Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff says there is still a lot of racing to go in the title fight between his two drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.
Rosberg’s victory at the Japanese Grand Prix increased his lead over Hamilton to 33 points with four rounds left to go.
Hamilton recovered from a poor start to finish third, but the double podium helped Mercedes claim the constructors’ crown.
The drivers’ title is now only between Rosberg and Hamilton. Wolff says a big swing in the points is still possible and the two drivers will be free to battle cleanly.
“So much was decided at the start. Nico got a perfect start, while Lewis suffered on the right-hand side with the damp line but also got a bad getaway.
“We know that our clutch is tricky to manage and we have not given the drivers the easiest system to use this year. Our first indications suggest that the clutch release was the problem – but we will look into all the data before reaching a definitive conclusion.
“After that moment, Nico put in a perfect drive. He managed the gaps, controlled the race and took a really well-deserved win.
“For Lewis, it was fight-back time and he did that just as well as we know he can. Helped by a great strategy, on a circuit where it's tough to pass, he came back from P8 to P3 in a great drive.
“It was a fantastic way to win the championship, with two cars on the podium. And now, it's finally mathematically between only our two boys.
“The gap in the championship is now 33 points and we will let them battle it out in a clean race to the end. If this season has shown one thing, it's that anything can happen and big swings are possible. There are 100 points still to be scored and a lot of racing still to go.”
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