Hamilton remembers Bianchi

Lewis Hamilton dedicated his Russian Grand Prix victory to Jules Bianchi as Mercedes’ celebrations at clinching their first Formula One constructors’ championship were tempered by thoughts of the man fighting for his life.

Hamilton took full advantage of Nico Rosberg’s latest mistake to become only the fourth driver in F1 history to win nine grands prix in a season, extending his title advantage over his team-mate to 17 points.

Rosberg had to settle for being runner-up for the ninth time this campaign, but it was achieved in remarkable fashion given his error on the run-up to the first braking zone at F1’s newest track, the Sochi Autodrom, at turn two.

Having slipstreamed Hamilton off the line, Rosberg pulled out and momentarily held the lead, only to out-brake himself and flatspot his tyres, causing a vibration which necessitated an immediate change of rubber.

Dropping to 20th after the stop, Rosberg then astonishingly ran for the remaining 52 laps on the one set of tyres to keep Hamilton in his sights in the championship standings.

It was Mercedes’ ninth one-two this season — one short of McLaren’s 1988 record — guaranteeing them the constructors’ crown, albeit an unsurprising success given their dominance throughout the course of this campaign.

For Hamilton, there was obvious delight, but, once the champagne-quaffing had ended, his thoughts were rightly elsewhere.

With Bianchi in a critical condition at the Mie General Medical Centre in Yokkaichi with brain injuries after crashing into a recovery vehicle at Suzuka, Hamilton opened his heart.

“All week there’s been just one person on my mind, and that’s Jules,” he said.

“There has been excitement and happiness for the team, but, without a doubt, every time I’ve got in the car this week, coming here, being here, I’ve been thinking about him and his family and keeping him in my prayers every day. Whether it means anything, or whether it does anything, it would be great to dedicate this to Jules and his family.”

For Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, there was natural elation as his team’s long wait for this day was finally over.

Following Brawn GP’s successes in 2009, Mercedes stepped in and bought the Brackley-based marque, but it has taken five long years and a sum of around €1.6billion to achieve the feat.

Nevertheless, Wolff, too, acknowledged the fact 25-year-old Bianchi was at the forefront of everybody’s thinking.

With glasses of champagne lined up behind him as he spoke, Wolff said: “It’s a good moment. It’s incredible.

“I have to pinch myself sometimes because we are now part of Mercedes-Benz history, and we’ve won the first constructors’ title ever, and I feel proud I’m part of the team.

“But we must not forget what happened last week. Even if the boys are happy and the boys are celebrating after all their hard work, we will not forget about Jules.

“A colleague, a very talented young driver I have known since from his very first days in Formula Renault and Formula 3, is fighting for his life.”

Hamilton was handed his winner’s trophy by Russian president Vladimir Putin, the driving force behind bringing the race to his country, and who arrived after 37 laps before seeing out the end with Bernie Ecclestone.

“It was very surreal to meet him,” said Hamilton, who met United States president Barack Obama earlier this year.

“It was very cool to be presented the trophy by the president.

“He’s one of the most powerful men in the world.”

The racing now takes a back seat for almost three weeks before the next event in the United States, allowing all within F1 to take a breather from what has been one of the sport’s toughest times for many years.