Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton took the 61st victory of his Formula One career in Japan this afternoon, but he did so by the skin of his teeth as the Red Bull of Max Verstappen was poised to overtake him and take the lead as soon as the opportunity arose.
Getting within half a second of the Mercedes driver, Max was only stopped from taking the lead by backmarkers that Hamilton got past easier than he did. However, a solid second place, following on from his win in Malaysia a week ago, was a strong result for the Dutchman, especially with teammate Daniel Ricciardo following him across the line in third.
It was a disastrous day for Sebastian Vettel and his championship hopes when just like his teammate the week before, his Ferrari had complications on the way to the grid. Despite their best efforts, his Ferrari team were unable to fix the problem and after dropping back through the field, Sebastian was called into the pits and retired.
This means that Lewis' third win at the Suzuka International Racing Circuit, his eighth of the 2017 season and 40th win with the Silver Arrows, saw him finish up with a 59 point lead over Vettel in the drivers' championship, something he can win next time out in Austin if Vettel finishes lower than fifth.
Teammate Valtteri Bottas finished today's race in fourth, his best ever finish in Japan, and hot on the heels of third place Ricciardo.
โHaving departed Sepang with a good result but in poor spirits because of a tricky weekend, and having arrived here under a bit of a cloud regarding the performance of our car,โ said James Allison. โit is nice to be leaving this weekend with an even stronger result and also off the back of a fine performance in qualifying and the race.โ
โThis was welcome on many levels: first, for both championships; second, because we were able to categorically answer the questions regarding the development direction of our car; third because this was the vindication of a team that, even when it takes a blow, can spring right back up and apply itself to the challenge with fresh vigour.โ
โ We have not exorcised all of our Sepang demons but every result like that is an opportunity to learn and improve. We have seen some of that learning applied here in Suzuka and we will continue to do the same for the remainder of the year.โ
Kimi Raikkonen, the sole remaining Ferrari in the race, fought back from his grid penalty to finish fifth but it was not a big consolation for Ferrariโฆ.
โKimi's performance proved that the team and the car are capable of getting the job done and until the maths says it's over, we will keep trying,โ the team said.
The two Force India's finished sixth and seventh with Ocon ahead of Perez followed by the two HaasF1 drivers with Felipe Massa rounding out the top ten.
Carlos Sainz crashed out early in the race, ending his final race for Toro Rosso very early while, ironically enough, Jolyon Palmer, the man Sainz will be replacing at Renault as of next race, was 13th and the only Renault to see the finish line as teammate Nico Hulkenberg was forced to retire when his DRS became stuck open. Only 15 drivers finished the race.
