Sebastian Vettel makes it fantastic-five in Suzuka
Sebastian Vettel has stormed to his fifth race victory in succession, after a fantastic drive from the Red Bull ace during the 53-lap Japanese Grand Prix. Despite a minor altercation with Lewis Hamilton at the start, the German managed to deny both team-mate Mark Webber and the Lotus of Romain Grosjean the luxury of victory.
At the start Mark Webber defended heavily to his Red Bull team-mate, as Lewis Hamilton tried his hardest to thread his way through the two Red Bulls. Unfortunately for the Briton this endeavor failed horribly, as he collided with Sebastian Vettel and sustained a right-rear puncture. This saw the former Champion plummet through the order, as Romain Grosjean enjoyed a masterful start in his Lotus and flew into the lead at Turns 1 and 2. Further back carnage ensued between Giedo van der Garde and Jules Bianchi, who came together and speared into the retaining tyre wall in a cloud of dust.
Despite the heavy impact into the tyre wall for Giedo van der Garde, the safety car was not deployed as the ever-efficient Suzuka marshals began clearing the stricken vehicles. Meanwhile Lewis Hamilton limped miserably back to the pits for a change of tyres, despite further damage to the floor of his Mercedes. By Lap 6 Romain Grosjean had managed to open up a small lead to the Red Bull duo, with Sebastian Vettel lounging around a distant 3rd after the start. Further down the order Kimi Raikkonen surged up into 10th position around the McLaren of Jenson Button, as Jean-Eric Vergne became one of the first drivers to make a scheduled pit-stop in his Toro Rosso.
After a torrid start to the race for Lewis Hamilton, the Briton failed to improve after his pit-stop. Due to damage sustained to the floor of his Mercedes, the German marque elected to retire him on Lap 6. The brought to a conclusion a brief and highly frustrating race for the 2008 World Champion, as further pit-stops ensued for the likes of Jenson Button, Valtteri Bottas and Adrian Sutil. The sole Mercedes of Nico Rosberg ran extensively wide at Turn 1 as the race progressed, which in turn allowed the Ferrari duo of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso to close the gap to the German. Nico Hulkenberg and Paul di Resta became the next two drivers to pit on Lap 10, as Fernando Alonso struggled to find a way around his Ferrari team-mate of Felipe Massa.
On Lap 11 Mark Webber elected to pit for Red Bull, along with Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen. This allowed Sebastian Vettel to rise up into 2nd position, with Romain Grosjean still impressing many out in the lead of the race for Lotus. However, the Frenchman soon stormed into the pits a lap later along with Nico Rosberg and Sergio Perez. This saw Sebastian Vettel ominously take the lead of the race, as Mercedes’ race failed to improve when they unsafely released Nico Rosberg into the path of Sergio Perez.
This incident in the pit-lane instantly saw the race stewards elect to investigate the issue, before Nico Rosberg was eventually struck with a drive-thru penalty. Fernando Alonso became the next driver to pit for Ferrari, as Mark Webber instantly produced the fastest lap of the race in his Red Bull on fresh tyres. After staying out for several more laps, Sebastian Vettel eventually pitted. This allowed Romain Grosjean to resume his lead of the race, as the reigning World Champion rejoined the action back in 3rd position behind the Frenchman and his Red Bull team-mate.
Once again Daniel Ricciardo had elected to carry out a different strategy from those in front of him, by being one of only two drivers to start the race on the hard tyre compound along with the Caterham of Charles Pic. By Lap 18, the Australian ace had still not pitted for his first tyre stop, and was therefore creating an exciting train of cars from 4th down to to 9th. This battle included the Ferrari duo of Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, as well as the Sauber of Nico Hulkenberg and Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen. Eventually the Sauber ace managed to muscle his way around the future Red Bull star, as Felipe Massa and Esteban Gutierrez banged wheels through Turn 11 in what was becoming a hard fought battle within the midfield.
Daniel Ricciardo finally elected to make his first scheduled stop on Lap 21, as fellow countryman Esteban Gutierrez and Sergio Perez became locked in a grueling battle for 8th position. Several laps later Mark Webber returned to the pits in his Red Bull, as Sebastian Vettel locked up heavily into the final chicane. Further down the order the usual freneticism ensued, as Daniel Ricciardo ran perilously wide at the daunting 130R after trying to overtake Paul di Resta around the outside. Although the Australian ace managed to make the move stick, he was soon under investigation by the race stewards for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. As expected the Toro Rosso driver was struck with a drive-thru penalty, as Romain Grosjean pitted from the lead of the race on Lap 29.
