Kvyat crash leaves Mercedes on pole in Japan

The massive shunt on the approach to the Suzuka turn 11 hairpin left Kvyat OK, a Red Bull in pieces and Nico Rosberg on top of the standings  by 7/100th over Hamilton and 4/10th from Bottas.

The Russian Reb Buller's off forced many drivers to abort their second attempt in Q3. Bottas, who was ahead of the crash improved his time.   Vettel is 6/10th behind in P4.




There is a very good chance of rain forecast for Sunday though the bulk of it should come after the race.  

A video of Bianchi's accident surfaces

Frankly, it does not tell you much of anything except the violence of the horrific impact which  completely lifted the heavy crane off the ground.

If you feel you must watch it,  the fan video by Philip Dabrowiecki is now HERE

More interesting would be an onboard which might give some sense if Bianchi could have seen the waving yellow flags and slowed down in time.   But, if it exists, the FIA and Marussia are not releasing it.

A number of readers will certainly question why there was a green flag waved at station 12.   It is technically the station beyond the accident and the green flag would signal a clear track in the segment beyond it. However, given the proximity, the presence of track workers in the runoff area and the conditions, questions are bound to be raised.

Jules Bianchi's accident casts a pall over the Japanese GP

The look on Rosberg's, Hamilton's and Vettel's faces said it all.

Alessio De Marco

Lewis Hamilton got the better of his team-mate Nico Rosberg and took a well deserved win at Suzuka but the whole thing became rather meaningless as word of the seriousness of the injuries Jules Bianchi sustained when he crashed into a recovery vehicle.

Lates word is that he's out of surgery and in intensive case.   His roll bar failed in the impact with the crane which was removing  Sutil's car, which had gone off moments earlier.

There will inevitably be controversy because you can argue hitting a heavy machine is much more dangerous than hitting another F1 car.  Perhaps the organizers should have waited for the cars to be all under Safety Car before bringing the crane in.  Perhaps the  Safety car should have been called out earlier.    Perhaps Bianchi just did not realize the yellow was out or simply could not see it.

But it guess to show you how despite all effort and amazing advances, racing will never be "too safe".

All our best wishes to Jules.

Red Bull confirms Sebastian Vettel will not drive for the team in 2015

Red Bull Racing confirmed the four  time World Champion Sebastian Vettel will leave the team at the end of the season.    The dominoes are starting to fall.

Here is the full statement:


Saturday 4 October, 2014

NEW TEAM DRIVER LINE UP FOR 2015

Sebastian Vettel has advised us that he will be leaving Infiniti Red Bull Racing at the end of the 2014 season.

We want to warmly thank Sebastian for the incredible role he has played at Infiniti Red Bull Racing for the last six years.

Since joining the team in 2009, Sebastian, together with Infiniti Red Bull Racing, has scored 38 wins, 44 poles and eight World Championships, including four Drivers’ titles and four Constructors’. If you include Sebastian’s success at Red Bull’s second team, Scuderia Toro Rosso, the Red Bull total increases to 39 wins and 45 poles.

As we wish Sebastian well in the next stage of his career, we also look to the future with excitement, as the vacancy makes way for the next generation of Red Bull racers.

The Red Bull Junior Programme has developed some proven talents in recent times, including Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo, who has excelled in the RB10 and become a three-time Formula One race winner in his first season with the team.

We’re pleased to announce that Daniel will be joined in the team for 2015 by another rising star from the Junior Programme, Daniil Kvyat.

Typhoon Alonso hits F1 in Japan

Alonso will leave the Scuderia, Sebastian Vettel will take his place in 2015.

The storm had been in the forecast for a long time but nobody was confident enough to predict its path. No, we are not referring to Phanfone, the meteorological phenomenon which has put this week end's race in some doubt but of Fernando Alonso's divorce from Ferrari.

As much as anything can be definite in F1, you can consider this a done deal. Ferrari cannot guarantee Alonso a dominant car for next year and Alonso has no incentive to spend the next couple of seasons developing a car he will ha likely have to hand over to a younger driver. At 33,  he does not want to risk the same treatment Schumacher got at the end of 2006.

Official announcements aside, confirmation comes from a piece Pino Allievi wrote for Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport today.
Simply put, Allievi would not have written that piece if he was not solid on it.

OMG, he's not Joe Saward, can we trust him you say? Yes, he knew Montezemolo was leaving before everyone else and he was the one who broke the Alonso phone tap scandal in the Mclaren spy gate days. It's happening.

