Lewis Hamilton can smell a fourth title after his Japanese Grand Prix win
Suzuka — Lewis Hamilton was within reach of his fourth Formula One title on Sunday after winning the Japanese Grand Prix for Mercedes, while Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel suffered engine problems and failed to finish. The Briton, who started from pole position, crossed the line 1.2sec ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (with Daniel Ricciardo third) to move 59 points clear at the top of the overall standings. Vettel made it no further than the fourth lap before retiring. Already 34 points behind Hamilton before the start, the setback was the third in as many races for the German, whose hopes now rest on Hamilton suffering similar misfortune to that of Vettel in the past four Grands Prix. "I could only have dreamed of having this kind of gap," said Hamilton, interviewed by Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato. "I wouldn’t say that I have one hand on it [the title]. There’s still 100 points available so I’m still going to keep the pedal to the metal." Sunday’s win was the 61st of Hamilton’...
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