First victory at Suzuka for Hamilton

In 2007, Lewis Hamilton had won the Japanese Grand Prix under the downpours of the Fuji track. This season, the Briton won the Japanese Grand Prix in the rain at Suzuka, an event interrupted prematurely following the serious accident of Frenchman Jules Bianchi in the 42nd round. A victory obtained at the end of a clear race, despite a scare at the first corner on the 27th lap.

"I don't really know what to say, Hamilton indicated at a press conference. But again, it's been a great weekend with the car. Qualifying obviously wasn't perfect for me, but overall the car was absolutely fantastic in the race and once I passed Nico I was able to really manage the gap. Obviously the race didn't end the way we hoped it would, but truly, my prayers are with Bianchi and his family. »

The Briton also believed that despite the identical set-ups on the two single-seaters Mercedes, that the difference in performance seen at the end of the race came from adjustments made during the event. “Maybe he took a bit of the fin off. » declares the 2008 World Champion who now has a 10-point lead in the World Championship standings.

Find the report of the Japanese Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents on site in Suzuka, in issue 1981 of AUTOhebdo, available from tomorrow evening in digital version, and on newsstands from next Wednesday.