The other bombshell in the article is Vettel in Fernando's seat right from 2015.

This was also the rumor of the last few months and an accepted career path for the German for the last few years. What's different is that it was not supposed to happen for one more season.
If that what was to be inevitable then perhaps everyone realized the change might as well happen sooner rather then later.

James Allen points out how Bernie's hand might play a role as it did in getting both Schumacher and Hamilton at Mercedes.    One could argue to that there was an effort made by F1 to make sure Mercedes was happy and in the best possible position to win and stay in the sport.  The new bosses at Ferrari are bit of an unknown for F1, they showed they are willing to make drastic changes. It is not unthinkable an effort would be made to set the Scuderia on a path to success as quickly as possible.

Vettel's incentives are the challenge of winning with a different team and making sure the new car is developed in a way that suits his tastes.

Alonso has two paths: Mclaren and Red Bull. Allievi. in the article. mentions Ferrari had also targeted Hamilton but in the end preferred Vettel.
Hamilton's only reason for leaving Mercedes would have been if he were to have a major hissy fit after losing the championship to Rosberg anyway.

Red Bull, you might think, has no need for Alonso with Ricciardo driving very well and Kvyat in the wings.  But careful. that driver combo, while fast would leave RBR without the prestige of a world champion and top driver behind the wheel unlike all major competitors. That's not something to be underestimated.  For similar reasons, Ferrari would not be happy with a Raikkonen-Bianchi lineup, even if temporary.

Mclaren Honda is the other path but can anyone imagine Alonso and Ron Dennis in the same room? Mclaren seems like a chilly place to begin with, that would make it positively arctic. On the plus side, Fernando would have plenty extra cash to keep his Dasha in Chanel.

Presumably, at some point, Ferrari would lose Banco Santander's sponsorship and a major opportunity will open up for branding. Finding out who'll pony up to put their stickers on certainly the most prestigious side pods in F1 will be interesting and a measure of F1's health.

It's all not confirmed of course and not likely to be until after the big FIAT-Chrysler's Wall Street debut on October 13. Sergio Marchionne will officially step in for Luca di Montezemolo at the helm of Ferrari and it will be a whole new chapter for the Scuderia.

"Qualify Driving" at Suzuke with Ayrton Senna

Post by Axis of Oversteer.

Watching this video I thought of all the talk about making current F1 more of a challenge for drivers... Basic aero, three pedals, a stick and super sticky tires anyone?

Max Verstappen caption contest

Max Verstappen will debut this friday in the first free practice for the Japanese GP in a Toro Rosso.

Today is his 17th birthday.

Do your best/worst

2013 Japanese GP Executive Summary

Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

It could have been quite a different race.  For once it was not just Webber who had a bad start, both Red Bull got caught napping not only by  Grosjean who rocketed past Vettel on his left but Hamilton who had beaten the German off the line and looked set to slice on the inside of Webber.
But it all lasted maybe 200 meters.  Hamilton's right rear made contact with Vettel's front wing and was instantly punctured. Game over for Lewis,  no damage for Vettel.   It might have been a more interesting race with Red Bull having to manage from further down in the field.

Speed vs Traction: What does 3/4 of a second look like?

With Formula 1 is a game of tenths. In qualifying for the Japanese GP at Suzuka all the top ten drivers were in the same second.   Sometimes it's hard to visualize how that happens and what it actually means on track.

Samurai Spirit

#JAPGP - Keeping the Samurai spirit http://t.co/UDjxiMXCcL
— Scuderia Ferrari (@InsideFerrari) October 8, 2013

Dear @InsideFerrari : enough with this "samurai spirit", how about some samurai action? #F1
— Axis Of Oversteer (@AxisOfOversteer) October 8, 2013

2012 Japanese GP Executive Summary

Nobody likes a race won because of an obvious technical advantage and Sebastian Vettel may have been aware of this when, despite his team's calls for him to sandbag and/or save the car, he pushed to get fast lap of the race on the penultimate lap.

Pole,  a win leading every lap and fast lap of the race is beyond a hat trick, it is the demonstration of Red Bull's hunger and Adrian Newey's genius,  finding a half second over the field like that at this point in the season is remarkable, add a driver that when ahead makes no mistakes and it's unbeatable.

