F1 Russian GP, 30 September 2018

1. LC. Hamilton       2. V. Bottas       3. S. Vettel

Mercedes would have been stupid to let Valtteri Bottas beat Lewis Hamilton.
Sochi          [30 September 2018]

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Team orders are an unfortunate part of Formula One, but Mercedes' use of them at the Russian Grand Prix was entirely justified.

Even Sebastian Vettel -- the driver who arguably lost more from the decision than Valtteri Bottas -- said as much after being dealt another hammer blow to his chances of a fifth world championship.

Once Lewis Hamilton had forced his way back into second position after a thrilling fight with Vettel, barring any unforeseen drama Mercedes looked certain to leave Sochi with 43 points regardless of which order its cars finished. The choice the team had was simple: whether Hamilton left with 18 (a gain of three points) or 25 (a gain of seven points). Mercedes chose the latter.

 

MotoGP Aragón, 23 September 2018

1. M. Márquez       2. A. Dovizioso       3. A. Iannone

Three factories star as Márquez seals magical MotorLand win.
Aragón, 23 September 2018

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Honda leads Ducati and Suzuki as the Championship leader takes home win ahead of Dovizioso and Iannone in a classic Aragón contest.

Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda Team) continued to assert his authority on the 2018 MotoGP™ World Championship after emerging victorious in a ferocious race-long fight with second place Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team), with Andrea Iannone (Team Suzuki Ecstar) earning the Hamamatsu factory’s first Aragón rostrum as pole man Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) dramatically crashed out at Turn 1 on the opening lap.

Lap 21 saw Márquez make the race-defining move at Turn 5, and the reigning World Champion held firm until the checkered flag to take a third straight win in Aragón, equaling Mike Hailwood’s win tally of 41 for Honda in the process. Dovi settled for second to equal Casey Stoner’s Grand Prix podium count, with Iannone earning his third podium of the year.
  
 

F1 Singapore GP, 16 September 2018

1. LC. Hamilton       2. M. Verstappen       3. S. Vettel

Hamilton beats Verstappen, Vettel in Singapore.
Marina Bay          [16 September 2018]

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Lewis Hamilton extended his lead in the championship to 40 points over Sebastian Vettel after converting pole position into victory at the Singapore Grand Prix.

The result represents a hammer blow for Vettel's title hopes as the Ferrari driver could only manage third place behind Red Bull's Max Verstappen in second. Vettel had gone into the Singapore weekend desperate for victory after winning just one of the last four races compared to Hamilton's three, but a poor qualifying performance on Saturday and a botched strategy on Sunday saw him lose another 10 points to his title rival.

Vettel had moved ahead of Verstappen for second place at the start of the race, but Ferrari dealt him a lousy hand by switching him to the ultra-soft compound tyre instead of the more resilient soft at his on and only pit stop on lap 13. Hamilton pitted a lap later and Mercedes opted to counter Ferrari's strategy by switching the race leader to softs -- the safer and more stable tyre to use for such a long stint to the chequered flag.

 

MotoGP San Marino, 9 September 2018

1. A. Dovizioso       2. M. Márquez       3. C. Crutchlow

Master craftsman: Dovizioso plays it to perfection at Misano.
Misano, 9 September 2018

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The Italian makes it three in a row for Ducati and three Italian winners on race day with his first Misano win.

Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) took an expertly-crafted victory in the Gran Premio Octo di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini, picking his way into the lead and unleashing incredible pace to secure only the second ever win for Ducati at the venue. His win also makes it three in a row for the Borgo Panigale factory, having won at Brno and teammate Jorge Lorenzo following that up with victory in Austria.

Lorenzo was the man on the chase at Misano, too, but there was late drama as the five-time World Champion slid out on the penultimate lap after dueling Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda Team). Márquez took second at the flag, with Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda) putting in an impressive ride to take third and come home as top Independent Team rider.

 
  

F1 Italian GP, 2 September 2018

1. LC. Hamilton       2. K. Räikkonen       3. V. Bottas

Hamilton beats Kimi to Monza win after Vettel clash.  
Monza          [2 September 2018]

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Lewis Hamilton beat Kimi Räikkonen to victory at an enthralling Italian Grand Prix despite making contact with title rival Sebastian Vettel on the opening lap of the race.

The win, which included a bold overtake on Raikkonen for the lead on lap 45, sees Hamilton take a 32-point lead over Vettel in the standings with seven races remaining. Räikkonen had to settle for second -- a disappointing result for the local Tifosi after the strength of Ferrari's performance over the weekend -- after taking his first pole position of 2018 on Saturday.

Max Verstappen finished third on the road but was demoted to fifth at the finish for an over-zealous defence against Valtteri Bottas on lap 43. The Red Bull driver was given a five-second penalty for colliding with Bottas in the braking zone at Turn 1 as the Mercedes looked to go around the outside and Verstappen cut him off. Not only did the penalty drop Verstappen behind Bottas, it also saw him slip behind Vettel, who recovered from his first corner collision with Hamilton to take fourth.