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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Kamui Kobayashi: “It Hasn’t Sunk In Yet!”

Kamui Kobayashi wowed his faithful supporters during the Japanese Grand Prix earlier today, as their hero stormed to his first career podium at his home Grand Prix around Suzuka. The 26-year-old driver stood his ground during the closing stages of the race, as he fended off the charging McLaren of Jenson Button.

After enduring a tough opening day of practice at Suzuka, Kamui Kobayashi set himself up perfectly for the 53-lap race during qualifying with a superlative lap in the closing stages of Q3. Although Kobayashi ended qualifying 4th overall, he was promoted to 3rd on the grid after Jenson Button took his five-place grid penalty.

At the start of the race, Kobayashi instantly overtook Mark Webber for 2nd as carnage ensued behind him. Although the Japanese driver lost out to the Ferrari of Felipe Massa after the first round of pitstops, he was able remain in 3rd position to claim his first podium finish of his F1 career, following in the footsteps of fellow countryman Aguri Suzuki and Takuma Sato.

“It hasn’t sunk in yet, it is hard to believe – I achieved my first podium in Suzuka!” Explained an elated Kamui Kobayashi, “It was a fantastic race and we have been working really hard to get to this point since we were lacking pace on Friday. But the Sauber F1 Team did a great job to recover from there. The team has built a great car this year. You can tell this from the podium finishes my team-mate [Sergio Perez] has had. At times I was close to that as well but I never had the luck. It means so much to me that it finally worked out. Maybe from now on things will be easier.”

Throughout the closing laps of the Japanese Grand Prix, Kamui Kobayashi’s 3rd place looked in danger of being snatched away from him by the charging McLaren of Jenson Button. The Briton was on fresher rubber than the Sauber driver, yet was unable to catch and overtake Kobayashi for the final podium position.

“My rear tyres where really bad in the end and I had a lot of oversteer.” Continued Kamui Kobayashi, “But regardless of this I had to push to defend my podium place. Only during the final lap did I allow myself to really think I can keep him behind me, because then the best overtaking opportunity at the end of the straight was over, and then I saw all the fans and the raised hands. It meant a lot to me and I want to thank the Japanese fans.”

Kamui Kobayashi’s future in Formula 1 still remains unconfirmed, with Sauber’s 2013 driver line-up being greatly speculated within the paddock. Some rumors suggest that GP2 driver Esteban Gutierrez could receive the drive, however with Kobayashi’s superb result this weekend, Sauber may well find themselves in a conundrum over who to select for next season.

Picture Copyright © Sauber Motorsport AG

Sebastian Vettel Hails “Perfect” Weekend At Suzuka

Sebastian Vettel has hailed the Japanese Grand Prix weekend as perfect, with the reigning World Champion securing a grand slam of pole position, race victory and the fastest lap. The German led every single lap of the race, and was unchallenged by anyone during the 53-laps.

After enjoying a stupendous qualifying performance to secure pole position for only the fourth time this season, Sebastian Vettel looked practically unstoppable throughout the race as he romped to his 24th career victory and his second in succession. This saw him become the first driver of the year to win back-to-back races, and enabled him to close the gap to World Championship leader Fernando Alonso.

“It’s been a fantastic weekend.” Exclaimed Sebastian Vettel, after his dominant victory. “Yesterday’s qualifying was perfect and today again, the balance of the car was amazing. We didn’t change too much at the stops; it just seemed to work fantastically well. I’m very happy, the guys have been pushing very hard and even though we didn’t have major upgrades here, it still seemed to come together and the balance was there – and that’s what made the difference today.”

Sebastian Vettel’s victory was made all the more sweeter by the retirement of Fernando Alonso on the opening lap. As the reigning Champion stormed into the lead, the Spaniard made minor contact with the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen and spun off into the gravel with a puncture. However, Sebastian Vettel felt sorry for the Ferrari driver, stating that it could easily be himself that falls foul of bad luck next time out at Korea.

“It’s a shame for Alonso, it’s not something you hope for and it could happen to us at the next race. We’ve seen this year there are a lot of up and downs and things change quickly – we have to keep our heads down and take it step by step.”

Sebastian Vettel has secured pole position at every Japanese Grand Prix he has contested at Suzuka, and has won all but one of those races from pole. The German driver won last season at Korea, and will be striving to replicate such successes next weekend as he continues to hunt down Championship leader Fernando Alonso.