This allowed Sebastian Vettel to once again rise up into the lead of the race, as Felipe Massa became the latest driver to incur the wrath of the race stewards for speeding in the pit-lane. This saw the Brazilian driver struck with a drive-thru penalty, after initially enjoying a highly competitive start for the Scuderia. As the race unfolded it became apparent that both Romain Grosjean and Sebastian Vettel were on two-stop strategies, whereas Mark Webber would have to pit for a third and final time during the closing laps. With the Australian driver’s competitive pace, he would have to pass both Romain Grosjean and Sebastian Vettel if he had any hopes of securing his first victory of the season.
Sebastian Vettel made his second and last pit-stop on Lap 37, rejoining the action only just behind the Lotus of Romain Grosjean in 3rd. The German wasted no time in catching the Lotus ace, and perfected a masterful overtaking maneuver several laps later into Turn 1. Mark Webber made his final stop on Lap 42, allowing Sebastian Vettel to quickly return to the lead. The Australian driver made his intentions perfectly clear during his stop, switching to the medium tyre compound in a bid to catch and overtake the leading duo ahead of him.
However, the task at hand proved to be trickier than expected for the 37-year-old. As expected he soon managed to catch up to the rear of Romain Grosjean’s Lotus, however a combination of excellent defensive driving from the Frenchman and the E21’s superlative speed prevented Mark Webber from instantly storming into 2nd position. As Sebastian Vettel causally led at the front, Mark Webber was forced to wait several more laps before eventually muscling his way around Romain Grosjean.
As the closing laps of the race ticked away, Sergio Perez and Nico Rosberg suffered minor contact at the final chicane. This forced the Mexican to dive into the pits with a left-rear puncture, in what was becoming a frustrating afternoon for both Mercedes and McLaren. Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, managed to overtake Nico Hulkenberg for 4th in the closing stages, as Sauber once again enjoyed a tremendously competitive race. Nico Hulkenberg eventually came home 6th after being overtaken by Kimi Raikkonen shortly after Fernando Alonso, with Esteban Gutierrez a jubilant 7th to secure his maiden points in Formula 1.
Out in front though it was a familiar sight as Sebastian Vettel crossed the line to secure his fifth straight victory after Belgium, Italy, Singapore and Korea. The Red Bull ace was followed home by team-mate Mark Webber, who made it a Red Bull 1-2 with Romain Grosjean a promising 3rd for Lotus. With Fernando Alonso finishing a relatively competitive 4th, the Sebastian Vettel will have to wait until India to clinch the Championship. The German has won every Formula 1 event around the Buddh International Circuit, and will unquestionably be the favourite to secure his sixth successive victory in several weeks time.
PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS The Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka, Japan; 53 laps; 307.471km; Weather: Dry. Classified: Pos Driver Team Time 1. Sebatian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h37.410s 2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault +7.1s 3. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault +9.9s 4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari +45.6s 5. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault +47.3s 6. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari +51.6s 7. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari +1m11.6s 8. Nico Rosberg Mercedes +1m12.0s 9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes +1m20.8s 10. Felipe Massa Ferrari +1m29.2s 11. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes +1m38.5s 12. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1 lap 13. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1 lap 14. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes +1 lap 15. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes +1 lap 16. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault +1 lap 17. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault +1 lap 18. Charlies Pic Caterham-Renault +1 lap 19. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth +1 lap Fastest lap: Mark Webber, 1m34.587s Not classified/retirements: Driver Team On lap Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 9 Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 0 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 0
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Mark Webber pips Sebastian Vettel to pole at Suzuka
Mark Webber has managed to secure his first pole of the season after a frenetic and highly entertaining qualifying hour around the legendary Suzuka circuit, ahead of tomorrow’s 53-lap Japanese Grand Prix. The Australian ace will start the race alongside team-mate Sebastian Vettel, with Lewis Hamilton 3rd.
The all-important qualifying session began in glorious weather conditions above the circuit, as Esteban Gutierrez became the first driver to take to the track at the start of the opening qualifying segment. The Mexican rookie proceeded to produce the first timed lap with a 01:33.547, before further improving his time at the top as several more drivers gradually left the confines of the pits to begin their qualifying runs. Kimi Raikkonen soon ended the Sauber driver’s reign with a 01:32.841, as the times at the top began to tumble.
