After securing victory in the Japanese Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas is now the only driver that can stop his Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton securing a sixth world championship. 

The Finn pulled off a sensational getaway at Suzuka, leaping from third into a lead he would ultimately convert into victory – his third of the season.
This has been a fragmented campaign for Bottas. He led the championship after scoring two wins in four races to start the year. But thereafter struggled to match Hamilton, his title challenge slipping away for another year.

After victory in Japan, his hopes remain slim at best – he trails Hamilton by 64 points with only 104 remaining – and he knows he will need to be “very lucky” to overturn that deficit.

“Everything’s possible although I’m realistic as well that I will need to be very lucky, that’s a fact, to win all the rest of the races but I don’t really think about that much at this point,” said Bottas after winning in Japan.