So it’s off to Austin, Texas for the US Grand Prix on 23 October with Rosberg pulling away towards the title. It would take a miracle for Hamilton from here, but in the zany world of F1 you never know.
We’re not expecting any touring Australians to drop their pants in pit lane this week, so that’s it for us. Thanks for your time today, especially if you were tuning in from a pre-breakfast Europe. Keep an eye on The Guardian’s F1 coverage in the lead-up to Austin and in two weeks we’ll know more about the future destination of the title.
Happy then?
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRRLLLLLLLLLLLLDDDDDDDDDDD
— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) October 9, 2016
CHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMPPPPPPIIIIIIIIOOOOOOONNNNSS#F1 #JapaneseGP #TheTriple
Your final classification:
1 - Rosberg
2 - Verstappen
3 - Hamilton
4 - Vettel
5 - Raikkonen
6 - Ricciardo
7 - Perez
8 - Hulkenberg
9 - Massa
10 - Bottas
and outside the points:
11 - Grosjean
12 - Palmer
13 - Kvyat
14 - Magnussen
15 - Ericsson
16 - Alonso
17 - Sainz
18 - Button
19 - Nasr
20 - Guttierez
21 - Ocon
22 - Wehrlein
For the second year in a row all the starters have finished at Japan. For a track that has had its fair share of drama over the years Suzuka has been a mechanic’s dream.
It’s also the first season in history where more than one race has seen all cars finish.
Rosberg WINS!
Lap 53 - Nico Rosberg wins the 2016 Japanese F1 Grand Prix. He led from the start and was never headed. He’s now got one hand on the championship.
Still, Lewis isn’t vanquished just yet. After that horror start he fought back to third and minimised the damage in the points race. For the third year in a row Mercedes are the Constructors’ champions.
Lap 52 - Hamilton goes for it! But when he can’t pass Verstappen he has to go straight down the exit road and rejoin the track.
The penultimate lap is complete and Rosberg has got this race won unless something odd happens. Not sure my claims that we we were set for a weird and wonderful GP have entirely come true, but there’s certainly been some interesting moments.
Lap 51 - Mercedes are hopeful of late drama. Let’s hope for their sake it doesn’t happen to the leader. It’s nearly six seconds for Rosberg now, while Verstappen continues to defend solidly to retain second.
Anyone else thinking it's now or never??#cantwatch#JapaneseGP #F1
— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) October 9, 2016
Lap 50 - Late drama notwithstanding Rosberg has got this won. He’s nearly six seconds in front, while Hamilton is sitting almost a second behind third.
Bottas is holding onto the last points position, 0.6 seconds in front of Grosjean as the last two men on the lead lap.
Lap 49 - Verstappen and Hamilton both get past Jolyon Palmer, who helped by locking up when he saw them in his mirrors. The gap at the front of is six seconds, and 0.8 between second and third.
Lap 48 - Rosberg’s lead is safe, while Hamilton gets a little bit closer to Verstappen but still can’t get close enough to have a go. They’re both reaching traffic, so the way this race has gone that will probably end in controversy.
Lap 47 - As it stands Mercedes have got the Constructors’ title won. Why not ask Lewis for his thoughts in the press conference and see what happens?
The gap between Rosberg and Verstappen is 4.9 seconds, and a further 0.5 to Hamilton in third. Vettel has over seven seconds on either side of him in fourth.
Lap 46 - Raikkonen joins in the great backmarker debate. I guess that’s why they call it the blues etc...
Hamilton has another look at Verstappen on the straight but can’t get close enough to have a go. The gap to the leader down to 4.8 seconds as Max pushes to stay in front of Lewis.
Lap 45 - Rosberg holds a 5.2 second lead at the top, while Hamilton continues to attack Verstappen for second place.
Lap 44 - Is that a genuine thanks or a veiled threat? It might be on between the social media teams. The gap between Verstappen and Hamilton is now one second. Here comes Lewis.
Thanks for shifting Mr @RenaultSportF1..
— MERCEDES AMG F1 (@MercedesAMGF1) October 9, 2016
We'll remember that..#JapaneseGP #F1
Lap 43 - Now it’s Hamilton’s turn to have trouble passing, being held up behind Palmer’s Renault. He’s 2.1 seconds behind Verstappen but with a clear track between them now.
Lap 42 - Hamilton is within two seconds of Verstappen now, while Max continues to be aggrieved by a perceived lack of blue flag etiquette. He better start looking behind him instead, Lewis is on the charge.