As Jenson Button produced a highly competitive 01:32.606 to storm to the top for McLaren, a brief fire erupted in the Sauber garage on Esteban Gutierrez’s car. The blaze was almost instantly quelled, however the Mexican rookie wasted no time in leaping from his machine. Despite the issue, Gutierrez managed to eventually return to the track to continue with his qualifying session. Meanwhile out on the circuit Fernando Alonso rose to the top for Ferrari with an impressive 01:32.371, before Lewis Hamilton then pipped his former McLaren team-mate with an even quicker 01:32.340.
Mark Webber then stormed to the top for Red Bull as the opening segment neared it’s conclusion, before a brief red flag delay was caused when Jean-Eric Vergne’s rear brakes spontaneously burst into flames at Turn 11. The Frenchman immediately came to a halt on the circuit and leaped from his burning Toro Rosso, as the ever-efficient Suzuka marshals put out the blaze. Once the flames had been extinguished the session was resumed, with Nico Rosberg leading out a long queue of awaiting drivers who were all naturally eager to produce one more timed lap.
As the checkered flag emerged Nico Rosberg shot to the top with a 01:32.244, before Romain Grosjean disposed of the German with a 01:31.824. Further down the order Felipe Massa only just managed to progress into the next segment, as Adrian Sutil and Jean-Eric Vergne joined Max Chilton, Charles Pic, Giedo van der Garde and Jules Bianchi in elimination from proceedings.
The Force India of Paul di Resta became the first driver to take to the track as the second segment of qualifying got underway, with the Scotsman eager to enjoy a competitive weekend after enduring five consecutive retirements. Although he was able to produce the initial benchmark with a 01:33.059, Nico Hulkenberg and then Kimi Raikkonen instantly managed to better his time with the latter producing a 01:32.020. Lewis Hamilton momentarily rose to the top for Mercedes with a 01:31.852, before the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso disposed of the 2008 World Champion with an even quicker 01:31.828.
During the closing minutes of the second segment, Sebastian Vettel fully asserted his authority over proceedings with a scintillating 01:31.290 as team-mate Mark Webber slotted into 2nd position. The Red Bulls had finally shown their hand, as the usual freneticism ensued further down the order. Felipe Massa once again waited until the final seconds to leap out of the drop zone, with the Brazilian ace managing to produce the fastest final sector time in the process. Ultimately Sergio Perez was joined by Paul Di Resta, Valtteri Bottas, Esteban Gutierrez, Pastor Maldonado and Daniel Ricciardo in being eliminated from proceedings in what remains to be a highly competitive midfield section.
After two highly entertaining segments, the all-important top ten shootout was poised to enthrall the amassing spectators as the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Romain Grosjean continued to strive to dispose of the Red Bull duo. As soon as the final segment began, reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel elected to take to the track first ahead of team-mate Mark Webber and Fernando Alonso. During the German’s first timed lap his race engineer informed him that KERS was momentarily offline, with the mechanical gremlins which plagued the team during morning practice looking to have resurfaced at a pivotal moment in the weekend.
Regardless of the lack of KERS, Sebastian Vettel still managed to produce a 01:31.312 as the initial benchmark. However, it was not enough to fend off team-mate Mark Webber, who immediately thwarted the German with an even quicker 01:30.975. In traditional fashion the drivers returned to the pits after their first runs, as Red Bull quickly set upon correcting Vettel’s frustrating KERS issue. With only minutes remaining in the session the German’s mechanics were successful in fixing the KERS issue, however the 26-year-old was still unable to beat his team-mate’s benchmark. In the meantime Mark Webber crossed the line to improve once again, this time with a 01:30.915.
