Hamilton wins in Japan and is very close to his fourth F1 championship.

SUZUKA, Japan (Reuters) - Lewis Hamilton came very close to clinching his fourth Formula 1 world title on Sunday, winning the Japanese Grand Prix for Mercedes, while rival Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari suffered an engine problem and was forced to retire from the race.

British driver Hamilton, who started from pole position, crossed the finish line 1,2 seconds ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen, opening up a 59-point lead in the championship. Verstappen's teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, finished third.

Vettel, for his part, did not make it past the fourth lap, abandoning the race in the pits.

The German driver, who was already 34 points behind Hamilton before the race, suffered his third setback in as many races, and now his hopes rest on Hamilton suffering the same kind of bad luck in the final four races of the season.

“I could only dream of having an advantage like this,” Hamilton said in a podium interview with former F1 driver Takuma Sato, winner of this year’s Indianapolis 500.

“I wouldn’t say I have one hand (on the trophy),” he added later. “There are still 100 points up for grabs, so I’m going to keep my foot on the gas.”

This Sunday's victory was Hamilton's 61st career win and his third at the Suzuka circuit. The triumph came a day after the 32-year-old driver set a new track record on the 5,8km circuit during Saturday's qualifying session.

With his current lead over Vettel, Hamilton could secure the title as early as the next race, in Austin, Texas, on October 22nd.

Valtteri Bottas, who started sixth due to a gearbox penalty, fought to the end to finish fourth with his Mercedes. Fellow Finn Kimi Raikkonen, who also suffered a grid penalty related to a gearbox, was the sole Ferrari representative at the end of the race, finishing fifth.

Brazilian Felipe Massa, of Williams, dropped from 8th place where he started to 10th, completing the points zone.