Lewis Hamilton drives during the Japanese Grand Prix to finish with an unchallenged Start-finish victory and thus makes a further big step towards the world title. Because championship rival Sebastian Vettel slowing down again.
Next error, the next failure for Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari: After a botched Qualifying session the day before, and an unnecessary Crash in the race rolled Vettel only Sixth. His world championship rival Lewis Hamilton drove from Pole Position, almost playfully, for the ninth win of the Season – his fourth in the series. “I’m so happy, I love this car, I love this track,” gushed Hamilton after his 71. Career success. he extended their lead in the standings four races before the end, on 67 points. “I can’t wait to hunt this beast in the USA on the track.”
The next Grand Prix in 14 days on his favorite track in Austin, Texas, Hamilton, not can make a further success of his fifth world title – if Vettel is at least the Second. Then Hamilton would draw with the legendary Argentine Juan Manuel Fangio. More world titles (7) then, only Michael Schumacher on the account. “I hope you are bored gradually. I do not,” joked Hamilton after the award ceremony.
Bottas makes the Mercedes double victory perfect
Second place in Suzuka Hamilton’s Finnish team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who was in the final phase some effort, secured the impetuous and, ultimately, third-placed Max Verstappen at the Red Bull attack keep your distance. Verstappens team-mate Daniel Ricciardo struggled from the start in 15th place after a brilliant race to catch up on rank four, and referred by this Position started Kimi Raikkonen in the second Ferrari in fifth place. Nico Hulkenberg had retired his Renault after 37 laps with technical problems – at that time, he was already in last place.
Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene had gezürnt after the botched qualifying. “Unacceptable,” she had been scolded by the Italians. “I’m very angry. Such errors do not happen to us for the first Time.” The Scuderia had chosen in the qualifiers first of all, the wrong tyres on Vettel, then the 31 taxed-Year-old and had to start from eighth.
Vettel’s dream start
At the Start Arrivabenes mood brightened first. While Hamilton and Bottas defended in the front row to their seats, and made Vettel in the first round of four positions. This was only Verstappen as a buffer between the two silver arrows, and the Ferrari Star. Here, Vettel benefited from the fall of an irregular action of the verse, the Vettel’s team-mate Raikkonen after a mistake on the track when pushed. The race stewards verse ran aground fall to a Five-second penalty.
Very close to the Podium: Sebastian Vettel (l) after the flying restart behind the third-placed Max Verstappen in Red Bull
And it was even better for Vettel After a collision between his future team-mates, Clean-husband Charles Leclerc and the Dane Kevin Magnussen in the Haas were tires and carbon parts on the track. The Safety Car moved all of a sudden, the time had melted spacing.
Crash with Verstappen throws back Vettel far
Heated it went on at around 29 degrees outside temperature: Vettel wanted but much after the Re-Start on lap eight. He attacked Verstappen, although this still had to serve a Five-second penalty, and the German would probably come soon anyway, over in the Spoon curve with an optimistic manoeuvre. Vettel turned, he fell on the 19. Back in it’s place.
“If the gap is there, and I’m not trying to get in there to crash, I can stay home,” the 31-to justify his hastily-acting maneuver-Year-old. Here, Vettel would have probably have just a little patience. “He was a lot faster. A round or two later he would have overtaken me on the Straight. But I didn’t want to leave the place without a fight,” admitted Verstappen to the Protocol and taught Vettel: “In the curve you can’t overtake.”
Vettel fought his way to the next setback is again in double quick time back in the points ranking, but the Top Five were unreachable. And Hamilton? On the way to his fourth Suzuka win, he complained in the meantime about the problems with his silver arrow, however, the 33-Year-old drove to the top of a lonely race and continued to expand his lead over Bottas.
Vettel screwed up Hamilton the Grand Chelem
A week after the team orders to his favor in Russia, Hamilton instructed this time to the Intervention of his team. The British it went to the front, almost too quiet. “Are you doing a Pause,” radioed Hamilton to the Box, because his race engineer Peter Bonnington’s been a while no longer with him had reported.