Further down the order Lewis Hamilton managed to slot into 3rd position behind the Red Bull duo, and will start tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix alongside the Lotus of Romain Grosjean. Felipe Massa once again managed to out-qualify Fernando Alonso at Ferrari, with the Spaniard only managing a disappointing 8th. Should the former Champion finish any lower than 8th during tomorrow’s race, all Sebastian Vettel will be required to do is win the race to clinch his fourth successive Drivers’ Crown. However, the legendary Suzuka circuit is a tough beast to tame, which should provide us with an enthralling 53-lap race.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap 1. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m30.915s 2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m31.089s +0.174s 3. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m31.253s +0.338s 4. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m31.365s +0.450s 5. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m31.378s +0.463s 6. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m31.397s +0.482s 7. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m31.644s +0.729s 8. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m31.665s +0.750s 9. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m31.684s +0.769s 10. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m31.827s +0.912s Q2 cut-off time: 1m31.848s Gap ** 11. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m31.989s +0.699s 12. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m31.992s +0.702s 13. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m32.013s +0.723s 14. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m32.063s +0.773s 15. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m32.093s +0.803s 16. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m32.485s +1.195s Q1 cut-off time: 1m32.875s Gap * 17. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m32.890s +1.066s 18. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m33.357s +1.533s 19. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m34.320s +2.496s 20. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m34.556s +2.732s 21. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m34.879s +3.055s 22. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1m34.958s +3.134s 107% time: 1m38.251s
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Webber fastest in final practice as Vettel suffers KERS issue at Japan
Mark Webber has ended the third and final practice session fastest ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, after team-mate and reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel suffered from a KERS issue. The German driver failed to complete a qualifying simulation run, as Webber ended the session ahead of the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
After two incident-filled practice sessions on the Friday, the Formula 1 teams and drivers returned to the Suzuka circuit for the third and final practice session in a bid to finalize their preparations ahead of the all-important qualifying hour. Once again the iconic circuit was dry despite the threat of rain, with slight cloud cover in comparison to yesterday’s glorious sunshine. After heavy incidents during the opening day of the weekend both Sergio Perez and Jules Bianchi entered the session with extensive rebuilds, with the Mexican driver sporting a return to an older chassis.
Esteban Gutierrez was quick to become the first driver to take to the track when the session got underway, and was soon followed out by the likes of Jules Bianchi and Pastor Maldonado, both of whom were understandably eager to make up for lost time after their separate incidents on the Friday. Many drivers elected to complete installation laps during the opening minutes of the session, however the Lotus duo of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean continued to produce the opening timed laps of the session. The 2007 World Champion managed to set the initial benchmark with a 01:40.877, before team-mate Romain Grosjean thwarted him with an even quicker 01:36.187 despite cutting the final chicane.
The Lotus duo continued to trade fastest laps at the front during the opening minutes of the session, with Romain Grosjean eventually working his way down to a 01:33.232 despite making yet another mistake through the final chicane and running slightly wide. Max Chilton became the next driver to make a slight mistake through the final chicane, as more drivers gradually began taking to the track to begin their preparations ahead of the qualifying hour. Mark Webber soon rose to the top to bring an end to Romain Grosjean’s reign, with the Australian ace producing a 01:32.722.
As the final practice session the Japanese Grand Prix weekend continued, Nico Hulkenberg was forced to return to the pits with the German complaining of a potentially broken exhaust. The saw the Sauber mechanics begin work on the car to ascertain the issue, as Pastor Maldonado ran extensively wide at Turn 11 and off onto the grass. The Venezuelan driver managed to continue circulating despite his minor error, as Sebastian Vettel returned to the pits with a KERS failure on his RB9.
Meanwhile Romain Grosjean returned to the top for Lotus with a 01:32.707, with the Frenchman clearly improving with each passing minute behind the wheel of his Renault-powered machine. Whilst Lotus continued to take the fight to Red Bull at the top of the timing sheets, Lewis Hamilton ran slightly wide on the exit of Turn 9. This saw the Briton kick up excessive amounts of dirt, and quickly return to the pits for a floor inspection. Minor errors ensued as the session wore on up and down the paddock, as Romain Grosjean ran extensively wide at Turn 1 but was luckily able to avoid the barriers due to the tarmac run-off area.
Adrian Sutil’s qualifying preparations took a blow during the latter stages of the session, as the German lost control of the rear of his Force India on the exit of Turn 14 and spun into the retaining tyre barrier. The incident ripped off the front-wing of the Force India, and lightly damaged the rear-suspension. The stricken machine was efficiently retrieved by the Japanese marshals, as Adrian Sutil observed from the sidelines.
As the final practice session entered its final minutes, many drivers up and down the paddock began switching their attention to qualifying simulations on Pirelli’s P Zero medium tyre compound, with the Lotus duo of Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean becoming the first to do so. Whilst the track action intensified during the final few minutes, Sebastian Vettel’s session was brought to a premature conclusion as the German’s KERS issues continued to plague his RB9. This forced his ever-efficient mechanics to remove both the exhaust and floor of Vettel’s car just to access the KERS battery in question. This will see the reigning World Champion enter the all-important qualifying hour without running a qualifying simulation on low fuel settings.
