four races remaining Hamilton has no chance of matching his best ever single-season podium tally (17, achieved in 2015 and 2016), but he has every chance of equalling or bettering his best win tally of 11.

The Mercedes driver’s point streak meanwhile is up to 21 races - the best run of his career, and also tied for fourth-best all-time with Sebastian Vettel’s run from 2014/2015. If Hamilton finishes the remaining four races in the points he’ll go into next year just two shy of Kimi Raikkonen’s 27-race record, which ended at Hungary in 2013.

Hamilton now leads Vettel by 59 points in the drivers’ standings following the German’s second non-score in three races. Worse news for the Ferrari man was that he was given a reprimand for missing the national anthem presentation, meaning that with one already on his record (for crossing the pit exit line in Monaco) he’s now just one driving reprimand away from a 10-place grid drop.

In other penalty news, Fernando Alonso was handed his first reprimand and first penalty points of the season for ignoring blue flags. He and team mate Stoffel Vandoorne both finished outside the top ten at Suzuka, meaning the three-year McLaren-Honda partnership will end without the Japanese manufacturer collecting any points on home soil.

On a more positive note, Haas got both cars home in the points for just the second time this year after Monaco. The American team, who didn’t achieve the feat at all in their debut year, are now just nine points behind Toro Rosso in the battle for sixth in the constructors’ championship.