Japanese Grand Prix 2018
Lewis Hamilton put on a clinical victory in the Japanese Grand Prix 2018 to get one step away from his fifth world championship.
The Brit driver was never troubled in the race as he put on a lights-to-flag victory in front of a passionate crowd at the Suzuka Circuit. Adding more to the delight of his Mercedes team, Valtteri Bottas finished second for their second consecutive one-two finish.
Ferrari, on the other hand, seem to be in trouble and their star driver Sebastian Vettel might have just driven himself out of contention after managing to finish just sixth in the contest.
Highlights of the game
It was a rather uneventful race up front as Hamilton cruised to an easy victory in the Land of the Rising Sun. After taking his 80th pole position over the weekend, the British star showed his dominance even more to grab the Japanese Grand Prix 2018 highlights and headlines.
Hamilton was in control throughout and led by five seconds over his Silver Arrows teammate, Bottas, midway through the race. In fact, by Lap 43, Hamilton was already 10 seconds ahead of the Finn as he finished with all smiles on his face.
Leading from start to finish, it came as no surprise that Lewis Hamilton wins the #JapaneseGP.
The Mercedes driver now holds a 67-point lead in the championship. pic.twitter.com/inTYiR0VEz
— SBOBET (@SBOBET) October 7, 2018
However, while there was really nothing to see in the battle for first, there was plenty of action and drama behind him, thanks to Vettel and Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo who tried their best to get out of the lower spots and make it to the top places.
Vettel started eighth from the grid, but a bright start in the race saw him climb up to fourth by Lap 2—looking well poised to challenge Hamilton and keep himself in the title conversation. Nonetheless, an attempt to overtake Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in the Spoon Curve on Lap 8 fired back big time for the German.
The 31-year-old saw an opportunity when the Red Bull slowed down approaching the turn, but Vettel instead collided with Verstappen.
Verstappen managed to control his car and didn’t lose much time, but it was different for Vettel who spun all the way back to 19th. The four-time F1 world champion used Ferrari’s pace advantage to claw his way back, but sixth is all that he could muster.
On the other hand, Ricciardo started from 15th but roared his way for a fourth-place finish. He was up to 10th seven laps through the race, and then the Australian driver managed to pass McLaren’s Fernando Alonso for fourth 13 laps later. He held on to the spot and fended off the Scuderia’s Kimi Raikkonen who ended up fifth.
Bottas, on the other hand, received a stiff challenge from Verstappen for second in the closing stages, even reducing the Mercedes drivers’ lead to just one second with four laps to go. However, Bottas survived the scare to complete the Silver Arrows’ grand finish.
Key statistics
The Japanese Grand Prix 2018 odds at SBOBET suggested a one-sided victory for Hamilton, and that was exactly the case as the Brit secured his third-best finish of the Formula One campaign.
Hamilton finished with a 12-second lead over Bottas, topping his 8.9-second lead to the runner-up in the Singapore Grand Prix. It is also only his third double-digit win over the second placer this year, only behind his performances in Barcelona and Hungary.
Moreover, his 69-second advantage over sixth-placed Vettel is the biggest winning margin between the two in races that they both finish this year. Hamilton also holds the previous mark when he finished 61 seconds ahead of the German in the French Grand Prix.
With results of the race, Hamilton now extends his lead over Vettel in the championship race to 67 points. That means Hamilton can secure the title with a win in Austin, Texas later this month.
Meanwhile, Mercedes are 78 points ahead of Ferrari in the battle for the best constructor, which means they likely have that too in the bag.
What’s next?
As mentioned, next up is the United State Grand Prix in Texas in two week’s time.
Ferrari will hope for the best results when they head to the Circuit of the Americas. Nonetheless, fans are expecting Hamilton to end the Ferrari misery in a track where he hasn’t lost for four straight years now.
Hamilton dominated the 2017 US Grand Prix and will surely eye for the same result as he looks to secure the title.
Including the US race, there are only four events left, and the odds are stacked against Vettel and Ferrari to stage a comeback and pip the great Hamilton.
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