Heavy rains in Japan meant the race at Suzuka would be shortened, like what happened last weekend in Singapore. But the shortened race had some exciting battles, the best among them for P4 between Esteban Ocon and Lewis Hamilton.

Fans had a lot of expectations for the race in Japan, with Max Verstappen on the verge of a title victory. Unfortunately, heavy showers meant only a substantially shortened race would be possible.

With just 28 laps out of the 53, the race still managed to throw some terrific battles. Sergio Perez battled for P2 with Charles Leclerc, while Esteban Ocon battled with Lewis Hamilton for P4.

Commentators placed their bets on the Briton early on as David Croft said “7 World Championships between Esteban Ocon and Lewis Hamilton, all of which of course are Lewis Hamilton’s.” Little did they know.

Ocon drove beautifully for the majority of the 28 laps to defend his position. Lewis couldn’t make one move to get ahead of the Frenchman, as Ocon used all his driving skills to block Lewis.

Speaking after the race, Ocon said, “Some attack from Lewis Hamilton! Yeah he’s been pressuring me every corner. I was looking in the back and looking ahead, but I enjoyed the race.”

“I just spoke to him and we said we had more fun than any other driver here because the whole race we were battling.”

Read More: Lewis Hamilton Circles Back to Childhood Hobby at Suzuka as F1 Fans Fawn Over 37 Year Old: “Makes Me Deeply Happy”

It was truly a battle to watch. Entertainment for the fans, exciting for the drivers. It gave fans, saddened by the shortened race, something to cheer about.

Social media absolutely loved the Esteban Ocon and Lewis Hamilton contest

On a Sunday when the race was under the clock and race winner Verstappen won by a gap of 27.066 seconds, the Ocon-Hamilton battle was the true winner.

Here’s what fans had to say about the enthralling combat.

For Lewis and Mercedes, the season has been a disappointment. Their lack of straight-line speed was clearly visible against Ocon, and that’s something they would be working on for next season.