Lap 41 - Now Verstappen is joining in the anti-backmarker sentiment, describing the blue flag situation as a “joke”. He’s dropped to 6.4 seconds behind Rosberg now.
Bottas currently the last man in the points, 0.9 in front of Grosjean.
Lap 40 - Any suggestion that Rosberg could be caught has seemingly been dismissed as he’s added 1.3 seconds to his lead on that lap. Hamilton continues to lead Vettel by 1.5 seconds, and Lewis is now within four seconds of Verstappen.
Lap 39 - The lead is narrowing at the front, Verstappen is now just 4.2 seconds behind Rosberg. Hamilton has pulled away to 1.6 seconds in front of Vettel.
Lap 38 - The gap at the front is 4.5, while in the battle for third Hamilton has started to pull away from Vettel as they each contend with the backmarkers. Seb has managed to keep calm this time.
Lap 37 - Hamilton’s going about a second a lap better than Rosberg. He and Vettel are gaining on Verstappen.
We’ve still got all our starters. Wehrlein remains the last man on track.
Lap 36 - Vettel is having a look at Hamilton with the soft tyres. He’s less than half a second behind but isn’t close enough to pass Lewis on the straight. Rosberg is still 5.5 seconds in front of Verstappen.
Lap 35 - Our top 10:
1 - Rosberg
2 - Verstappen
3 - Hamilton
4 - Vettel
5 - Raikkonen
6 - Ricciardo
7 - Perez
8 - Hulkenberg
9 - Massa
10 - Bottas
Lap 34 - Hamilton comes out 1.8 seconds in front of Raikkonen, and by the end of the lap he’s almost 2.5 up on him. I wouldn’t want to be the first person to ask him a question at the press conference, but his championship hopes are still alive. Vettel puts on soft tyres but loses position to Hamilton.
Lap 33 - Pit disaster for Daniel Ricciardo, who loses three seconds as the wheel wouldn’t come off. He exits in sixth while Vettel continues to hold the lead, and Hamilton ducks into the pit for hard tyres.
Lap 32 - Rosberg is five seconds in front of Verstappen in the proxy battle for the lead.
Meanwhile it’s disappointing that the Ferrari Twitterist didn’t go with an additional #redrage headline here.
#Seb5 complaining for losing time with backmarkers #JapaneseGP #redseason
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) October 9, 2016
Lap 31 - The Vettel vs Hamilton battle at the front will most likely turn into the race for 3rd or 4th, and Lewis is doing a much better job of it at the moment as he cuts the gap to just over four seconds.
Lap 30 - Vettel is having bad times with the back of the field, losing a second trying to overtake and waving his arm around in anger. The gap is 5.3 seconds to Hamilton and 10.5 to Rosberg.
Lap 29 - Rosberg is into the pits, allowing Vettel to grab the lead. We still haven’t lost any runners, but not for want of trying by the numerous drivers who have had lock-ups or taken off-road excursions.
Lap 28 - Rosberg extends his lead to 6.5 seconds as Verstappen has trouble getting through traffic. Max is in to the pits now, just as Vettel was starting to get close.
Updated
Lap 27 - Carlos Sainz runs off the track in a battle for 10th with Alonso but survives unscathed. Bottas finally pitted only for a delayed stop to leave him in 13th.
Lap 26 - Not a great deal of change at the front, with Verstappen now 4.6 seconds behind. Bottas remains the only man in the points who hasn’t pitted in ninth. Raikkonen comes into the pits for hard tyres.
Lap 25 - Rosberg’s gap is approaching five seconds now, while Ricciardo vs Raikkonen is now within half a second in the race for fifth place.
Lap 24 - Vettel is slowing gaining on Verstappen, and he’s running roughly the same times as Rosberg. Hamilton’s still 11 seconds behind them in fourth.
Lap 23 - Vettel’s now 2.5 seconds behind Verstappen and looming in the Red Bull’s mirrors. It’s now 4.4 seconds in the battle for first.
Lap 22 - Ricciardo and Raikkonen are battling for 5th, the Aussie is 1.3 seconds in front. With Rosberg pulling away to more than four seconds in the lead our only hope for drama might be the battles in the lower half of the points positions.
Lap 21 - The Williams cars are the only top 10 runners who haven’t pitted yet. Bottas is ninth and Massa 10th. Hamilton remains in fourth, 12.2 seconds behind Vettel for third.
Lap 20 - The gap is four seconds, and down the other end of the field Gutierrez is almost the first man to leave the race after spinning but he’s recovered and sits 19th.