Vettel is now a mere 4 points from Alonso who ran into a whole lot of Raikkonen issues at Suzuka, Kimi's spin in qualifying compromised his one hot lap and Kimi's front wing cut his tire at the start. Game over for Fernando who score no points once again through no fault of his own or Ferrari.

That's racing but if Kimi suffered no effects from his first corner indiscretion not so his team mate Grosjean who got nailed with yet another type of penally, a 10 second stop and go...I can't remember the last time I saw one of those in F1. His under the microscope but I'm not sure he deserved all of it, Webber had one of his trademark shit stats and was not exactly flying through the decreasing radius turn 2. Grosjean was in maybe too busy looking at Perez on the outside. In any case, it's him again making contact so there was no way in hell he was going to get away with it.

It's possible that today we caught a glint of what Ferrari might know about Checo Perez, he certainly was "put in his place" by Raikkonen and made a pretty silly mistake when he spun off. I still like him very much as a driver though and his first move on Lewis was a slap in the face at the guy who considers (and is considered by many) as the best braker in F1.

Hamilton was pretty much a ghost and the impression one gets is that of much sour grapes in that garage. Mclaren is in a bind, there are doubts Button is the kind of driver who can really push a team and Perez is an unknown in that situation.

Button, with a car that up until the previous race had been the fastest, could do little about Kobayashi who had a fantastic race except for the restart when he seemed to fall asleep. Don't these guys watch any American racing? Only Vettel I guess.

Button could also do little about Massa who finally was able to get a good result after two years. Massa was faster than Fernando all week end except for the one crucial lap in Q2 on Saturday. It must leave a more bitter taste in Alonso's mouth to know he had a car good enough for second. But pointless to look back, Ferrari's goose is as good as cooked unless they react as strongly as Red Bull has and that takes more than just money and effort, that takes genius, evil or otherwise. That or luck and Alonso's may have run out of his allotment this year.

Kamui Kobayashi and Felipe Massa by Paul-Henry Cahier

Buzzword: Micro Aerodynamics

Super slow motion comparison between the Mclaren and the Red Bull front wings during free practice at Suzuka.

 Beyond the intricate shapes it's interesting to see how each part moves differently. This of course is by design, while the flex in this case is induced by hitting the curb allowing us to see it,   each one of those winglets and vanes is studied and constructed with the idea that it will change angle even ever so slightly at speed, altering those magic "air curtains" that function as containment for other downforce producing airflows.   It's mind-blowing.    Mclaren and Red Bull are at the forefront of this trend as both results and extra FIA attention attest.

Pos  Driver                Team                  Time               Laps
 1.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault      1m32.493s            34
 2.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes      1m32.707s  + 0.214   32
 3.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault      1m32.836s  + 0.343   37
 4.  Nico Hulkenberg       Force India-Mercedes  1m32.987s  + 0.494   30
 5.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari               1m33.093s  + 0.600   28
 6.  Romain Grosjean       Lotus-Renault         1m33.107s  + 0.614   35
 7.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes      1m33.349s  + 0.856   22
 8.  Bruno Senna           Williams-Renault      1m33.499s  + 1.006   35
 9.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari               1m33.614s  + 1.121   32
10.  Michael Schumacher    Mercedes              1m33.750s  + 1.257   13
11.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes              1m33.866s  + 1.373   19
12.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari        1m33.903s  + 1.410   36
13.  Kamui Kobayashi       Sauber-Ferrari        1m33.983s  + 1.490   33
14.  Kimi Raikkonen        Lotus-Renault         1m34.291s  + 1.798   12
15.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Renault      1m34.300s  + 1.807   33
16.  Daniel Ricciardo      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m34.863s  + 2.370   32
17.  Jean-Eric Vergne      Toro Rosso-Ferrari    1m35.080s  + 2.587   34
18.  Heikki Kovalainen     Caterham-Renault      1m35.711s  + 3.218   41
19.  Vitaly Petrov         Caterham-Renault      1m35.870s  + 3.377   37
20.  Timo Glock            Marussia-Cosworth     1m36.194s  + 3.701   32
21.  Charles Pic           Marussia-Cosworth     1m36.636s  + 4.143   28
22.  Pedro de la Rosa      HRT-Cosworth          1m37.342s  + 4.849   30
23.  Narain Karthikeyan    HRT-Cosworth          1m37.701s  + 5.208   35
24.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes  No time               2

All Timing Unofficial

2011 Japanese GP: Ring Ding Ding edition

There have been a number of incidents in the last couple of years where teams and drivers have been criticized for making the safe play and banking precious points. If anything Sunday's race in Japan shows how very important it is to get the job done and over with.

