Bottas winner, Mercedes wins the constructors title

(Suzuka) Valtteri Bottas had a blistering start to third place on the starting grid on Sunday, winning the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Japan and awarding a sixth consecutive Constructors Championship to Mercedes.

Posted on October 13, 2019 at 9:22 am

Jim Armstrong
Associated Press

Bottas took the lead only a few meters after starting on the Suzuka circuit, surprising Ferrari drivers Sebastian Vettel, who was starting from pole, and Charles Leclerc.

Bottas, who was looking for his third victory of the season and his first since the one signed in Azerbaijan in April, opted for a perfectly synchronized two-stop well strategy that allowed him to overtake Vettel by 11,376 seconds, while the leader at The drivers' championship, Lewis Hamilton, completed the podium.

Quebec driver Lance Stroll, who started from 12^e position, finished 11^e, two rows behind his teammate Sergio Perez.

While Bottas was blithely heading for victory during the final laps, a fierce battle was going on behind him for the second position between Vettel and Hamilton.

Hamilton tried to surprise the German in the last two laps, but he was never able to complete the maneuver. However, Mercedes won a sixth consecutive Constructors' Championship after Bottas and Hamilton were on the podium.

Vettel had started from the top position, but he had a bad start. The marshals investigated to determine if Vettel had left before the lights went out, but eventually cleared it.

In addition, a clash between Leclerc and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen in turn 2 sent the Dutchman in a spin, before forcing him to give up.

This was Bottas 'first career win in Japan, and she narrowed the gap in the Hamilton-Hamilton Drivers' Championship to 64 points, with four races to negotiate.

The organizers canceled the qualifying session on Saturday because of the typhoon Hagibis. Vettel dominated his team-mate Leclerc in the qualifying session on Sunday morning to give Ferrari the monopoly on the front row.

The qualifying session was also moved to Sunday morning in Suzuka due to poor weather conditions in 2004 and 2010.

Red Bull rider Alexander Albon, who impressed since his promotion to Toro Rossi in August, ended up at the foot of the podium, while McLaren rider Carlos Sainz finished fifth, ahead of Leclerc.