Lewis Hamilton moved to within striking range of a record-equalling seventh world championship after winning the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
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.
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.
Hamilton's Mercedes team also wrapped up their seventh consecutive constructors' championship here in the greatest period of dominance by one team the sport has ever seen.
Additional reporting by Press Association.
