F1 driver Lewis Hamilton’s champagne spraying antics hit Putin this time

Mercedes driver, Lewis Hamilton has insisted that he “still a long way to go” in the Formula 1 title race despite moving to the brink of triumph with victory in Russian Federation.

“It would need something beyond a miracle for Lewis Hamilton not to win the world championship now”, he writes.

With Sebastian Vettel taking second in Sochi the Ferrari driver is second to Hamilton, ahead of Rosberg but still 66 points back.

“I was excited because Nico and I were quite close together at the beginning”.

“I know we’ll be working as hard as we can to rectify it and hope that in these next races we don’t have a problem, but of course it is a concern for us”.

Behind the German, Sergio Perez benefitted from Raikkonen and Bottas’s tangle to score his – and Force India’s – first rostrum since last year’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

Asked about the investigation prior to the verdict, which arrived two hours after Hamilton’s win, Wolff replied: “Whether we win it with a penalty or not I don’t care”.

On the podium Hamilton – now sporting a traditional Russian hat – gushed: “I am very proud and happy”. I was trying to take my leg off the pedal but then the knee would come up and I couldn’t steer any more. I didn’t see anyone there, I was in front, and then suddenly someone hits me.

One man in little mood for celebration however was Rosberg after his dreams of catching Hamilton all but ended when he retired on lap seven with a throttle issue. It’s a unique job because everybody is in with their heart so much.

If the cards fall in his favor, Hamilton can clinch the 2015 title at the next race, in the United States on October25.

Rosberg had led up off the grid until a safety vehiclewas deployed following a coming together between Nico Hulkenberg and Marcus Ericsson at the start. After 32 laps on used Option supersofts, Hamilton pitted from the lead to switch to the Prime tires for the final 21 laps. It was an eventful race for a few, perhaps most notably Romain Grosjean, who fell victim to a massive solo crash just twelve laps into the race.

Raikkonen, overtaken by the other Williams of Felipe Massa for fourth, managed to drag his vehiclewith sparks flying from its underside over the line in fifth place, but the Finn’s tangle with Bottas unsurprisingly caught the eye of the stewards. “It shows how sport this cruel can be: he had a brilliant weekend and opening lap, and I can only take my hat off to him about how he handled the situation, both in the autotrying to find a solution – and afterwards in his professionalism”.