Japanese F1 Grand Prix 2016 Results: Winner, Standings, Highlights and Reaction

James DudkoOct 8, 2016

Nico Rosberg won the 2016 Japanese Formula One Grand Prix after dominating the race from start to finish at the Suzuka circuit on Sunday.

Rosberg took full advantage of a nightmare start for Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who still finished on the podium after taking third, following a tough battle with runner-up, Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

It means Rosberg is now 33 points ahead in the championship standings with just four races left, per Formula One:

Recap

Hamilton was sluggish off the start line and soon absorbed into the main chasing pack. A potential damp patch caused by overnight rain on the right side of the grid may have contributed to Hamilton's rough beginning.

Sky Sports F1 relayed a snap of Hamilton's early struggles and what they meant for the Englishman:

However, Hamilton was never going to stay in the basement of the top 10 for long. In fact, he was soon pushing for a place back among the pack, as Channel 4 F1 showed:

The same source detailed exactly where Hamilton stood after the race entered the 20-plus lap mark:

As the grid showed, Red Bull's Verstappen was the driver attempting to put most pressure on Rosberg. It was proving difficult, but Verstappen and team-mate Daniel Ricciardo continued to push.

The pair had opted for a firmer choice of tyre on the slick circuit after a pit stop:

Those harder tyres helped Verstappen push his car and maintain his chase of the leader. The Formula One official site showed how dogged Verstappen's pursuit was:

Yet technical problems soon began to hamper Verstappen. Specifically, those hard tyres were starting to show some wear and tear:

By contrast, Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel opted for soft tyres. It was an aggressive move, one that helped keep the German in contention near the front.

Sticking with the soft tyre was also one way for Vettel to try to chase down Hamilton, after the Mercedes man had roared ahead as part of his comeback:

Yet for all his best efforts, Vettel couldn't reel Hamilton back in. So the main race behind Rosberg became a duel between Verstappen and Hamilton, as Rosberg maintained a lead of over five seconds headed into the final 10 laps.

The Verstappen and Hamilton personal battle became increasingly intense. Hamilton was willing to push his car, as he had little to lose after the rough start. Meanwhile, Verstappen drove a little more cagily, using his energy recovery resources to produce a spurt whenever he needed it and always stayed just in front.

Both drivers were clocking impressive speeds as the final five laps loomed large:

It was Verstappen who held the advantage inside those five laps, but it was a slender one. In fact, he had less than a second's edge over Hamilton. The latter stayed in the DRS zone readying one final attack on second, as Rosberg cruised serenely home to win.

Some fine defensive work from Verstappen closed the door on Hamilton, though. He waited for Hamilton to commit, before going straight ahead as the Mercedes man was forced wide.

A cute bit of under breaking caught Hamilton cold, and second place belonged to Verstappen, his eighth runner-up finish:

Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff had this to say about Verstappen's tactics late on, per BBC Sport's Andrew Benson:

As for Verstappen, he simply expressed his happiness at maintaining second spot:

Hamilton knows he blew a big opportunity with the poor start, but he vowed to continue pushing in the championship battle:

Still, even the most optimistic Hamilton fan knows it will be a tall order catching Rosberg now. The man of the moment paid respect to the track at Suzuka:

Rosberg's championship lead now looks close to unassailable after another ruthlessly efficient drive. Meanwhile, Hamilton continues to be frustrated, but 19-year-old Verstappen already looks like a rising star capable of eventually challenging Mercedes' dominance of the sport.