F1: Japanese Grand Prix - 5 talking points

#3 Lewis Hamilton feeling the pressure

Hamilton is running out of people to blame

A disappointing engine failure had robbed Hamilton an inevitable victory in the Malaysian GP. At Suzuka, he got beaten by his teammate for the pole position. An error-free start and fight for the victory were expected from the current World Champion.

For an umpteenth time this season, Hamilton flunked his race start. As a result of a slow start, he dropped to the 8^th position leading into the first corner.

From the 8^th position on the grid, he drove sensibly and patiently to earn a podium finish.

For the large part of the race, Lewis had to battle with Kimi and Daniel rather than his teammate. A barrage of slower cars too blocked his way. Lewis overtook where he could and gained positions on pit stops to overcome the challenge.

To take the fight to the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP, he just can’t afford to make any more mistakes.