Sebastian Vettel's world championship hopes suffered another blow in the Japanese Grand Prix when he was forced to retire early on following a suspected engine problem. The German had qualified on the front row alongside title rival Lewis Hamilton, but there was panic on the grid when Ferrari rushed to check a problem with a spark plug. Although Vettel was able to take the start and ran second early on, it was clear that his car was not working properly as he slipped back from early leader Hamilton. Max Verstappen overtook Vettel for second at the hairpin on lap 1, while at the start of lap 2 – shortly before a safety car period was called – Vettel lost places to Esteban Ocon, Daniel...
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