Whilst Sebastian Vettel changed out of his racing overalls, team-mate Mark Webber shot to the top of the timings sheets with a 01:32.053 as Romain Grosjean once again ran extensively wide at Turn 1. As many drivers began producing low-fuel laps, F1 rookie Valtteri Bottas was also spotted running wide at Turn 1. During the final minutes of the session, both Nico Rosberg and then Lewis Hamilton rose to 2nd position behind the Red Bull of Mark Webber. However, the Australian sensation managed to end the session fastest overall for Red Bull in what was another intriguing practice session around the Suzuka circuit.
Although Sebastian Vettel will enter the all-important qualifying hour with hardly any low-fuel running in his Renault-powered RB9, the ever-dominant German is still regarded by many as the man to beat ahead of the all-important qualifying hour. With all three practice sessions now complete, the teams and drivers will return to the track later in the day to battle for the coveted pole position for Sunday’s 53-lap race.
Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap Laps 1. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m32.053s 17 2. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m32.187s +0.134s 18 3. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m32.355s +0.302s 18 4. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m32.707s +0.654s 26 5. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m32.800s +0.747s 14 6. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m32.815s +0.762s 14 7. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m32.869s +0.816s 17 8. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m32.946s +0.893s 25 9. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m33.036s +0.983s 8 10. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m33.076s +1.023s 12 11. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m33.158s +1.105s 15 12. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m33.260s +1.207s 15 13. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m33.490s +1.437s 16 14. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m33.638s +1.585s 17 15. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m33.660s +1.607s 19 16. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m33.732s +1.679s 15 17. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m33.955s +1.902s 18 18. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m34.773s +2.720s 8 19. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m35.473s +3.420s 20 20. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m35.518s +3.465s 18 21. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m35.844s +3.791s 16 22. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1m39.378s +7.325s 20
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Sebastian Vettel returns to the top in second practice at Japan
Sebastian Vettel has returned to the top of the timing sheets during practice two ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, after yet another incident-filled session around the iconic Suzuka circuit. The German ace was followed by team-mate Mark Webber, with Nico Rosberg 3rd for the German marque.
After a busy opening practice session around the iconic Suzuka circuit in preparation for the 29th running of the Japanese Grand Prix, the teams and drivers soon returned to the track for the second practice session in a bid to continue with their preparations for the weekend ahead. Once again the circuit was bathed in glorious sunshine and clear blue skies, despite a minor threat of rain earlier in the week.
Due to his heavy incident during the early stages of the opening practice session, Jules Bianchi was unable to partake in the second session. The incident in question damaged the Frenchman’s chassis, which would in turn require a lengthy rebuild overnight. After ceding his seat to reserve driver Heikki Kovalainen, Caterham’s Charles Pic returned to his driving duties in the afternoon alongside team-mate Giedo van der Garde.
Unlike the opening practice session there was no immediate hurry to take to the Suzuka circuit, with the Williams of Pastor Maldonado eventually becoming the first driver to leave the confines of the pit-lane. The Venezuelan ace was quickly followed out by both Max Chilton and Nico Hulkenberg, as the Williams driver produced the first timed lap of the session with a 01:36.722. Nico Hulkenberg instantly lowered the benchmark in his Ferrari-powered Sauber, by producing a 01:36.625.
As more drivers began taking to the track, the benchmark at the top quickly began to tumble as the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Romain Grosjean and then Sebastian Vettel rose to the top with the latter setting a 01:34.746 as Adrian Sutil cut the final chicane in his Force India. Despite quickly managing to rise to the top, reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel’s reign was relatively short-lived as Nico Rosberg proceeded to thwart his fellow countryman with a 01:34.690 as team-mate Lewis Hamilton slotted neatly into 2nd position.
After becoming the first driver to take to the track in his Renault-powered Williams, Pastor Maldonado’s session was soon brought to a premature conclusion after the Venezuelan driver carried way too much speed into Turn 9 and slammed heavily into the retaining tyre barrier. This destroyed the front-right of the car, and saw Pastor Maldonado become the third victim of Turn 9 along with Jules Bianchi Giedo van der Garde earlier in the day. Although the stricken Williams was quickly cleared, another incident occurred at the back of the circuit when Sergio Perez lost control of the rear of his McLaren and slammed into the retaining tyre wall at Turn 13.
The resulting impact initially shook the Mexican youngster, who was quick to inform the team that he was ok over the radio. Eventually Sergio Perez removed himself from the cockpit of his stricken McLaren, as the ever-efficient marshals began to clear away the car. This also sparked the end of Sergio Perez’s day, in what was becoming yet another incident-filled session at Suzuka. Whilst the two incidents occurred for both Pastor Maldonado and Sergio Perez, Red Bull ace Sebastian Vettel had managed to return to the top with a 01:34.487.
