- Mercedes team principal says they are only in a fight for second
- Russell seventh and Hamilton ninth on another tough weekend
The Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, has conceded Max Verstappen is already world champion elect, declaring the Red Bull driver cannot be caught this season after a third dominant win from four races.
Verstappen won from pole at the Japanese Grand Prix with a series of relentless, precision laps that ensured he was unchallenged at the front and took the flag more than 12 seconds clear of his Red Bull teammate, Sergio Pérez. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who was third, was 20 seconds behind the world champion. Verstappen has a 13-point lead over Pérez in the world championship.