by Our Sports Desk

Lewis Hamilton took a huge step toward retaining his Formula One title by winning the Russian Grand Prix yesterday as his main rival Nico Rosberg failed to finish.

And Kimi Raikkonen’s 30-second penalty for his collision with Valtteri Bottas clinched the Constructors’ Championship for Mercedes.

Hamilton started second behind Rosberg and took over the lead from his Mercedes teammate when Rosberg experienced a throttle problem that forced him to slow to a crawl and then come into the pits to retire.

Hamilton then cruised to victory by 5.9 seconds over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, with Sergio Perez third for Force India, 17 seconds further behind.

Hamilton’s 42nd career win took him past the mark set by his boyhood hero Ayrton Senna and the defending champion said he had taken the time to enjoy his drive to victory.

“I was really taking it in, just looking at the car,” Hamilton said. “I don’t know how many times I’ll be in that position again, so really cherishing the moment and feeling really blessed. I love driving this car and I love where we are at the moment.”

With four races to go, Hamilton leads Vettel by 66 points and Rosberg by 73.

Hamilton expressed sympathy for Rosberg, saying he had also been hindered by a problem with the rear of the car. “We are struggling” with reliability, Hamilton said. “Nico’s been incredibly unfortunate to suffer the worst.”

Vettel was forced into a prolonged battle with his Ferrari teammate Raikkonen early on, eventually passing the Finn in a tight move up the inside.

“I think we both enjoyed it. Obviously, I came out in front, so I enjoyed it a little bit more than him,” Vettel said. “He was giving me just enough room to survive, so it was a good battle.”

Mercedes had not managed to secure the constructors’ title but Raikkonen’s penalty for the last-lap collision with Bottas’s Williams demoted the Ferrari driver to eighth and handed them the points needed for their second title in a row.

Bottas and Raikkonen both passed Perez for third and fourth place respectively, before Raikkonen attempted a poorly judged move on the inside to take third from Bottas, spinning the Williams driver into the wall.

Perez’s third place was the best finish this year for Force India, while Raikkonen limped home in fifth behind the second Williams of Felipe Massa.

“I’m going through a great moment in my career,” Perez said. “I was confident going into the race (but) obviously not expecting a podium at all.”

Hamilton has 302 points, Vettel is second with 236 and Rosberg has 229, meaning the British driver could retain the title at the next race in the United States on October 25.