Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain kneels beside his car after winning the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan. (AP)
SUZUKA, Japan — Championship leader Lewis Hamilton won the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, taking a major step toward winning his fourth Formula One title.
The Mercedes driver crossed the finish line 1.2 seconds ahead of Malaysia GP winner Max Verstappen to claim his eighth F1 victory of the season and third at the Suzuka circuit. Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo was third.
“The track was fantastic today and the team did an unbelievable job,” Hamilton said. “Max drove an outstanding race. Obviously, it wasn’t easy for us.”
Hamilton moved 59 points clear of title rival Sebastian Vettel with four races left. Vettel was forced to retire on the third lap when his Ferrari lost power.
Starting from pole position next to Vettel, Hamilton held the lead through the first turn.
With Vettel out of the race, it quickly became a showdown between Hamilton and Max Verstappen. Hamilton built up a four-second lead over the Red
Bull driver through the first 15 laps and made his only pit stop on the 23rd lap.
Verstappen pitted a lap earlier than Hamilton, then produced some good laps to cut the lead to 1.7 seconds midway through the race.
Verstappen closed to within a second at the start of the final lap but traffic allowed Hamilton to escape once more and seal the narrow win.
“I was able to hold him behind me but he got very close,” Hamilton said. “We had a bit of traffic but it was very close at the end.”
Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas was fourth followed by Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.