F1: The 5 drivers who improved their form at the 2018 Japanese GP

In clinching a pretty straightforward win, Lewis Hamilton, now the only contender for the 2018 title extended his lead over Sebastian Vettel to 65 points by winning the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix. That leaves us with a couple of questions.

Firstly, wasn't another Lewis win quite expected when he clinched his eightieth career pole, finally winning his seventy-first Grand Prix?

Secondly, how does that make Sebastian feel?

One wonders if clocking the fastest lap at the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix, going flat out at 1:32:318 would provide any consolation whatsoever to Sebastian Vettel, who drove a race playing catch-up?

Having begun ninth, then moving onto fourth, benefitting from the near-collision between Max and Kimi, Vettel, who failed in mounting a desperate move over the Red Bull driver spiralled out of control, falling down to eighteenth at the start of Lap 5.

That said, in what was an easy win for Lewis, given his dominant show at Suzuka, who were the most improved drivers who made impressive inroads at Japan when one considers their past form in 2016 and 2017 runs?

#5 Valtteri Bottas

F1 Grand Prix of Japan, where Bottas had no team orders

In 2017, Bottas, who had begun from second, could only manage a fourth, being challenged fantastically by the Red Bulls of Max and Dan-Ric.

In 2016, Bottas could only manage a tenth in his Williams-Mercedes.

This year, everyone's favourite subject of troll on social media collected an impressive second and his haters might rue the fact that he didn't have to bow down to team orders. In defending brilliantly from Max, who in the last two laps came as close as coming under six-tenths of Bottas' Merc, the Finn grasped his second place as if it were his from the beginning. Guess what, it was, eventually.

#4 Daniel Ricciardo

Ricciardo was elected the driver of the day for displaying a heroic drive at the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix.

His heart must surely have sunk when he wasn't able to set any time in the rain-hit, massively-wet qualifying on Saturday that saw him begin from fifteenth.

But displaying the quintessential Aussie-grit, Ricciardo bounced back and collected a fourth, making impressive moves over the Toro Rosso', Renault's and going ahead of Kimi Raikkonen.

In 2017, Ricciardo managed another P4, which he improved from a lacklustre 2016 Japanese Grand Prix.

Well done, Dan!

#3 Romain Grosjean

F1 Grand Prix of Japan - Practice — F1 Grand Prix of Japan - Grosjean was dogged despite his eighth

Haas driver Grosjean was impressive the whole weekend at Suzuka. For starters, he began his Japanese challenge from fifth, stacking his car behind the Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen.

But over the course of the race, even as he failed to withstand the mounting pressure of the superior pieces of machinery like the Red Bulls, he hung in there and didn't manage to fall outside of tenth.

In eventually finishing the 53-lap contest on eighth, he fought valiantly with Ocon for seventh a place that his compatriot held on brilliantly to and in so doing, collected his best result at Suzuka, having bagged an eleventh in 2016.

#2 Carlos Sainz Jr.

F1 Grand Prix of Japan - Qualifying — F1 Grand Prix of Japan - where Sainz was quick

When Renault's Carlos Sainz Jr. made a bold move in the ending stages over the Toro Rosso of Pierre Gasly, he reiterated why he's so highly rated.

In bagging a fighting tenth, and thus earning the only points for his Renault, at the wake of Hulkenberg's retirement due to a mechanical dysfunction, the Spaniard gained his best-ever finish at Japan starting 2016.

Back in 2016, he finished fifteenth in his Toro Rosso, before retiring in the event the following year due to an accident in 2017.

#1 Kimi Raikkonen

At a track where the Iceman enjoys the track record, having clinched arguably his best-ever race win, back in 2005, the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix was a bit sedate by Kimi's usual fast standards.

Yet, he managed to bring his Ferrari home in fifth, thus collecting 10 vital points, that seem highly savoury at a time where nothing's going right for the team in their battle with the Silver Arrows.

In so doing, even as Raikkonen dropped down to a place, having secured fourth in qualifying, he maintained a consistency of run- so to speak- at Suzuka where previously he garnered a fifth in both 2016 and 2017 runs.

Edited by Kishan Prasad