Third title beckons for Hamilton

SOCHI, RUSSIA — Lewis Hamilton took full advantage of his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg's mechanical misfortunes to seize a commanding victory in Sunday's Russian Grand Prix and take a massive step towards a third world title.

The defending world champion started second on the grid, inherited the lead when Rosberg slowed and then retired, after seven laps, with throttle pedal problems and claimed his ninth win of the season.

With this 42nd career win he passed his boyhood hero Ayrton Senna's tally in the record books.

And crucially it lifted the Briton up to 302 points in the world championship, with Sebastian Vettel, who took second in his Ferrari, now on 236 points, 66 adrift, with Rosberg now 73 points behind on 229.

If the cards fall in his favour Hamilton can clinch the 2015 title in the next race in the United States on October 25 -he needs to beat Vettel by nine points and Rosberg by two.

"I honestly did not know that, but I am just going to take it race by race and concentrate on that," he said.

"I don't take what we have for granted, but it's a special moment for me to surpass Ayrton."

Mercedes sealed back-to-back constructors' titles with four races to go after Ferrari's fifth-placed Kimi Raikkonen was demoted to eighth for a last lap collision.

Despite his ill luck Rosberg refused to concede the drivers' title.

"Formula One is pretty incredible sometimes, how tough it is," he said.

"I am never going to win a championship like that when normal things break on a day when I should have won the race, but I will come back, as I always do."

In a race with two safety car interventions, several accidents and a series of retirements, Carlos Sainz who had crashed heavily in his Toro Rosso on Saturday, was passed fit to start from the back of the grid, rose to 10th and retired after spinning off in the closing laps.

An opening lap multicar collision caused the first safety car.

The second came after 12 laps when Romain Grosjean crashed heavily in his Lotus and climbed out of the wreckage unhurt.

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team's British driver Lewis Hamilton celebrates with his trophy after winning the Russian Formula One Grand Prix at the Sochi Autodrom circuit.