As some teams and drivers began shifting their focus to heavy fuel race simulations, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso came extremely close to becoming the next victim of Turn 9. The two-time Champion thoroughly clattered the kerb on the entry to the corner, which in turn assisted in tipping him into a perilous spin which he managed to masterfully control and keep out of the barriers. Meanwhile the times at the top were continuing to tumble, as both Mark Webber and then Sebastian Vettel lowered the benchmark even further with the reigning Champion producing a 01:33.852 to make it a Red Bull 1-2 at the top.
In traditional practice two fashion the majority of the teams and drivers soon found themselves engrossed in high fuel race simulation work, with the times at the top remaining rather unchanged as the session began to draw to a close. However, minor mistakes continued to ensued up and down the paddock, as Kimi Raikkonen spun out in his Lotus at Turn 7 and became frustratingly beached in his Lotus. Even Sebastian Vettel ran slightly wide at Turn 13, along with Esteban Gutierrez in the Sauber however both drivers managed to avoid collision with the barriers. Paul di Resta spun at the final chicane in his Force India, however the Scotsman was able to continue circulating.
Due largely to the focus on high fuel runs during the latter half of the session, Sebastian Vettel’s pace remained unchallenged as the session drew to a conclusion. Once again minor mistakes were carried out by many drivers up and down the paddock, from the likes of Nico Rosberg and Max Chilton. Both Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull looked incredibly competitive at the sharp-end of the order, with the German unquestionably aiming for his fifth successive victory on Sunday.
The teams and drivers will return to the iconic Suzuka circuit for one final practice session on Saturday morning, where the focus will once again switch from high fuel race simulations to low fuel qualifying runs as the teams finalize their preparations for the qualifying hour. Sebastian Vettel will undoubtedly head into qualifying as the favourite for pole, with the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg hot on his heels.
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Lewis Hamilton fastest after incident-filled opening practice at Japan
Lewis Hamilton has ended an incident-filled opening practice session fastest ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, after numerous drivers struggled around the iconic Suzuka circuit. The 2008 World Champion ended the session ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg, with reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel 3rd for Red Bull.
Only several days after the frenetic proceedings of the Korean Grand Prix, the Formula 1 circus reconvened once again for the opening practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix at the legendary Suzuka circuit. Despite minor threats of rain throughout the day, the iconic circuit was bathed in glorious sunshine and clear skies as the session began. Down at Caterham Heikki Kovalainen once again made an appearance, this time in the place of Frenchman Charles Pic.
As soon as the session began, a flurry of cars instantly took to the Suzuka circuit with Red Bull driver Mark Webber becoming the first to do so. The Australian sensation was quickly joined by the likes of Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo, as the traditional installation laps ensued up and down the paddock. Several drivers elected to complete more than one installation lap, however no-one completed a timed lap as preparations for the weekend ahead geared up.
Eventually Pastor Maldonado and Jules Bianchi shattered the silence which had fallen over the Suzuka circuit by heading back out onto the track, as the Mercedes mechanics began busying themselves around Lewis Hamilton’s gearbox and engine with hints that something could be amiss. Meanwhile out on track Pastor Maldonado managed to produce the first timed lap of the weekend with a 01:36.969, a time which the Venezuelan ace managed to quickly improve upon with a 01:36.178 shortly afterwards. As more drivers gradually began taking to the Suzuka circuit, McLaren’s Sergio Perez rose to the top with a 01:35.871.
Whilst the Mexican ace improved upon his time at the top, Jules Bianchi’s session was brought to an explosive halt as the Frenchman lost control of his Marussia and slammed violently into the retaining tyre wall at Turn 9. Immediately after the incident Jules Bianchi was seen flexing his left hand, after clearly feeling the full force of the impact through the steering wheel. As the ever-efficient Suzuka marshals began clearing the stricken Cosworth-powered machine, Jules Bianchi gingerly extracted himself from the cockpit and ultimately back to the pits.
Once the incident had been cleared and the numerous yellow flags had been withdrawn, Mark Webber wasted no time in rising to the top for Red Bull with a 01:35.208. After producing the initial benchmark in his Williams, Pastor Maldonado’s Renault-powered machine was stuck within the pits as he mechanics busied themselves in changing the floor on the Venezuelan’s machine. Out on track Felipe Massa continued to lower the benchmark, with the Ferrari driver setting a 01:35.126 to momentarily rise to the top. However, the Scuderia’s reign was short-lived, as the Mercedes duo of Nico Rosberg and then Lewis Hamilton asserted their authority over proceedings with the latter producing a 01:34.251.
