Grand Prix of Japan: Bottas wins in Suzuka, Ferrari mistakes donate Mercedes Constructors World Cup

Valtteri Bottas has won the Japanese Grand Prix. In Suzuka, the Finn prevailed before Sebastian Vettel in Ferrari. World Champion Lewis Hamilton completed the podium in third place. Vettel's team-mate Charles Leclerc was only sixth. This Mercedes is no longer the Constructors World Cup to take, also the drivers standings Hamilton and Bottas from among themselves.

Vettel started from the pole position. That had only been decided a few hours before the start: For the fifth time in Formula 1 history, qualifying had to take place on the same day as the race, for the third time this happened in Japan. The reason for the tight schedule was the typhoon "Hagibis", which had made a qualifying race on Saturday impossible.

Already in the first corner, Ferrari had to relinquish the lead to the Mercedes: Vettel braked shortly after a supposed false start and finally drove off with a delay. Bottas passed by, Hamilton sorted himself directly behind the German. Leclerc, who started in second position, suffered a damage to the front wing in a collision with Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, so he had to pit after four laps for repair. Also Verstappen, who had strayed from the track, lost a few places and had to put his damaged car in the pit in the 15th round.

Hamilton's second stop decides the race

The further the soft tires wore out, the harder it was for Vettel to follow the pace of the Silver Arrows: Bottas took a comfortable seat and Hamilton closed the gap to Germany after an initial gap. With an early tire change in lap 17 and a two-stop strategy, Ferrari tried to increase the pressure on the Silver Arrows. Mercedes responded promptly: In the 18th Round Bottas changed to the medium tires and secured his lead. In the 21st round, Hamilton came to the pits - for the British, his team seemed to have a one-stop strategy.

However, this was done after 43 of 53 laps: On the radio Hamilton had made his crew understand that his tires would not last until the end. Previously, Vettel (32nd round) and Bottas (36th round) had raised fresh tires. Lying in the lead, Hamilton drove into the pits once more, falling back to third place. With the fresh set of tires, he launched a final attack on Vettel, but could not overtake the Germans.