With Nico Rosberg winning the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix and Lewis Hamilton fighting back to third place, Mercedes finally got the constructors’ points they needed to reaffirm the fact that they have the best car on the grid for 2016. I’m shocked, I tell you. Shocked!
Additionally, Rosberg’s win today marked Mercedes’ 60th win in Formula One, per the BBC. The 2016 Constructors’ Championship is the marque’s third in a row.
Hamilton’s third place result was a hard-fought podium after he was slow off the line at the start of the race, dropping to eighth place right at the beginning. Hamilton lost out on pole position for the race by only 0.013 seconds to Rosberg in qualifying, so he had started from the front row.
So far, no conspiracy theories have been given for the borked start. “I just made a mistake,” Hamilton told the BBC.
Hamilton clawed his way back to third place through a combination of clever team strategy and solid passes, but Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was able to fend Hamilton off at the end. Meanwhile, Rosberg drove a thoroughly dominant race off of pole position. This was Rosberg’s ninth win of 2016.
This botched start and less-than-optimal result sets Hamilton 33 points behind his teammate Rosberg in the world drivers’ championship standings, according to the BBC. Only 100 more points are up for grabs over the next four races.
Congratulations, Mercedes, on finally winning the title that was pretty much an inevitability all season long. It’s a well-deserved win, as this is basically the award for building the most dominant car.