Lewis Hamilton celebrates Emilia Romagna GP win by drinking champagne from his shoe with Daniel Ricciardo as Mercedes driver closes in on Michael Schumacher record

Lewis Hamilton toasted Mercedes' record seventh consecutive constructors' championship by drinking champagne from his racing boot, with Renault's Daniel Ricciardo joining in on the celebrations.

Hamilton moved in touching distance of a record-equalling seventh world championship with victory in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

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Hamilton dropped to third at the start but adopted a different strategy to Valtteri Bottas and Red Bull's Max Verstappen, delivering a number of dazzling laps on older rubber to assume control of the race.

It was a one-two for Mercedes with Bottas second, as they sealed a record seventh consecutive constructors' championship which marks the greatest period of dominance by one team the sport has ever seen.

Hamilton stopped 11 laps later than Bottas - and with the slight assistance of a Virtual Safety Car, deployed after Esteban Ocon broke down in his Renault - the world champion comfortably emerged in the lead.

Bottas, hampered by early damage to the floor of his Mercedes, took second, 5.6 seconds behind Hamilton, with Renault's
Daniel Ricciardo third.

Verstappen crashed out from second following a right-rear puncture.

Verstappen's retirement led to a safety car with a dozen laps to go but Hamilton kept his cool at the restart and can now match Michael Schumacher's all-time tally of world titles by winning in Istanbul on November 15. He is 85 points clear of Bottas with just 104 remaining.

"It was an exhausting race,"; said Hamilton. "It is just very overwhelming right now."

Commenting on the team's latest constructors' triumph, he added: "I look at the crew who are the unsung heroes. It always feels like the first for this team. No team has ever done this before.

"It is unbelievable and to come back year on year, whilst we have great performance, it is not easy to deliver. It is something to tell the grandchildren one day."