Lap 19 - The gap is nearly four seconds at the top of the field now as Rosberg sets the fastest lap of the race. All runners still going and our final runner is Wehrlein - a casual 81 seconds off the pace.
Lap 18 - Verstappen is staying within range of Rosberg but he’s losing about 0.3 of a second every lap. Unless his engine catches a dose of what Lewis’ had at Sepang this race is almost certainly his. Max fans, send a cheque courtesy of The Guardian when the jinx I’ve just unleashed puts him into the lead.
Lap 17 - The current points placings:
1 - Rosberg
2 - Verstappen
3 - Vettel
4 - Hamilton
5 - Ricciardo
6 - Raikkonen
7 - Bottas
8 - Perez
9 - Hulkenberg
10 - Massa
Updated
Lap 16 - After the reliability controversy in Malaysia we’ve still got all our original starters. The first three - Rosberg, Verstappen, Vettel - are separated by 6.1 seconds.
Lap 15 - Rosberg retains his lead, but all the action is down the field where Hamilton is up to fourth. He’s still 13.8 seconds behind his teammate. Bottas is the highest runner who hasn’t pitted in fifth, followed by Massa and Palmer.
Lap 14 - Raikkonen gets past Perez in a surprise triple battle with Palmer, but Hamilton has stayed in front of him to pinch seventh. Lewis grabs Ricciardo’s sixth spot as well. Rosberg leads by 2.6.
Lap 13 - Hamilton leads by virtue of not having pitted yet, while Ricciardo gets past Palmer on the second go after initially running wide. Lewis is in at the end of the lap and Rosberg is back to 1st.
Lap 12 - Perez is back to third after the first round of stops, with Raikkonen 0.7 seconds behind him. Rosberg is coming into pit, and he’s back out without any drama. Vettel pits at the same time and he too exits without drama.
Lap 11 - Ricciardo comes out of the pits right behind Ericsson in the Sauber and it takes him most of the lap to get past. His next target is Jolyon Palmer in the Renault. Rosberg leads by 7.3 seconds.
Lap 10 - Rosberg retains the lead as Verstappen comes into the pits along with Ricciardo. Vettel into second for now.
Here’s a look at what Kimi had to contend with when he ran wide.
LAP 9/53: RAI 🙈
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 9, 2016
The Finn runs wide at Degner... a lucky escape for Kimi#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 #F1 pic.twitter.com/4OYN3Ngwvl
Lap 9 - The gap at the front is nearly six seconds now, and with Perez over seven seconds behind Vettel in fourth that’s bad news for the drivers behind him. Hamilton is still seventh, a second behind Raikkonen.
Lap 8 - Raikkonen briefly puts the car onto the grass but survives, 1.3 seconds in front of Hamilton for sixth. Rosberg continues to lead by 5.4 seconds.
At the other end of the field Button reports that he’s having trouble getting his hard tyres to warm-up appropriately. He’s still sitting last.
Lap 7 - Your classification as it stands:
1 - Rosberg
2 - Verstappen
3 - Vettel
4 - Perez
5 - Ricciardo
6 - Raikkonen
7 - Hamilton
8 - Hulkenberg
9 - Grosjean
10 - Guttierez
11 - Kvyat
12 - Sainz
13 - Bottas
14 - Massa
15 - Alonso
16 - Palmer
17 - Ericsson
18 - Magnussen
19 - Nasr
20 - Ocon
21 - Wehrlein
22 - Button
All cars still on track.
Updated
Lap 6 - Lewis has a look at Hulkenberg, but Nico shuts the door on him. He finally grabs the Force India on the straight to take seventh but is still 17 seconds behind the leader.
Lap 5 - The lead is now 3.8 seconds at the front. Hamilton still sits eighth. Raikkonen has just taken Hulkenberg for sixth so the Hulk is Lewis’ next target. Will the team bring him into the pits early?
Lap 4 - Rosberg continues to lead, this is starting to look like Lewis at Suzuka last year.
Lap 3 - The gap at the front is now just over two seconds and Rosberg’s short term destiny is in his own hands. Perez was 2.2 seconds slower than the three in front of him on that lap, which is allowing Rosberg, Verstappen and Vettel to dash away.
Lap 2 - Rosberg leads and Vettel takes Perez for third on the straight. The start is shocking news for Hamilton, who now has to get past Raikkonen for seventh before he can even think of a go at Hulkenberg. He’s just apologised to the garage for the start. Is that a moment that will be decisive for the championship?
