Tokyo: Lewis Hamilton will be looking to restore normal service and prove that he can win in his own right when the Japanese Grand Prix gets underway Sunday morning at Suzuka after being gifted a controversial victory by Mercedes in Russia last weekend.
Hamilton was allowed to claim his 70th career win when Valtteri Bottas was ordered to move over in Sochi — with the World Champion describing it as ‘the strangest day’ of his career.
But the runaway Formula One (F1) championship leader appears to have complicated that task by refusing to rule out leaving Mercedes when his current contract expires in 2020.
However, Hamilton’s eighth win of the season and third in a row left the Silver Arrows red-faced and sparked fresh debate over team orders with many F1 fans taking to social media to vent their anger.
Despite the criticism, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff insisted he had no regrets about issuing the instruction to let Hamilton pass. “I’d rather be the baddie today than the idiot at the end of the year,” he said. “Rationally it was the right call.”
Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel’s hopes of a dramatic turnaround look increasingly forlorn after finishing third behind the two Mercedes in Russia.
But Vettel, who began the season with back-to-back victories, also knows he needs a huge slice of luck to stand any chance of halting Hamilton’s charge to the title.
