 15 places. He also lost a bargeboard, costing him a lot of pace when moving up the field.

Dani Ric's comeback

The person who profited off of the Ferrari's limp was Daniel Ricciardo. He finished in P4, which should feel good for him, especially after his frustrating qualifying on Saturday and his many mechanical DNF's in recent races. He was close behind Verstappen at some point after the pit stops, but the Aussie had some blistering which caused him to drop off a little bit. Still, finishing fourth must have felt good for the Honey Badger.

Retirements

There were three retirements at Suzuka, all of which were mechanical. First, Kevin Magnussen called it a day after the Dane had a puncture and a very damaged floor in the opening laps after colliding with Charles Leclerc.

That same Leclerc couldn't end the race himself, with the rookie having to pull his Sauber over in the second sector halfway through the race. He had already stopped two times and was in P19, but an engine issue made him stop his car completely.

The third and final DNF was for Renault's Nico Hülkenberg.

Hamilton can mathematically win the championship next race in the United States, although Vettel will need to have another meltdown for that to happen. Where Hamilton is expected to win his title is in Mexico again, the same place where he did it last season. It seems like a matter of time now, as Vettel has been nowhere near the Brit in recent weeks, or even months.