Updated
Lap 1 - It’s Rosberg by 1.5 seconds from Verstappen and Perez. Hamilton’s down to eighth. Ricciardo has a big look at Vettel for fourth as they cross the line but can’t get through.
Lights out - Hamilton’s had a shocker of a start into the first corner! He’s dropped several places as Rosberg shoots off into the distance. Everyone’s safe through the opening turn.
Here we go for the formation lap - the top 10 starters are on the on the soft tires, while the two Williams cars have gone for the mediums. Almost time to go at Suzuka, strap yourself in!
A reminder of how the title race looks:
1 - Rosberg (288 points)
2 - Hamilton (265)
3 - Ricciardo (204)
4 - Raikkonen (160
5 - Vettel (153)
6 - Verstappen (147)
7 - Bottas (80)
8 - Perez (74)
9 - Hulkenberg (50)
10 - Alonso (42)
Now Lewis is prowling the grid looking like he’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders. I can feel it in my bones, something weird and or wonderful is going to happen today.
Is this the greatest hat ever worn? Y/Y
The latest entry for fan hat of the weekend 😅
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 9, 2016
You'd never forget the iconic Suzuka figure of eight layout wearing this 🎩#JapaneseGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/bRovIpq0B2
It’s been a big weekend for Hamilton already. Not only is he fighting to claw back Rosberg’s lead in the title race, but has also been dragged into one of the most slapdash controversies of recent times.
Hamilton’s decision to play with his smartphone on Thursday, making a mockery of the official launch to the race weekend as he used the messaging service’s filters to put rabbit ears on the Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz, and almost crying with laughter as he did so, was widely interpreted as disrespectful.
Next thing he was walking out of another media event, and in the wake of him blowing up like his engine after retiring at Sepang batten down the hatches if he fails to finish or is involved in any sort of controversy on the track today.
Speaking of memorable moments for Australians in F1 this one’s a bit of a cheat because it was at Fuji rather than Suzuki, but remember Mark Webber’s high speed gastrointestinal distress in the wet? The captions really bring this video to life.
#JapaneseGP flashback: Incredibly, @AussieGrit battled on & only a collision with Vettel ended his race - while he was running 2nd 😷💪 pic.twitter.com/sjyVd4XdIN
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 8, 2016
In Malaysia the Australian office got the keys to the F1 live blog and we helped Daniel Ricciardo to a famous victory. It would have got more coverage in this country if his victory hadn’t been overshadowed been some remarkable post-race shenanigans in pit lane.
Nine Australian men who stripped down to swimwear emblazoned with the Malaysian flag have been freed after spending four days in detention.
The men, aged between 25 and 29, pleaded guilty to public nuisance charges. They were were cautioned and discharged on Thursday at court near the formula one race track where they were arrested on Sunday.
There was an extra classic Australian twist when one of the nine was revealed as an advisor to a government minister. The nine were banged up for four nights before being released with a caution.
My fellow Australians, let’s all keep our trousers on if Dan wins again today eh?
Who will be the happiest person at the end of the race today? They’ll be lucky to beat this bride, who celebrated her nuptials with a quick lap around Suzuka.
No truth to the rumour that when the picture was taken she’d just done her tribute to Ayrton Senna vs Alain Prost by punting the groomsmen’s car off into the gravel at the first turn.
Ever wanted to get married at Suzuka? This bride did! #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/fHOabtqb3o
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 8, 2016
Welcome to the 2016 Japanese F1 Grand Prix, where Nico Rosberg can take another step towards the championship. He’ll start on pole after pipping Lewis Hamilton by a narrow margin.
The rest of the grid, including a penalty for Raikkonen for a gearbox change and Button dropping back to last with an engine change.
1 - Rosberg
2 - Hamilton
3 - Verstappen
4 - Ricciardo
5 - Perez
6 - Vettel
7 - Grosjean
8 - Raikkonen
9 - Hulkenberg
10 - Gutierrez
11 - Bottas
12 - Massa
13 - Kvyat
14 - Sainz
15 - Alonso
16 - Palmer
17 - Magnussen
18 - Ericsson
19 - Nasr
20 - Ocon
21 - Wehrlein
22 - Button
Adam will be here shortly. Nico Rosberg will be on pole at Suzuka after pipping Lewis Hamilton in qualifying. Here’s Paul Weaver’s qualifying report:
And, an update on #Snapchat-gate:
Updated