As the opening session of the weekend drew to a conclusion, utter confusion occurred out on track. As Lewis Hamilton remained fastest at the top of the timing screens, both Pastor Maldonado and Giedo van der Garde suffered separate issues at once. Whilst the Williams driver’s left-rear wheel worked its way loose through the iconic Spoon Curve, F1 rookie Giedo van der Garde simply ran straight on at Turn 9 and skipped though the gravel and then lightly tapped the retaining tyre barrier. These separate incidents both sparked the end of the session for Pastor Maldonado and Giedo van der Garde respectively, in what was becoming an incident-filled morning session.
Amid further spills and thrills during the final few minutes of the opening practice session, including minor mistakes from Mark Webber, Nico Rosberg and a spin for Max Chilton, Lewis Hamilton managed to remain at the top for Mercedes ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg. The Mercedes duo ended the session ahead of the Red Bull duo of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber, with Felipe Massa 5th ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso in 6th. Once again the German marque has begun the weekend in fine form, however Red Bull have remained hot on their heels. The drivers will return to the iconic Suzuka circuit later in the day, as preparations continue for the 29th running of the Japanese Grand Prix.
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Lewis Hamilton Condemns Sergio Perez’s “Crazy” Driving At Suzuka
Lewis Hamilton has condemned Sergio Perez’s attacking driving style which was evident during the early stages of the Japanese Grand Prix, in which the future McLaren driver lunged up the inside of the Briton heading into the tight hairpin at turn 11. Perez tried a similar move around the outside later in the race, but spun out in the process.
After finishing the Japanese Grand Prix a distant 5th, the Briton proceeded to raise question marks over Sergio Perez’s driving style. As Hamilton defended his position, trying his best to avoid contact with the Championship at stake, Sergio Perez proceeded to lunge up the inside on the McLaren driver. This move was reminiscent of Kamui Kobayashi the previous year, who wowed his adoring home fans with a series of stunning overtakes into the hairpin.
Sergio Perez’s second overtake on Hamilton ended with the Mexican in the gravel.
Once the first round of pitstops had been made, Sergio Perez once again found himself behind the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton. After carrying way too much speed into the hairpin, Perez was forced to the outside of the track as Hamilton defended against the Mexican’s onslaught. This overtake prematurely ended Perez’s race, as the Sauber driver spun into the retaining gravel trap. Lewis Hamilton later dubbed these maneuvers as “crazy”, in a race weekend which saw the 2008 World Champion struggle with his setup.
“I thought that he was going to do a crazy maneuver, which he did,” explained Lewis Hamilton, in an interview with Reuters. “Then [later] when he was behind me I saw it coming again so I moved a little to the inside, thinking that he was going to go up the inside so he couldn’t get by, and he just flew down the outside of me. So very interesting…”
Sergio Perez later admitted that his spin was entirely his fault, after the Mexican avoided contact with Lewis Hamilton and embedded his car within the gravel. The Briton later explained that he decided against fighting for the position with Sergio Perez as he was thinking about the Championship fight with the likes of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, the latter eventually winning the race in dominant style. Lewis Hamilton is now 42 points behind Championship leader Alonso, as the F1 circus moves swiftly on to Korea.
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Webber Vents Anger And Disbelief At Grosjean
Mark Webber has become the latest driver to fall foul of Romain Grosjean’s knack of colliding with other competitors at the start of a race, after the Frenchman drove into the side of the Red Bull of Webber at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix. The Aussie was understandably furious, dubbing Grosjean a “nutcase” after the race.
Once Mark Webber had finished the Japanese Grand Prix a distant 9th after initially starting 2nd alongside team-mate Sebastian Vettel, the Red Bull driver was quick to vent his anger and disbelief at such poor driving from the Lotus of Grosjean. Throughout the season, Grosjean has been involved in seven first lap incidents at Malaysia, Spain, Monaco, Britain, Germany, Belgium and now Japan.
“I haven’t obviously seen what happened at the start but the guys confirmed that it was the first-lap nutcase again Grosjean,” explained Mark Webber to Sky Sport F1’s Natalie Pinkham. “The rest of us are trying to fight for some decent results each weekend but he is trying to get to the third corner as fast as he can at every race. It makes it frustrating because a few big guys probably suffered from that and maybe he needs another holiday. He needs to have a look at himself, it was completely his fault. How many mistakes can you make, how many times can you make the same error? First-lap incidents… yeah… it’s quite embarrassing at this level for him.”
