SUZUKA, Japan – Valtteri Bottas took the lead on the initial start to take control of Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka Int’l Racing Course and never looked back.
Third-starting Bottas drove past the front row Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc going into turn one. Once in front, Bottas managed the race perfectly to earn the sixth victory of his Formula One career.
Behind Bottas on lap one, Max Verstappen managed to get by Leclerc into turn one. Unfortunately for Verstappen, Leclerc couldn’t get slowed down and the two made contact. Both would continue on, but Verstappen would eventually retire his car on lap 15 as a result of the damage.
Meanwhile, Bottas was the man in control as he pulled away from runner-up Vettel, who found himself engaged in a battle with championship leader Lewis Hamilton for second.
Vettel was the first of the leaders to pit on lap 16, opting for the faster soft tires instead of the more durable medium tires. Bottas pitted one lap later for medium tires and retained the lead, with Hamilton staying out a few additional laps before pitting on lap 21.
All three men would have to pit one more time, with Vettel stopping first on lap 31. Bottas was on pit road again on lap 36, with Hamilton stopping on lap 42.
Bottas proved to have the best car of the day, easily winning the Japanese Grand Prix for his third victory of the season while Vettel and Hamilton scrapped for second behind him.
The victory by Bottas and the third-place effort by Hamilton was enough for Mercedes to clinch it’s sixth-straight constructors’ title. With Hamilton likely to deliver another driver championship, Mercedes will become the first team in history to win the constructors and driver championships six-straight seasons.
“Six double championships – every single team member at the race track and in the factories can be incredibly proud of this achievement,” Bottas said. “A big thank you to all of you. I think we don’t quite realize yet what an amazing achievement this is, but we’re making history in this sport. We’ve had a really good season so far and managed to make the most of our opportunities, especially in the beginning of the season.
“It’s amazing to think that we’ve just done something that’s never been done before – what a great day for all of us. I had an excellent start today, one of the best ones in my career, and managed to take the lead in the very beginning. We expected our car to be quick in the race, but it’s really tricky to overtake on this track, so we knew that we’d have to try and take the lead at the start and I’m very glad it all worked out. I really enjoyed the race afterwards; the car felt really good and our upgrades worked well. Suzuka has always been my favourite track even though I’ve never been particularly strong here – but now I like this track even more. It’s been a while since my last victory, I missed that winning feeling and I’m very happy and proud to have won the race that secured us the Constructors’ Championship.”
Vettel, who took medium tires on his final stop, found himself having to hold off a charging Hamilton, who took on used soft tires in his second stop. Try as he might, Hamilton wasn’t able to budge Vettel and ended up settling for third.
Alexander Albon earned the best finish of his career, delivering a fourth-place result for Red Bull. Carlos Sainz Jr. finished a strong fifth for McLaren.
Charles Leclerc crossed the line in sixth after his first-lap incident, but the stewards penalized him post-race. The first penalty was for the opening-lap incident with Verstappen, which earned him an additional five seconds on his race time.
The second penalty, worth 10 seconds, was issued deeming Leclerc and Ferrari had operated Leclerc’s race car in unsafe conditions following the contact with Verstappen.
As a result of the time penalties, Leclerc was demoted to seventh after the checkered flag. Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo was given sixth as a result.
Pierre Gasly, Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg completed the top-10.
The drama wasn’t done though, as after the race Racing Point filed an official protest against Renault. Racing Point alleged that Renault breached the Sporting and Technical Regulations and the FIA International Sporting Code by utilizing a pre-set lap distance-dependent brake bias adjustment system.
Officials confiscated the electronic control units and the steering wheels used by Renault drivers Ricciardo and Hulkenberg for inspection, with any penalties set to be announced later.