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Pedro de la Rosa: “We’ve Taken A Step Forward”

Pedro de la Rosa believes HRT have taken another step forward after a relatively successful Japanese Grand Prix, which saw the Spaniard finish 18th. Team-mate Narain Karthikeyan was unfortunately unable to finish the race, after the team decided to retire the Indian due to safety issues regarding the bottom of the car.

After starting the race from 20th and 24th respectively, both Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan were able to avoid the first lap incidents which forced Championship leader Fernando Alonso to retire. This enabled the duo to rise to 16th and 19th respectively after the opening lap, however a problem for the Spaniard during his first pitstop saw him drop back through the order. However, de la Rosa is still positive with the improvements made by the team, as they continue to progress towards the back of the pack.

“Today’s race was quite good and we could say we’ve taken a step forward, although we still have plenty to do.” Explained Pedro de la Rosa, “The first stint was good but we had a problem in the first pitstop which made me lose quite a lot of time. My times with the hard tyres towards the end were very good and we were right in there. The car was handling well and we got close to Pic and Petrov, which for us, at a track like this, is fantastic.”

Narain Karthikeyan was unable to finish the Japanese Grand Prix, after the team decided to retire his machine after his second pitstop due to an issue with the bottom of the car. This was the Indian driver’s second retirement in succession, after hitting the wall last time out at Singapore. Regardless of this stat, the 35-year-old Indian remains confident both he and HRT can continue improve next time out at the Korean Grand Prix.

Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team

Daniel Ricciardo Relishes Michael Schumacher Battle

Daniel Ricciardo has relished his battle with Michael Schumacher during the closing stages of the Japanese Grand Prix, in which the Australian driver was able to defend against the seven-time World Champion’s onslaught. With the assistance of KERS, Ricciardo remained in 10th and was able to bring home one point for Toro Rosso.

After running as high as 5th throughout the race, Daniel Ricciardo was able to fend off the much quicker Mercedes of Michael Schumacher during the final stages of the 53-lap race. The German had started the race from 23rd on the grid after incurring a 10-place grid penalty due to his collision with Jean-Eric Vergne at Singapore. Daniel Ricciardo started from 14th, but after the first lap carnage including Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg, the Australian driver was able to benefit greatly and enjoy a relatively competitive remainder of the race.

“It was an eventful race.” Enthused Daniel Ricciardo, after finishing 10th. “The last two stints were good, at first having a battle with Webber who was on a different strategy. Then right at the end, I was holding off Michael and I was really pleased to have won that battle. It’s always tougher when you are the slower car in a duel, but with good advice from the pit wall on how to use the KERS to defend in the DRS zone, I managed it. It’s not every day you have a seven times World Champion on your tail and given he only has a few more races, it was nice to have a battle with him to put in my scrapbook!”

This was Daniel Ricciardo’s second points finish in succession, after finishing the Singapore Grand Prix last time out in 9th. After a difficult start to the season for the Faenza-based outfit, Toro Rosso have finally begun scoring points on a regular basis, as the F1 circus heads to Korea next weekend.

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Vitaly Petrov Plagued By KERS And Radio Issues During The Race

Vitaly Petrov has confirmed he was plagued by KERS and radio issues throughout the 53-lap Japanese Grand Prix, the latter leading to the Russian driver incurring a drive-thru penalty as he was allegedly unable to hear the blue flag calls. However, the Caterham driver was still able to finish 17th in the race, after a tough weekend at Suzuka.

After miraculously avoiding the first lap carnage which ensued ahead of him, Vitaly Petrov was able to settle into a decent rhythm towards the back of the pack. However, as the race progressed the Russian driver lost the ability to use KERS, before then loosing radio communication with the pit wall. This naturally put Petrov at a disadvantage, especially when it came to adhering to the blue flag calls. Due to Petrov’s inability to hear his team informing him of the blue flags as the leaders came through, he was issued with a drive-thru penalty towards the end of the race.

“My first stop was fine but after that we lost KERS and that obviously cost me time.” Explained Vitaly Petrov, after a difficult Japanese Grand Prix. “I also had a problem with the radio and couldn’t hear the blue flag calls and that ended up with the drive-through penalty. From where I started on the grid and with the KERS issue I think I probably got as much as I could out of the car today. It’s been a bit of tough weekend but it’s good to see the team working so hard to keep pushing us forwards and next week in Korea we have another chance to keep fighting.”