Romain Grosjean was the catalyst in the almighty first-lap incident at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Romain Grosjean was issued with a one-race ban after his almighty incident with Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix. Upon making his return to the sport at the Singapore Grand Prix, the Frenchman has explained how he has been very cautious at the starts, however Mark Webber believes another ban should be issued if these first-lap incidents continue.
“Ever since I came back in Singapore my priority has been to be very cautious at the start, and I was watching Sergio on my left to make sure there was no contact with him.” Explained a downcast Romain Grosjean after the race, “There was quite a big speed difference between me and Mark as I came into the first corner which caught me by surprise and we collided. It was a stupid mistake. Mark came to see me after the race and was obviously not happy, but I apologized and we have to move on.”
After the first-lap incident at Japan, the race stewards decided to impose a 10-second stop-and-go penalty upon the Frenchman, which dropped him right to the back of the order. Eventually Grosjean retired from the race in the closing laps, with the team deciding to call it a day after a disastrous race and the fact that that tyres come to the end of their life. The Frenchman will be hoping for an incident-free Korean Grand Prix this weekend, as question marks begin to surface over his future in Formula 1.
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Tooned: Episode 7
Video Copyright © McLaren Racing Limited
Alonso Prepared For The Beginning Of “Mini-Championship”
Fernando Alonso has stated that the remaining five races this season will feel like a “mini-Championship”, as the reigning Champion of Sebastian Vettel reduced the Spaniard’s lead at the top to only four points. Alonso hasn’t led a race since the German Grand Prix back in July, a race he won for Ferrari
After retiring from the Japanese Grand Prix on the opening lap, Fernando Alonso failed score any valuable World Championship points whilst major rival Sebastian Vettel romped to a dominant race victory. Although the Ferrari driver still leads the Drivers’ Championship, a similar result next weekend at Korea would see Alonso loose his lead at the top.
With only five races remaining in the season, many believe the Championship fight has become a two-horse race between the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso and the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel. Alonso believe’s this is the start of a “mini-Championship”, in which the Spaniard aims at scoring at least one point more than his nearest rivals at each of the remaining race weekends.
“Today, we were very unlucky: to finish a race like this, at the very first corner is really a shame.” Explained Fernando Alonso, remains in the lead of the Drivers’ Championship by only four points. “Contact from Raikkonen caused a puncture to the left rear tyre and my race ended there. Clearly, we must work a lot on the development of the car: I’m not worried, but we must react to the step forward that the other competitors have made. Now we start a sort of mini-championship, run over five Grands Prix. The aim will be to score at least one point more than all the others. What happened to us today could happen to the others next time: the wheel turns and that is what races are all about.”
With Red Bull supposedly mastering their own rendition of the Double-DRS device, Mark Webber and in particular Sebastian Vettel could be become unstoppable at the front in the closing stages of the season. Fernando Alonso won the inaugural Korean Grand Prix back in 2010, and will be striving to win once again next weekend as this unique season comes to a conclusion.
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Sergio Perez Takes Full Responsibility For Spinning Out At Suzuka
Sergio Perez has taken full responsibility for his spin out of the Japanese Grand Prix, after the Mexican driver tried to overtake the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton. After making a slight error through turn 10, Perez was carrying too much speed into turn 11 which saw the Mexican driver spin out of the race.
After completing a fantastic overtaking maneuver on Lewis Hamilton through the same corner earlier in the race, Sergio Perez tried to repeat a similar move on lap 19 after the first round of pitstops. However, Lewis Hamilton was better prepared the second time around, and defended his position well against the Sauber driver. This left Perez with little room on the outside of the corner, and saw him loose control of his car and spin out in embarrassing style.
“I feel very sorry for the team.” Explained a disappointed Sergio Perez after his spin. “It worked well when I got passed Lewis Hamilton for the first time on lap six, but then it didn’t when I tried it again. Lewis went quite late to the inside and I had only room on the outside. But it certainly was my mistake. The race didn’t start too well for me either when Romain Grosjean caused a mess and I lost positions.”
Sergio Perez will be hoping for better luck next weekend at Korea, as he strives to end his career with Sauber on a high note before replacing Lewis Hamilton at McLaren for 2013. The Mexican driver has finished on the podium three times this season, and is aiming for instant Championship glory next season with McLaren.
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