Japanese Grand Prix 2019
Despite a powerful storm ravaging Japan, the Japanese Grand Prix pushed through as planned. The sun was shining in Sukuza as qualifying — which was postponed — and the actual race took place within just hours of one another.
Ferrari seemed on course to bounce back from their disastrous collapse in Russia as Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc snagged the first row of the grid.
But the Scuderia would squander that terrific situation — not to mention the money of those who wagered on their Japanese Grand Prix 2019 betting odds — as Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas swooped in to secure the win.
As a result of Bottas’ win and Hamilton’s third-place finish, the Silver Arrows secured yet another constructors’ championship. And with just four races left, the world championship is still Hamilton’s to lose.
Highlights of the game
For the fifth race running, it was a Ferrari who claimed pole in qualifying. This time, though, it was Vettel who finally got one over on his team-mate Leclerc, who had won the previous four pole positions. Meanwhile, the two Mercedes drivers in Bottas and Lewis Hamilton were right behind in row 2.
And there were Japanese Grand Prix 2019 highlights right as the lights went out. After a dreadful start from Vettel, Bottas immediately took advantage to take over the lead. Leclerc had an even worse start than his team-mate as he incurred wing damage following a collision with Max Verstappen, who spun off after qualifying in fifth.
Leclerc tried to stay on the track for as long as he could despite damage to his car, but he eventually went into the pits on lap 4 and had to work his way back up the order. Meanwhile, Verstappen didn’t last too long as he had to retire on lap 15 due to damage to his car.
It was a tough blow for Verstappen, who was clearly not at fault for the collision which ultimately cost him the race. It was later revealed that the incident would be reviewed after the race.
With Bottas building a commanding seven-second lead, Vettel entered the pits on lap 17 for a new set of tyres. But Bottas made his stop the following lap and put on the mediums. That left Hamilton in the lead for a few laps before the Briton also dove into the pits on lap 22.
But after Hamilton’s stop, Bottas went back on top and firmly established command of the race. He had built up a 10-plus second lead over Vettel and didn’t look like he was going to be challenged.
Vettel made another pit stop on lap 32, which saw Bottas’ lead increase even more. Meanwhile, his team-mate Leclerc worked his way back up to sixth, which is where he would eventually finish.
Bottas reentered in the lead after another pit stop and had a 10.5-second advantage over Vettel with less than 10 laps to go.
While Bottas was long gone, Vettel still had to worry about the other Mercedes as Hamilton was breathing down his neck in search of second. But the defending world champion ran out of time and tyres to overtake the Ferrari as he had to settle for third.
As for his Silver Arrows team-mate, Bottas took the chequered flag to continue Mercedes’ remarkable dominance in Suzuka — and F1 as a whole.
Key statistics
With Bottas’ win, Mercedes have now been victorious in the Japanese Grand Prix for six years running. Moreover, they’ve also clinched the constructors’ championship for the sixth year running, which equals the record held by Ferrari, who won from 1999-2004.
This is Bottas’s sixth career victory, his third this season and his first win at the Japanese Grand Prix. His championship hopes are still alive, but only just. He still trails team-mate Hamilton by 64 points and is the only one who is capable of catching up to the Brit, which seems highly unlikely at this point.
Hamilton, who won the title in Mexico last year, will once again clinch if he is at least 78 points in front of Bottas after the race.
What’s next?
The Formula 1 season moves on its fourth-to-the-last race, the Mexican Grand Prix on Oct. 27. Max Verstappen will be eager to bounce back from his disappointing outing in Suzuka at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The Red Bull driver is the two-time defending champion at the track.
But even with Verstappen’s recent success, the Mercedes and the Ferrari drivers will still likely be favoured in Mexico. Either way, check out the SBOBET odds for that race once they are available.
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