Both Heikki Kovalainen and Vitaly Petrov enjoyed a relatively successful race in comparison to Singapore last time out, and will be hoping they can continue doing so next time out at the Korean Grand Prix. Regardless of Caterham’s improved competitiveness at Japan, they remain behind Marussia in the Constructors’ Championship.

Picture Copyright © Caterham F1 Team

Vettel Takes First Back-To-Back Victory Of 2012 At Suzuka

Sebastian Vettel has taken the first back-to-back victory of the season with an absolutely dominating drive at the Japanese Grand Prix, which saw the German lead every lap of the race from pole. Felipe Massa finished 2nd, his first podium since 2010, with local hero Kamui Kobayashi a brilliant 3rd after fending off Jenson Button.

Fernando Alonso was one of the first retirements from the race after receiving a puncture during the opening corner.

The race started with fireworks through turns 1 and 2, as Kamui Kobayashi instantly overtook Mark Webber for 2nd whereas further back Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen came together. This saw Alonso pick up a puncture and spin into the gravel and into retirement. Through turn 2, Romain Grosjean caused a separate incident as he ran into the side of Mark Webber as Bruno Senna and Nico Rosberg also collided. This saw Rosberg retire, along with Alonso as Grosjean and Senna limped back to the pits without their front wings.

The first lap carnage brought out the safety car, as the Japanese marshals instantly set to clearing the stricken Ferrari and Mercedes. Mark Webber was miraculously able to continue, albeit after returning to the pits for a check-up after his collision. After only several laps under safety car conditions, the race was resumed as Vettel instantly romped into the lead ahead of Kobayashi and Button. Sergio Perez ran wide at turn 1 as Kimi Raikkonen forced his way around the Sauber driver, as Romain Grosjean was issued a ten-second stop and go penalty for colliding with Webber at the start.

As the opening laps passed, Jenson Button and Kimi Raikkonen became the first drivers to pit for new tyres from 4th and 6th. Kamui Kobayashi pitted a lap later, as the majority of the field pitted. Lewis Hamilton pitted from 3rd on lap 17, before the leaders of Sebastian Vettel and Felipe Massa finally pitted on lap 18. Sergio Perez became the next retirement of the race, after the Mexican driver made a mistake through turn 10 and spun off at turn 11 whilst trying to overtake Lewis Hamilton.

Bruno Senna was issued a drive-thru penalty on lap 20, after his collision with the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg at the start. Worried looks began appearing on the faces of the McLaren mechanics as the race progressed, with Jenson Button complaining of potential gearbox issues. However, these worries quickly faded as Jenson Button aimed at closing down on the local hero of Kamui Kobayashi.

Mark Webber was the first driver to pit for a second time on lap 26, with the Australian driver visibly struggling for grip. Once again the rest of the field followed suit over the next few laps, as Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton and Kamui Kobayashi all decided to pit. Narain Karthikeyan became the next retirement on lap 34, as the HRT driver pitted with a suspected mechanical issue.

Sebastian Vettel pitted from the lead on lap 38, and easily rejoined the race still in the lead. Felipe Massa was a distant 2nd, with Kamui Kobayashi still 3rd with a charging Jenson Button closing the gap between himself and the Sauber driver. Vitaly Petrov was issued a drive-thru penalty during the closing stages of the race, as Charles Pic and Romain Grosjean eventually retired with mechanical issues plaguing their separate cars.

However, Sebastian Vettel remained dominant out in front as he stormed to his 24th career victory. Felipe Massa was able to follow the reigning World Champion home in 2nd place, his first podium finish since the Korean Grand Prix way back in 2010. Kamui Kobayashi was able to fend off Jenson Button in the closing stages of the race, and take a memorable 3rd place in front of his adoring home fans.

With Fernando Alonso retiring and scoring no points during the Japanese Grand Prix, and Sebastian Vettel taking victory and the 25 points that go with it, the Drivers’ Championship is now poised for a stunning showdown in the final five races. With only four points separating Alonso and Vettel at the top, the Championship remains wide open as the F1 circus heads to Korea.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Japanese Grand Prix
Suzuka, Japan;
53 laps; 307.471km;
Weather: Sunny.

