Lewis Hamilton grasped his chance, as he always does, with both hands at Suzuka. He had done all the preparation, putting his Mercedes on pole and with Sebastian Vettel out on lap four, he converted it to maximise the damage. The championship is within his grasp but for neutrals this outcome feels like a shame, after a season that had promised to go to the last race. However, Ferrari’s team principal, Maurizio Arrivabene, is not giving up. “We will fight until the last race. The last lap. The last turn,” he said. But in truth, short of a two-race failure for Hamilton, his fourth title is all but in the bag. The promise for 2018, however, looks better than ever. Ferrari appear to have the quicker car and now must make it reliable, Red Bull are almost on a par in race-pace and a three-way fight is on. Perhaps next year it will go to the last bend.
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