Nico Rosberg says winning his first Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka feels “really special” after dominating the race.
The German driver started from pole position and led the field into Turn 1, quickly establishing a comfortable gap to those behind.
From there he was able to control the pace and bring the car home in first place, winning his ninth race of the year and extending his championship lead over Lewis Hamilton to 33 points.
With Hamilton finishing third, it secured the constructors’ title for Mercedes – the team’s third consecutive championship win.
“What an awesome weekend,” Rosberg said. “It felt great right from when the lights went green on Friday.
“I got a good rhythm in practice, had a strong qualifying, a decent start and then from the lead I was able to control the pace in the race.
“I had to save my engine a bit as it was my last race in the cycle – but the gap was always safe. I came here to win in Japan and I managed to do so, which is really special.
“It's a fantastic feeling to win at this legendary race track. Massive congratulations to all of my colleagues here in Japan, back at Brackley and Brixworth, and the hundreds of thousands of Daimler employees out there for the third constructors' world championship.
“A huge thank you to every single person and to every partner who made this possible. They are really the best. They deserve it so much after the unbelievable effort over these past few years, so let's celebrate hard.”