Classified:

Pos  Driver        Team                       Time
 1.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault           1h28:56.242
 2.  Massa         Ferrari                    +    20.639
 3.  Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari             +    24.538
 4.  Button        McLaren-Mercedes           +    25.098
 5.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes           +    46.490
 6.  Raikkonen     Lotus-Renault              +    50.424
 7.  Hulkenberg    Force India-Mercedes       +    51.159
 8.  Maldonado     Williams-Renault           +    52.364
 9.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault           +    54.675
10.  Ricciardo     Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +  1:06.919
11.  Schumacher    Mercedes                   +  1:07.769
12.  Di Resta      Force India-Mercedes       +  1:23.400
13.  Vergne        Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +  1:28.600
14.  Senna         Williams-Renault           +  1:28.700
15.  Grosjean      Lotus-Renault              +     1 lap
16.  Kovalainen    Caterham-Renault           +     1 lap
17.  Glock         Marussia-Cosworth          +     1 lap
18.  Petrov        Caterham-Renault           +     1 lap
19.  De la Rosa    HRT-Cosworth               +     1 lap

Fastest lap: Vettel, 1:35.774

Not classified/retirements:

Driver        Team                         On lap
Pic           Marussia-Cosworth            39
Karthikeyan   HRT-Cosworth                 34
Perez         Sauber-Ferrari               19
Alonso        Ferrari                      1
Rosberg       Mercedes                     1

Picture(s) Copyright © Getty Images

Vettel Receives Reprimand After Blocking Alonso

Just over three hours after the end of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, and it has been confirmed that Sebastian Vettel has received only a reprimand for his alleged block on Championship leader Fernando Alonso. After the lengthy deliberation by the race stewards, Vettel can now look ahead to tomorrow’s race where he will start from pole.

The alleged blocking of Fernando Alonso occurred towards the end of the top-ten shootout, as the Ferrari driver negotiated the chicane at the end of the lap. With the Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne being issued a three-place grid penalty for a similar incident with the Williams of Bruno Senna, it was at one stage thought that Sebastian Vettel would loose pole after what was an excellent display of dominance during qualifying.

However, after the race stewards took their time in extensively analyzing the videos and telemetry of the incident, Sebastian Vettel only incurred a reprimand and will be able to start tomorrow’s race from pole. The Red Bull driver will be joined on the front row of the grid by team-mate Mark Webber, with local hero Kamui Kobayashi set to start 3rd after Jenson Button’s five-place grid drop due to a gearbox change.

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Lewis Hamilton Blames Wrong Set-Up For Bad Qualifying At Suzuka

Lewis Hamilton has blamed the wrong direction taken with the set-up of his car as the reason behind his disastrously uncompetitive qualifying performance for the Japanese Grand Prix, which saw the Briton qualify a dismal 9th overall. After enjoying a relatively competitive day of practice yesterday, Hamilton endured a tough qualifying hour.

As the qualifying session for tomorrow’s Japanese Grand Prix progressed, one of the biggest surprises of the afternoon was the uncompetitiveness of Lewis Hamilton in comparison to team-mate Jenson Button and the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. In Q1, Hamilton could only manage 14th fastest, with only a minor improvement in the second session which saw the Briton only just progress to the top-ten shootout in 8th. Whilst Jenson Button fought the Red Bull duo for pole position, the 2008 World Champion could only manage 9th fastest, in what he has described as one of his worst qualifying performances of the year.

“Today’s qualifying session was one of the most disappointing of my year.” Explained a downbeat Lewis Hamilton after qualifying. “To be honest, I went the wrong way with the set-up and ended up with too much understeer. Until quali, the car had felt great all weekend, but I just couldn’t make it turn this afternoon, and as a result I just couldn’t extract the best from it. It’s [the race] going to be a struggle, but I’ll be pushing my hardest with the set-up I’ve got, and I hope that, through good tyre management, I’ll be able to overtake some of the cars in front of me. I’ll be trying to get as many points as I can tomorrow.”

Regardless of Jenson Button’s grid penalty due to a gearbox change, the 2009 World Champion will still start tomorrow’s race ahead of Lewis Hamilton, such was his uncompetitiveness during qualifying. Victory for McLaren is highly unlikely tomorrow, however both of their drivers will be striving to bring home as many points as possible during the 53-lap race.

Picture Copyright © McLaren F1 Team