Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP celebrates after winning the Formula One Grand Prix of Russia at Sochi Autodrom.

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

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.

Mercedes secured the constructors' title for the second straight year after Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen was penalized for crashing into Valtteri Bottas' Williams on the last lap.

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.

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

Raikkonen's collision with Bottas elevated Perez to third. Raikkonen crossed the line in fifth with heavy damage but was then given a 30-second penalty that dropped him to eighth.

That gave Mercedes an unassailable 172-point lead over Ferrari in the constructors' championship.

Hamilton has 302 points, Vettel is second with 236 and Rosberg has 229. No other driver is in contention. With a maximum of 100 points still available, Hamilton could retain the title at the next race in the United States on October 25.

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