Lewis Hamilton has called his 59-point gap to Sebastian Vettel a ‘dream’ after winning the Japanese Grand Prix as the Ferrari driver failed to score for the second time in three races.
On the grid, Vettel’s Ferrari was being inspected for a suspected spark plug issue which showed itself almost immediately on the opening lap which allowed Hamilton to lead and control the race.
After showing a severe lack of speed on track, Ferrari reluctantly decided to call the four-time world champion into the pits on lap three to retire the car.
Hamilton did complain about possible vibrations coming from his W08 in the latter stages of the race, but caused no problems with his pace.
“Honestly, I could only have dreamed of having this kind of gap,” Hamilton said on the podium. “The Ferraris have put on such a great challenge all year long but I have to put it down to my team.
“They’ve done a phenomenal job, reliability has been on point. They’re just so meticulous and that’s really why we’re having the reliability and results we’re having.”
The Briton did face stiff opposition from Max Verstappen throughout the race and never allowed the champion-elect to feel comfortable at any point throughout the 53 laps.
In the final laps after the second virtual safety car ended, the Dutchman closed in on Hamilton with rapid pace but could not get close enough to make the critical pass.
The Briton added: “Max drove an outstanding race and honestly it wasn’t an easy one for us at all,” said Hamilton on the podium.
“The Red Bulls just seem to be rapid in the race trim. Obviously we’re quick in qualifying but it got very close at the end with the VSC and the restart. The tyres were cold and had a bit of traffic and he caught right up, so it was very close.”
Hamilton can win the world title at the next race in Austin should he win and Vettel fail to finish in the top five.
