F1
Jake Michaels, ESPN Senior Writer 5y

Japanese GP stats: Lewis Hamilton brings up 50th win for Mercedes

Formula 1

ESPN takes a look at some of the best and quirkiest stats to come out of the Japanese Grand Prix.

SUZUKA, Japan -- Lewis Hamilton put one hand on the drivers' championship after dominating the Japanese Grand Prix as Sebastian Vettel was left to rue another error-riddled outing.

From misjudging the weather conditions in qualifying to clattering into the side of Max Verstappen, it was a weekend to forget for Vettel and Ferrari, one that has seen him slip 67 points adrift in the race for the world championship.

Stat focus: Hamilton's half century at Mercedes

Another race, another milestone for Hamilton. His win at the Japanese Grand Prix was his 50th for Mercedes, a staggering achievement given he hasn't yet completed six full seasons with the team. 

Hamilton joined Mercedes at the beginning of the 2013 season and his 50th win comes in what is his 115th race for them. That gives him a remarkable win rate of 43.48 percent during his tenure at the Silver Arrows.

Only Michael Schumacher has won more races for the same team. The seven-time world champion claimed 72 wins for Ferrari between 1996 and 2006.

It's certainly an impressive feat by Hamilton but one that looks even better when you consider just the V6 turbo era. Since the beginning of 2014, Hamilton has won 49 times, or 51 percent of races, and reached the podium 80 percent of the time.

Some things you probably didn't know

Max Verstappen's first six races in 2018 were bad. The Red Bull driver was accident prone and threw away points in just about every event in the first two months. However, after a horror Monaco Grand Prix, Verstappen has been one of the grid's most consistent performers. In the last 11 races he has finished on the podium six times, out-qualified teammate Daniel Ricciardo in all of them and out-scored him 138-74.

Interestingly, since June's French Grand Prix, Verstappen has only scored 20 points less (123-143) than championship protagonist Vettel. Not bad at all considering his mechanical retirements in Hungary and Great Britain as well as the fact he's been in a significantly slower car for the entirety of the season.

Fast facts:

1-2 × 2 - Mercedes' back-to-back one-two finishes is the first they have achieved the feat since 2016.

+8 - Hamilton's championship lead after 17 rounds is eight points greater than what it was in 2017

16,652 - Only Michael Schumacher has completed more laps in Formula One than Fernando Alonso.

Grosjean - has led more laps (26) than any current driver, other than Hamilton and Vettel, at Suzuka.

P6 - Brendon Hartley's career-best qualifying performance came in Japan.

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