Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton reckons he wants more after winning Japanese Grand Prix to close in on fifth title
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton celebrates on the podium after winning the Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit yesterday. Pic/AP,PTI
Lewis Hamilton took victory in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix to move within touching distance of a fifth Formula One title, as championship rival Sebastian Vettel finished only sixth after colliding with Max Verstappen.
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Hamilton led from pole to flag, crossing the line 12.9 seconds ahead of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who completed a one-two for Mercedes for the second race in succession. Vettel, who had started eighth after a failed tyre gamble in qualifying, made contact with Verstappen's Red Bull on the fourth lap while trying to pass the Dutchman for third on the eighth lap.
The collision punted the Ferrari into a spin. Vettel resumed in 19th and scythed his way back up the field setting the fastest lap of the race in the process. Hamilton now leads Vettel by 67 points in the standings with four races to go.
That gives the Briton a very good chance of wrapping up the title as early as the U.S. Grand Prix in two weeks' time at Austin, where he has won every race but once since the track joined the calendar in 2012. With just three races to go after the Texan round, a win for Hamilton with Vettel finishing lower than second will be enough for him to become only the third driver in Formula One history to win five titles.
"I hope you guys are not getting bored of this, because I'm definitely not!," said the 33-year-old, whose win on Sunday was his sixth win in seven races and fourth in a row. "I loved it. "The whole weekend's been very strong from the team, it's a great 1-2 from Mercedes, it shows the great strength in depth we've got." Vettel came home with the fastest lap. But, needing a miracle to reignite his slim title hopes and turn the page on a string of mistakes that have largely robbed his challenge of momentum, that would have come as little consolation. "Not much to say," the 31-year-old said. "Enough's been said.
"I don't know. If I don't go for that gap and that gap was there, I might as well go home. Sorry for the result." Verstappen, who also pushed the other Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen off the track, finished third. He was penalised five seconds for the incident with Raikkonen and could well have been second without it, having crossed the line 1.3 seconds behind Bottas.
Daniel Ricciardo, who started 15th, finished fourth for Red Bull ahead of Raikkonen who he jumped during the pitstops. Sergio Perez took best of the rest honours for Force India in seventh. Honda-powered Toro Rosso were unable to convert their dream qualifying result in the Japanese manufacturer's home race into points. Gasly, who started seventh, finished eleventh while Brendon Hartley, who lined up sixth, fell to 13th at the finish. The race saw a brief safety car in the opening laps, with Kevin Magnussen's punctured Haas scattering debris across the track.
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