Sebastian Vettel may be criticized for some for his very Schumacher-esque opening move on gentleman Jenson Button but, let's get real, this is F1, he was on pole and he made the move to defend his position. Why every yard counts became clear later in the race, when a combination of Jenson's mastery of tire management and less than perfect timing by Red Bull relegated Vettel to P2 and later P3 behind Alonso's Ferrari. Sure Vettel needed only one point but you just can never take anything for granted when the big prize is in site.



In the latter stages of the race Red Bull sent out the order for Vetter (and Webber) to hold station, Safe, yes but it's obvious Mclaren has developed a car that is a real threat and who knows what could happen in the remaining races, you have a chance to seal a Championship, you do it. period.

There is little doubt Vettel is a deserving double champion. Red Bull gave him an awesome car but, as Webber showed this season, that is not enough. Seb made many mistakes in the past, but unlike other highly regarded drivers in the field, he has not repeated them, he learned from the past.

Speaking of, the Massa, Hamilton thing is getting to be comical. Those two are like those magnetic dog toys, always finding each others butt. I'm not sure how Massa thought he was going to pass Hamilton on the outside of the chicane, but for sure Ham turned out on him. His, not doubt PR scripted, excuse was that he could not see him. Balls, but whatever.

The podium in Japan saw the best drivers in Formula 1 at this moment in time, one single and two double World Champions. A good snapshot of this season and, hopefully a prelude of things to come. Next year the storyline will be the fight among those three and the outsider, Hamilton trying to get his game back together and into the top tier once again.



.

As the Ham turns...

Today Lewis Hamilton managed to blow his chance at pole and destroy Schumacher and Webber's final go in the process. Afterwards he flipped off Grandpa in the pits and complained to the media that Schumacher's pass was dangerous, despite having done precisely the same himself in Singapore two weeks ago.

Hamilton slowed down too much to get a gap for his final flying lap leaving no choice for Webber and Schumacher but go around him or risk not making the cut. Webber made it, Schumacher ended up with dirt all over his tires and out of time and Hamilton, well, he was left hanging.

Prediction for tomorrow's race? Well, given how Vettel pulled 4/10ths out of the hat just like that and how RBR has been solid on long runs, he will run away with it.
If we are lucky, either Hamilton or Alonso will do something fun at the start and get around. If that happens perhaps Vettel will want to push and win the championship with a win, not points. Hey there's always hope, right?

Pos  Driver                Team                 Time         Gap   
 1.  Sebastian Vettel      Red Bull-Renault     1m30.466s           
 2.  Jenson Button         McLaren-Mercedes     1m30.475s  + 0.009  
 3.  Lewis Hamilton        McLaren-Mercedes     1m30.617s  + 0.151  
 4.  Felipe Massa          Ferrari              1m30.804s  + 0.338  
 5.  Fernando Alonso       Ferrari              1m30.886s  + 0.420  
 6.  Mark Webber           Red Bull-Renault     1m31.156s  + 0.690  
 7.  Kamui Kobayashi        Sauber             no time                
 8.  Vitaly Petrov         Renault              no time                
 9.  Bruno Senna           Renault              no time                
10.  Michael Schumacher       Mercedes       no time                

Q2 cut-off time: 1m32.380s                                   Gap **
11.  Adrian Sutil          Force India-Mercedes 1m32.463s  + 1.997
12.  Paul di Resta         Force India-Mercedes 1m32.746s  + 2.280
13.  Rubens Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth    1m33.079s  + 2.613
14.  Pastor Maldonado      Williams-Cosworth    1m33.224s  + 2.758
15.  Sebastien Buemi       Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m33.227s  + 2.761
16.  Jaime Alguersuari     Toro Rosso-Ferrari   1m33.427s  + 2.961
17.  Sergio Perez          Sauber-Ferrari       no time           
Q1 cut-off time: 1m35.111s                                   Gap *
18.  Heikki Kovalainen     Lotus-Renault        1m35.454s   + 4.988     
19.  Jarno Trulli          Lotus-Renault        1m35.514s   + 5.048     
20.  Jerome D'Ambrosio     Virgin-Cosworth      1m36.439s   + 5.973     
21.  Timo Glock            Virgin-Cosworth      1m36.507s   + 6.041     
22.  Daniel Ricciardo      HRT-Cosworth         1m37.846s   + 7.380     
23.  Nico Rosberg          Mercedes             no time                 
24.  Tonio Liuzzi          HRT-Cosworth         no time                 

107% time: 1m39.109s

* Gap to quickest in Q1

** Gap to quickest in Q2

.