Only a success screwed up Vettel with the Mercedes-Star this weekend, Hamilton would have probably won the Grand Chelem – the Triple of Pole Position, Start-to-finish victory and the fastest lap of the race in Suzuka. However, the latter took Vettel on the last lap, in front of the goal.
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The race in Suzuka missed? Then you can read again all of the crucial scenes in the live Ticker.
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TARGET: Hamilton wins unchallenged in the Japanese Grand Prix ahead of Bottas and Verstappen. For Vettel not more Raikkonen than sixth place, behind Ricciardo and team-mate. Small satisfaction for Vettel: He snatches Hamilton set the fastest lap of the race and the Grand Chalam.
Round 53 of 53: Hamilton goes to the last round. Bottas needs to fight back against Verstappen.
Lap 52 of 53: Hamilton drives a fastest lap of the race.
Round of 51 of the 53: Three laps before the end of may, Hamilton a Defective stop: The McLaren man is driving to an unchallenged Start-finish victory and his fifth world championship. With the victory today, Hamilton builds his lead in the championship ahead of Vettel on the 67 laps.
Round 48 of 53: Hamilton has his lead over Bottas to eleven seconds expanded. The Finn is now but Verstappen in the rear.
Round 45 of 53: Hamilton is driving as a Leader in the fastest lap of the race. The Briton will today.apparently the Grand Chelem: Pole Position, Start-to-finish victory and the fastest lap of the race
Round 42 of 53: The track is free – just had it in to Mercedes to make an additional pit stop prepared. The from the table. But the virtual Safety Car period brought Verstappen closer to Bottas. That’s not supposed to happen, because during a virtual Safety Car Phase, the distances between the drivers should be frozen actually.
Round 41 of 53: The stewards switches the virtual Safety Car, to Clean from Leclerc for sure mountains of.
Lap 40 of 53: The next failure: Leclerc slips first into the gravel bed and then its Clean. On his car it was broken, sparks Leclerc in the Box.
Round 39 of 53: The for Hülkenberg: The German puts his Renault in the Garage.
Lap 37 of 53: The performance of Vettel shows that For the four-time Champion would be more to it – if he is not so impatient during the attack on Verstappen would have been. The low countries he would have brought at a later time.
Lap 35 of 53: And Vettel sniffs Grosjean is now Sixth. However, for the Fifth, his team-mate Raikkonen, is the residue 40 second. A Safety Car period would help Vettel.
Lap 35 of 53: Vettel’s skin the fastest lap of the race out. The Ferrari Star has made two other places, is now Seventh.
Round 32 of 53: It continues to run well in the case of Vettel, the German grabs Ocon and Leclerc and is now ninth.
Round 30 of 53: Vettel makes it back to space in order to place well, has now again to Hulkenberg over at space 11 is pushed.
Round 27 of 53: Vettel comes in for a pit stop and switch to the Supersofts on the Soft tyres. Vettel was easily handled, but falls back to Position 16. In the case of Ferrari it’s not just this weekend: Raikkonen has lost due to the stop of further Position and dropped back behind Ricciardo in the second Red Bull. Ricciardo started from 15th place!
Round 25 of 53: Now turn to Hamilton for a tyre change in the pit lane, and after the Soft tyres medium wind. The Briton remains in the lead.
Round 24 of 53: Bottas and Ricciardo to get new tires. At least good news for Vettel: He gets no penalty for the collision with Verstappen.
Round 22 of 53: Verstappen comes to tire service, the low countries changes from Supersoft tires to Soft Tires, and still has his Five-second penalty. – Nevertheless, he remains loose in front of Raikkonen. Vettel has caught in the meantime, Toro Rosso Pilot Hartley and moves to Position 11.
Round 21 of 53: And Hamilton shows that he could, if he wanted to: The McLaren man is driving the next fastest lap of the race.
