'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Lewis Hamilton won the Japanese Grand Prix while his championship rival Sebastian Vettel could only finish in 6th place.
The result means Vettel now trails Hamilton by 67 points with just four races remaining.
A 5th world championship is just around the corner for the Briton.
Throughout most of the race, Hamilton looked pretty comfortable leading out at the front while his teammate Valtteri Bottas was defending from behind in 2nd.
Mercedes also has a bigger lead in the constructors with a gap of 78 points.
It was not an exciting race by any means but there were one or two performances that caught our eye when writing up this week's driver ratings.
So here is our driver ratings for the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix...
#10 Williams
Sergey Sirotkin - 16th
It was a typical weekend for the Williams team as both drivers finished in the bottom two and was, as expected, lapped.
Sergey Sirotkin's future in Formula One is in big doubt and he knows deep down performances like this will not win him a seat for next year.
At the same time, Williams cannot provide a competitive car as 2018 has shown to us.
Driver's rating: 2/10
Lance Stroll - 17th
Another race is done and dusted for Lance Stroll which can also mean a step closer to wearing the pink strip of Force India.
There is still no news on when the Canadian is expected to take over from Esteban Ocon.
But just like Sirotkin's car situation, Stroll cannot provide anything in such a poor racing car.
Driver's rating: 2/10
#9 Sauber
Charles Leclerc - DNF
A bad day for Charles Leclerc after receiving a DNF after finishing 6th the weekend before at the Russian Grand Prix.
Leclerc retired on lap 38 after a collision with Haas' Kevin Magnussen. The Dane went to pit to fix his puncture but no luck after the 8th lap while Leclerc had to accept retirement from the race.
Driver's rating: 1/10
Marcus Ericsson - 12th
It may not have been the result Marcus Ericsson wanted going into the weekend but at least he brought the car home for his team.
Ericsson suffered a collision in qualifying which saw him start the race from the back of the grid.
But the Swede was able to climb up the leaderboard to 12th place.
Driver's rating: 4/10
#8 Toro Rosso
Pierre Gasly - 11th
Saturday's qualifying showed what a promising race it could have been for Pierre Gasly and Brendon Hartley.
Both drivers were 6th and 7th fastest recording the team's best qualifying performance of 2018.
But even the young talent from the Frenchman struggled to keep up with the likes of Haas, Renault and the Force India's.
Driver's rating: 3/10
Brendon Hartley - 13th
Sunday was the perfect opportunity for Brendon Hartley to showcase to the bosses at Toro Rosso why they should keep him on board for next season.
Starting the race in 6th position, the New Zealander did not make the most out of the opportunity he had and went on to finish the race behind his teammate.
It just didn't go to plan.
Driver's rating: 3/10
#7 Force India
Sergio Perez - 7th
The new Force India team are doing what they do best and that is consistently grabbing points week in, week out.
Even though the partnership of Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon can be a rollercoaster from time to time, when they get their heads down they perform well for the team.
Perez started the race in 9th position and finished two places higher in 7th.
Driver's rating: 6/10
Esteban Ocon - 9th
An uncertain future for Esteban Ocon but he showed yet again what all these teams will be missing out on if not offered an F1 seat for next year.
The Frenchman doesn't even know how many races he has left at Force India with Lance Stroll looking to replace him.
But on Sunday, Ocon was professional once more out on the track and secured vital points for the team.
Driver's rating: 6/10
#6 McLaren
Fernando Alonso - 14th
Fernando Alonso's final appearance in Japan before he waves off his F1 career in November in Abu Dhabi.
The Spaniard certainly has a lot of supporters in Japan and would have wanted to have finished higher in Sunday's race instead of 14th place.
Going off the track during the race was no help.
Driver's rating: 4/10
Stoffel Vandoorne - 15th
Another disappointing race for Stoffel Vandoorne will not help his chances of getting a seat for next season.
Vandoorne is at the moment linked with Sauber but may only be his only option for 2019 after Leclerc was announced as Vettel's team mate at Ferrari.
The Belgian has only four races left to try and impress any potential employers for next year.
Driver's rating: 3/10
#5 Haas
Romain Grosjean - 8th
It is arguably Romain Grosjean's favourite circuit as once upon a time he finished runner-up in the 2013 edition in a Lotus.
Apart from Hamilton and Vettel before the race, Grosjean had led most laps in his F1 career so far.
But despite a good performance in qualifying, the Frenchman went down to 8th place.
Driver's rating: 5/10
Kevin Magnussen - DNF
A forgetful race for Kevin Magnussen after suffering an early retirement just 8 laps into the race.
On the straight Leclerc was attempting to overtake Magnussen.
Until the Dane moved across the Sauber causing damage to both cars which would, later on, see Leclerc retire on lap 38.
Driver's rating: 1/10
#4 Renault
Carlos Sainz Jnr - 10th
Renault's aim for the rest of the season is to just stay in 4th place in the constructors' championship as challenging the above teams of Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes is too much of an ask.
Carlos Sainz Jnr had a pretty quiet race in Suzuka but will be happy to get in the points after starting the race in 13th position.
Driver's rating: 5/10
Nico Hulkenberg - DNF
One of three drivers to not finish the race on Sunday, Nico Hulkenberg had a poor qualifying performance on Saturday and pretty much matched that with a DNF in Sunday's race.
Driver's rating: 1/10
#3 Red Bull
Max Verstappen - 3rd
It was another podium finish for Max Verstappen on Sunday and again standing next to the faces of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
At the beginning of the race, Verstappen collided with Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen but both resulted in just a racing incident.
Verstappen, however, kept it cool and secured another top 3 finish.
Driver's rating: 7/10
Daniel Ricciardo - 4th
What a weekend for Daniel Ricciardo!
The Australian had an up and down weekend from only being 15th fastest in Saturday's qualifying to finishing just outside the podium in 4th place.
Without doubt driver of the day here at Sportskeeda.
Ricciardo just reminding Renault who they have signed for 2019.
Driver's rating: 9/10
#2 Ferrari
Sebastian Vettel - 6th
Sebastian Vettel's 2018 championship bid is very much done and dusted for another season after another frustrating race.
The German is now 67 points behind Hamilton with four races remaining and has no control now.
Vettel was hoping to climb up the leaderboard during the race but a collision with Verstappen dented his chances and struggled to recover from that racing incident.
What now for Vettel?
Driver's rating: 6/10
Kimi Raikkonen - 5th
Kimi Raikkonen was not able to help Vettel out as the Fin was too far ahead of the German.
The 2007 world champion was hoping to at least finish where he started in 4th position but a well-planned pitstop from Red Bull put Ricciardo ahead of Raikkonen.
Just four races left in a Ferrari for the Iceman.
Driver's rating: 5/10
#1 Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton - 1st
Lewis Hamilton's five-year spell at Mercedes just shows why that decision to leave McLaren in 2012 was a wise one.
50 race wins later for the silver arrows and he is so close to a 5th world championship.
All that Hamilton has to do now is get another 1-2 Mercedes finish at the American Grand Prix and another world championship will be his.
What a time to be alive for Lewis Hamilton.
Driver's rating: 8/10
Valtteri Bottas - 2nd
Valtteri Bottas yet again showed good teamwork with Hamilton by defending the Briton's position.
Despite having to let Hamilton pass and win last week's race in Russia, Bottas looked to have forgotten about the week before and focused on bringing home the points for the team.
Bottas did have some pressure from Verstappen but defended very well until the end.
Driver's rating: 7/10
Do you agree with our driver ratings? Comment your thoughts below...
Follow Sportskeeda for the latest F1 News, Results, Standings, and Schedule
