Japanese Grand Prix
Hamilton badly needs Suzuka hat-trick
Formula One supremo Lewis Hamilton is optimistic ‘good things will come’
SUZUKA — Lewis Hamilton will have to dig deep to overcome the heartbreak of Malaysia as he heads into Sunday’s Formula One Japanese Grand Prix needing a third straight win at the Suzuka circuit to revive his flagging title prospects.The triple world champion’s hopes of claiming a fourth title were dealt a heavy blow on Sunday at the Sepang circuit when he was forced to retire with a blown engine while holding a comfortable lead with 16 laps remaining.That allowed Australian Daniel Ricciardo to score his first win of the year ahead of Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen in the team’s first one-two finish since the 2013 Brazilian Grand Prix.Had Hamilton won, scoring a landmark 50th career victory, he would have vaulted back to the top of the overall standings ahead of Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg.Instead, he heads to Japan needing to bridge a 23-point gap to the German, who finished third in Malaysia after being spun around and dropped to the back of the field by Ferrari’s Sebastian Ve...
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