Toto Wolff admitted Mercedes faced a "50-50 call" when opting to pit Lewis Hamilton from the lead towards the end of the Japanese GP, but stressed that Valtteri Bottas would have won the race regardless of their decision. Bottas unexpectedly dominated the race despite Ferrari's front-row lockout, but it was Hamilton - who ran third for most of the afternoon - who found himself in front after Bottas followed Sebastian Vettel into the pits for a second time. Hamilton, after a lengthy first stint, had only pitted once when inheriting the lead on Lap 36, and, on his medium tyres, was putting in similar times to Bottas once he came back out on fresh softs. Bottas wins, Hamilton third,...
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