SUZUKA, Japan — After the hiccup last weekend of the Singapore Grand Prix, when the Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel made a rare visit atop the victory podium and a Mercedes driver did not, Formula One returned to normal Sunday at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton of the Mercedes team leaped from second on the grid to immediately surge past his teammate, Nico Rosberg, and take a lead that he would not relinquish, scoring his eighth victory of the season and 41st of his career.
“It definitely was important for us to strike back,” said Hamilton.