2010 Japanese Grand Prix Executive Summary

Not very much to say about the Japanese Grand Prix, aside from the first lap carnage and the various odd failures, it was a Red Bull domination and a set piece. I think it was clear Webber was not attacking Vettel, probably an understanding between the two drivers and a good strategic move by Red Bull for once.

Damage limitation for Alonso, Massa's future seriously in question. Mclaren not up to speed and still not sure who made the call on Button's tire strategy. Disaster for Hamilton whose brand new gearbox broke, meaning yet another five spot grid penalty for the next race. I stand corrected on that, see comments. For the life of me I cannot figure how that regulation makes any sense...
Schumacher showed some of the old form with a great, clean pass on Barrichello at the "Senna-Prost" chicane. Kubica and Rosberg's races ruined by wheels coming off their cars.

The highlight of the race, undoubtedly Kamui Kobayashi's hairpin haikus, which were brief moments of awesomeness in between boredom and silly crashes. Suzuka is still a great track though I think 130R might have to be renamed 130ZZZ if the guys can keep going through it flat and with only one hand on the wheel!

Championship now looks more like a three way fight, though Hamilton and Button are not out out of it by any means.

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

Pos  Driver        Team                       Time
 1.  Vettel        Red Bull-Renault           1h30:27.323
 2.  Webber        Red Bull-Renault           +     0.905
 3.  Alonso        Ferrari                    +     2.721
 4.  Button        McLaren-Mercedes           +    13.522
 5.  Hamilton      McLaren-Mercedes           +    39.595
 6.  Schumacher    Mercedes                   +    59.933
 7.  Kobayashi     Sauber-Ferrari             +  1:04:038
 8.  Heidfeld      Sauber-Ferrari             +  1:09.648
 9.  Barrichello   Williams-Cosworth          +  1:10.846
10.  Buemi         Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +  1:12.806
11.  Alguersuari   Toro Rosso-Ferrari         +     1 lap
12.  Kovalainen    Lotus-Cosworth             +     1 lap
13.  Trulli        Lotus-Cosworth             +    2 laps
14.  Glock         Virgin-Cosworth            +    2 laps
15.  Senna         HRT-Cosworth               +    2 laps
16.  Yamamoto      HRT-Cosworth               +    3 laps
17.  Rosberg       Mercedes                   +    5 laps

Fastest lap: Webber, 1:33.474

World Championship standings, round 16:                

Drivers:                    Constructors:             
 1.  Webber       220        1.  Red Bull-Renault          426
 2.  Alonso       206        2.  McLaren-Mercedes          381
 3.  Vettel       206        3.  Ferrari                   334
 4.  Hamilton     192        4.  Mercedes                  176
 5.  Button       189        5.  Renault                   133
 6.  Massa        128        6.  Force India-Mercedes       60
 7.  Rosberg      122        7.  Williams-Cosworth          58
 8.  Kubica       114        8.  Sauber-Ferrari             37
 9.  Schumacher    54        9.  Toro Rosso-Ferrari         11
10.  Sutil         47       
11.  Barrichello   41       
12.  Kobayashi     27       
13.  Petrov        19       
14.  Hulkenberg    17       
15.  Liuzzi        13       
16.  Buemi          8       
17.  De la Rosa     6       
18.  Heidfeld       4       
19.  Alguersuari    3       
       

Hamilton takes a five spot grid penalty in Japan!

Week end going from bad to worse for Mclaren and Lewis Hamilton. BBC reports the team was forced to change the gearbox on Hamiltons car which will result in a five spot penalty after today's delayed qualifying. Qualifying will take place at 11PM ET, not sure yet if SpeedTV will carry it live before the race.

Another hard blow for Lewis' championship chase.

"In P3 (final practice) we noticed abnormal gearbox oil pressure on Lewis's car which we believed we had corrected ahead of this afternoon's qualifying session," said a McLaren team statement.
"This afternoon, as we fired up Lewis's car several times in preparation for qualifying, we became aware that the symptoms were worse than we'd originally diagnosed.
"A decision was later taken to change the gearbox ahead of tomorrow's qualifying session and the grand prix. As a result, Lewis will receive a five-place grid penalty for tomorrow's race."

