Formula 1 sporting boss Ro♔ss Brawn believes Lewis Hamilton’s victory at the Singapore Grand Prix marked an “important step” in this year’s title race.

Having claimed polౠe position thanks to a brilliant lap in qualifying, Hamilton went on to record his seventh victory of 2018 under the lights in Singapore, despite Mercedes’ pre-race fears of a tricky weekend at a circuit it struggled for pace at last year.

The win enabled Hamilton to open up a 40-point advantage over chief title rival Sebast�ꦯ�ian Vettel in the championship standings, as the Briton followed up on his previous triumph on Ferrari’s home soil at Monza.

“The result and the gaps at the front don’t really tell the story of just how untouchable Lewis was and he produced a masterclass in extracting the most out the package at his dis🐷posal, pushing when he had to and managing the tyres where possible,” Brawn said.

“The win is an important step, if not yet the decisive♎ one, in his duel with Sebastian Vettel. It’s also proof that Mercedes, the dominant force of this hybrid era, is still working to improve in areas where it has maybe lost some ground in recent times.

“When you are aဣt the top, there’s no room for complacency, a mantra that Mercedes and its champion drivers continue to follow with 𝔍aplomb.”

While Brawn reckons Ferrari and Vettel can still overhaul Mercedes with ꦬsix races left to go, he stressed the Scuderia must act quickly to find answers 𓂃for its lack of performance in Singapore.

“While Mercedes l🍎eave Singapore in high spirits, Ferrari must be somewha🍎t concerned by their form at Marina Bay, and in recent weeks,” Brawn explained.

“After the summer break, the Italian team was dominant, winning in Spa and getting both cars on the front row in Monza. However, since then, the🏅 spell has been broken.

“At its home race, the defeat could be put down to v⛄arious incidents, but in Singapore, both Mercedes and Red Bull were bet🍬ter.

“The men in red admitted they made the most of what was ava𒈔ilable to them and they need to work out why as soon as possible,” he added.

“The gap in both championships is not yet🔴 insurmountable, 🦋but it is significant, especially against a strong rival in the habit of winning.

“Ferrari can count on a car that has always been competitive and on drivers who know how to fight for a title, but now they need to turn things around, starting in ♕Sochi.”