Round 20 of 53: Raikkonen is through his pit stop in 9th place, and depends on the traffic. At the top Hamilton controlled more easily Happen.
Round 19 of 53: Vettel speeds up Alonso in the DRS Zone with open wings and an improvement on 12th place.
Round 18 of 53: Raikkonen opened the pit stop-dance, changes from the softest tyre, the Supersofts, the toughest, the medium.
Lap 17 of 53: Vettel gets Hulkenberg entrance of the Chicane before Start and finish.
Round of 16 of the 53: Leclerc defends itself against the attack from Vettel, the Ferrari driver now 14. Now Hulkenberg drives in front of Vettel.
Round 14 of 53: Vettel grabs with Stroller the next opponent, and the pursuit of his future team-mates, the Sauber driver Charles Leclerc.
Lap 13 of 53: At the top controlled Hamilton the race, the Briton has already more than two seconds ahead of his team-mate Bottas.
Lap 12 of 53: Vettel is again to catch up on – in the meantime, he has to place 16 improved.
Round 10 of 53: The first failure: Magnussen puts his Haas.
Round 9 of 53: Verstappen can drive and remains third ahead of Raikkonen, Hamilton burns the fastest lap of the race in the Asphalt.
Round 8 of 53: Vettel attacked Verstappen – Red-Bull-Pilot stays on his line and both collide. Vettel turns around and falls back to the penultimate place. The is bitter. Verstappen hits this time, not to blame – Vettel was just too optimistic.
Round 8 of 53: The flying restart there are no changes in Position: Hamilton stays ahead of Bottas, Verstappen, Vettel and Raikkonen.
Round 7 of 53: After this round comes the Safety Car again – and so is the race.
Round 6 of 53: Verstappen gets the Title from Raikkonen a Five-second penalty.
Round 5 of 53: the unfair maneuver by Magnusen against Leclerc is of the stewards ‘ examined.
Round 4 of 53: The race Director sends the Safety Car onto the track, so that the debris is safely recovered.
Round 3 of 53: Magnussen everywhere on the track debris distributed. The race stewards have announced that the collision between Verstappen and Raikkonen investigate.
Round 2 of 53: Leclerc is Magnussen into the rear rustled and the Haas-pilot in a rear tire slashed. Magnussen tries to drag himself with a puncture in the Box.
Round 1 of 53: Verstappen fell in the last Chicane before Start and finish of the track, comes back on the runway and collided with Raikkonen. Vettel uses, and pass slips of his teammates.
Round 1 of 53: Vettel grabs the next, goes to Haas-Pilot Grosjean over, and improved to 5th place.
Round 1 of 53: the START Hamilton wins the Start against team-mate Bottas. Behind Vettel makes it two positions, is already the Sixth.
07:13 p.m.: The pilots are back in their start boxes.
07:10 PM: The riders are going into the formation lap.
07:09 PM: a quick visit to the weather: The sun is shining, it is 30 degrees air temperature and the Asphalt is 40 degrees Celsius. The should also play Hamilton in the cards that starts on Soft tyres.
At 07:07: Vettel landed in the Qualifying round, only to place 9. By a penalty of Ocon, the Ferrari man moves in the Grid one Position to the front and starts from Box 8. The best Ferrari drivers in the starting grid, Kimi Raikkonen is in 4th place behind Red Bull Youngster Max Verstappen.
7:04 p.m.: championship leader Lewis Hamilton and his Mercedes Team have, however, in yesterday’s weather poker in Qualifying, once again, the better Job done. Therefore, Hamilton is today, to 80. Time in his career on the start space 1, next to him team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
7:02 p.m.: After the Disaster in yesterday’s Qualifying session for Sebastian Vettel today, probably not more than damage limitation. On the other hand, 50 points behind in the championship, the Ferrari Pilot needs a miracle in order to preserve his chances in the title fight.
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