Lewis Hamilton closes in on world title after cruising to Japanese Grand Prix win

Reporting from Suzuka, Graham Caygill witnesses Lewis Hamilton storm to victory in the Japanese Grand Prix as the world champion moves closer to retaining the title.

Lewis Hamilton celebrates atop his car after winning the Japanese Grand Prix. Toru Hanai / Reuters

SUZUKA, JAPAN // Lewis Hamilton reasserted his and Mercedes-GP’s authority in the 2015 Formula One season as he won the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Mercedes driver dominated the race and led throughout after taking the lead on the exit of Turn 2 on the opening lap from teammate Nico Rosberg to win his eighth race of the season and extend his lead in the drivers’ championship standings to 48 points with only five races remaining of the campaign.

The Briton had started second on the grid but a good getaway took him alongside pole-sitter Rosberg going into Turn 1.

Rosberg tried to go around the outside to maintain his lead, but Hamilton held his ground and kept the racing line, pushing his teammate wide onto the kerb.

Though no contact was visibly made, Rosberg lost momentum and dropped behind Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari and the Williams of Valtteri Bottas.

Though Rosberg would eventually get back into second place, overtaking Bottas at the chicane at Turn 17 on Lap 17 and then leapfrogging Vettel at the second round of pit stops, Hamilton was long gone, and he finished 18.9 seconds behind him.

As a consequence, Rosberg falls further behind Hamilton in the title race, and his hopes of preventing the world champion claiming a third crown are receding with a 48-point deficit and only a maximum 125 left to be won.

It was Mercedes’ eighth one-two finish of the season and puts them back on track after they had surprisingly struggled in Singapore last weekend where they were outpaced by both Ferrari and Red Bull Racing.

But they were firmly back in charge here, Hamilton consistently more than 0.5 secs quicker than Vettel, the winner in Singapore, in the opening laps.

Vettel and Ferrari teammate Kimi Raikkonen were third and fourth, with Bottas completing the top five.

Daniel Ricciardo’s Red Bull Racing car and Felipe Massa’s Williams had their races ruined by contact on the run down to Turn 1 at the start.

Both drivers suffered punctures and had to drive a full lap with deflated rubber flailing from their respective cars, and though both were able to continue, they eventually finished in 15th and 17th places.

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