Nico Rosberg won the Japanese Grand Prix and extended his lead in the championship. The German driver is now inching closer to his first World Championship. Max Verstappen came home in second followed by Lewis Hamilton in third. Mercedes has wrapped up the constructors championship as well.
Rosberg led from pole position, as Hamilton bogged down and dropped to eighth off the startline. “Sorry guys,” he said on the radio.
Rosberg led Verstappen, Force India’s Sergio Perez (whose brakes smoked profusely on the grid), Ricciardo (delayed by swerving around Hamilton), Vettel (likewise), Nico Hulkenberg and Kimi Raikkonen. Vettel got ahead of Ricciardo into 130R on the opening lap to rise to fourth.
Rosberg eased away out front, leading by 1.2s on lap two as Vettel sliced past Perez into Turn 1 to grab third. Raikkonen overtook Hulkenberg into Turn 1 at the start of lap six for sixth place. Hamilton followed suit past Hulkenberg a lap later at Turn 1, having had a near miss with him through 130R seconds earlier.
Raikkonen had a big moment through the Degners on lap eight in his pursuit of Ricciardo, but held sixth ahead of Hamilton. Verstappen admitted he was “starting to struggle with the left-rear” on lap 10 and pitted a lap later, with Ricciardo coming in seconds later – both Red Bulls switching to the hard tyres.
Rosberg led by 7.3s over Vettel, Perez and Raikkonen, the majority of the leaders pitting for hards on lap 13.Ricciardo, who had run wide at Spoon, and Perez jumped ahead of Raikkonen during the first stops by undercutting him.
Raikkonen repassed Perez – as they both passed Jolyon Palmer’s Renault – just as Hamilton rejoined ahead of them. Hamilton then picked off Ricciardo on the exit of Spoon, and later passed the long-running Williams of Valtteri Bottas to leap to fourth.
Ricciardo passed late-stopping Felipe Massa’s Williams at Spoon for sixth, with Raikkonen doing likewise at Turn 1 at lap later.Ricciardo passed Bottas for fifth around the outside of Turn 1 on lap 17, with Perez mirroring his move seconds later on Massa. The Mexican also found his way past Bottas on lap 19.
Rosberg set a new fastest lap to lead Verstappen by 4s at this point, with Vettel another 3s back. Hamilton was 12 further in arrears in a solid fourth.Hulkenberg pulled a great move on Bottas around the outside of the Casio Triangle chicane on lap 21 to put both Williams behind the Force Indias. “See you later,” he said over the radio.
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