Lewis Hamilton moved to the brink of a fifth World Championship with a lights-to-flag Japanese Grand Prix victory.
Mercedes’ Hamilton was dominant as title rival Sebastian Vettel ran into trouble attempting to gain ground from eighth place on the grid.
Vettel span to the back after colliding with Max Verstappen when trying a move for third place at the difficult Spoon Curve – but recovered to finish sixth.
The result means Ferrari’s Vettel is 67 points behind Hamilton.
The Briton will win the title at the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, in two weeks’ time if Mercedes finish one-two for the third successive race.
It was a soporific race at the front, Hamilton so in control on his way to his sixth win in seven races that he at one point asked his team if they were still there, so little did they need to talk to him.
But behind him, there was action aplenty, much of it focused on Vettel.
The German knew he had to make up ground quickly if he was to have any hope of stopping Hamilton’s apparently unstoppable march to the title which, for a long time, looked as if it could be the Ferrari driver’s. Read more