(BBC)

"Guys, it's impossible to drive out here!"

That was Lewis Hamilton during the final practice session at Suzuka. Look at the Mclaren barely staying on the road despite "monsoon" tires. Only two cars put in timed laps and I have to wonder what will happen if the weather stays like that for qualifying... They may have to be run tomorrow morning before the race!


Hamilton wet practice lap @ Suzuka 2010


end of post

Japanese GP Practice: RedBulls Fly, Hamilton Turns in Early

Wow, that's three crashes in three racing week ends for Lewis Hamilton. This one, in the the first Friday practice session, was especially strange: he just turned in too early and went straight off on exit. Brain fade which cost him a lot of track time, only ran his Mclaren nine laps in the first practice and eight in the second.

Red Bulls dominated, seven tenths to the next fastest car, Renault. Almost nine tenths to Alonso' Ferrari! However, there is a good chance qualifying will to be in the wet.

Pos  Driver         Team                    Time              Laps
 1.  Vettel         Red Bull-Renault        1:31.465            31
 2.  Webber         Red Bull-Renault        1:31.860  + 0.395   29
 3.  Kubica         Renault                 1:32.200  + 0.735   32
 4.  Alonso         Ferrari                 1:32.362  + 0.897   34
 5.  Massa          Ferrari                 1:32.519  + 1.054   35
 6.  Button         McLaren-Mercedes        1:32.533  + 1.068   28
 7.  Petrov         Renault                 1:32.703  + 1.238   32
 8.  Schumacher     Mercedes                1:32.831  + 1.366   27
 9.  Sutil          Force India-Mercedes    1:32.842  + 1.377   26
10.  Hulkenberg     Williams-Cosworth       1:32.851  + 1.386   26
11.  Rosberg        Mercedes                1:32.880  + 1.415   26
12.  Kobayashi      Sauber-Ferrari          1:33.471  + 2.006   31
13.  Hamilton       McLaren-Mercedes        1:33.481  + 2.016   8
14.  Barrichello    Williams-Cosworth       1:33.564  + 2.099   16
15.  Heidfeld       Sauber-Ferrari          1:33.697  + 2.232   33
16.  Buemi          Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1:34.005  + 2.540   32
17.  Alguersuari    Toro Rosso-Ferrari      1:34.055  + 2.590   37
18.  Liuzzi         Force India-Mercedes    1:34.310  + 2.845   33
19.  Kovalainen     Lotus-Cosworth          1:36.095  + 4.630   37
20.  Trulli         Lotus-Cosworth          1:36.333  + 4.868   33
21.  di Grassi      Virgin-Cosworth         1:36.630  + 5.165   28
22.  Glock          Virgin-Cosworth         1:36.834  + 5.369   28
23.  Senna          HRT-Cosworth            1:37.352  + 5.887   33
24.  Yamamoto       HRT-Cosworth            1:37.831  + 6.366   34

All Timing Unofficial

end of post

Suzuka Snoozer

At least that's what it looked like from the outside. From the inside, it looked a lot more exciting.

There was only one real good passing move on the track, a great move by Button on Kubica, the rest of the race was an all too familiar procession. With cars regulated to be so similar that a 3/10th difference in lap time in qualifying makes the driver a hero or a Grojean, it's no wonder there is almost no passing on track during the race. Even though Suzuka is an awesome track and all the top drivers drove great stints, I found Trulli gloating about how he was able to pass Hamilton in the pits, sad.



The Kovalainen-Sutil scrap is in the clip after the jump. Anyone else surprised Sutil did the same "donut" maneuver as in Singapore?

Wacky Qualy

Crazy Qualifying, bad day for Red Bull/Toro Rosso mechanics.

My daughter Arabella made a suggestion for the highlight reel...

Pos  Driver       Team
 1.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault
 2.  Trulli       Toyota
 3.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes 
 4.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber
 5.  Raikkonen    Ferrari  
 6.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota
 7.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber
 8.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  *
 9.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        *
10.  Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari
11.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        *
12.  Fisichella   Ferrari
13.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      **
14.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    *
15.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota
16.  Grosjean     Renault
17.  Alonso       Renault               *
18.  Liuzzi       Force India-Mercedes  **
19.  Glock        Toyota                ***
20.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      ***

*   Five-place grid penalty
**  Five-place grid penalty for changing gearbox
*** Will use new chassis so will start from the pitlane