Vettel loses his spark, all but hands Hamilton the title
For the second race in a row a late-breaking Ferrari mechanical problem has prematurely ended the day of one of their drivers, but unlike Kimi Raikkonen’s woes in not starting at Sepang this had wider-ranging impact.
Sebastian Vettel started the race, but was immediately off the pace and quickly back in the garage retired. This cleared the way for Lewis Hamilton to win and open a near unassailable lead in the title race. His win was not without some drama, after holding Max Verstappen at bay all day Hamilton began to have tyre issues late in the race, only narrowly holding on to top spot.
Hamilton now goes to Austin in a fortnight with the chance to win the championship. Here’s Giles Richards’ race report from Suzuka:
Updated
Hamilton wins, but equally important was Vettel’s spark plug fiasco that has left him with only a mathematical chance of winning the title. Lewis goes to Austin for the US Grand Prix in two weeks with an opportunity to clinch the title.
INITIAL CLASSIFICATION: Huge day for @LewisHamilton in the 2017 title race - he's now 59 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/evU0XWRZu8
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 8, 2017
I take it after last week’s Stroll vs Vettel debacle everyone will be paying attention on the post-chequered flag laps this time?
The final standings:
1. Hamilton
2. Verstappen
3. Ricciardo
4. Bottas
5. Raikkonen
6. Ocon
7. Perez
8. Magnussen
9. Grosjean
10. Massa
Outside the points
11. Alonso
12. Palmer
13. Gasly
14. Vandoorne
15. Wehrlein
And your DNFers
16. Stroll
17. Hulkenberg
18. Ericsson
19. Vettel
20. Sainz
Hamilton wins at Suzuka
Lap 53 - Lewis Hamilton wins. Just when it looked ropey for him with tyre vibration issues he managed to drop Alonso and Massa between himself and Verstappen, allowing him to extend his lead and hold on to win.
In the battle for third Ricciardo narrowly holds off Bottas by less than a second to take the last podium place.
Lap 52 - Just as Verstappen looked like he was going to take on Hamilton he got stuck behind Alonso himself. That’s saved Hamilton’s bacon.
Lap 51 - The gap is down to 1.5 seconds with two laps left! Hamilton reports vibration in his tyres, and with two laps remaining Verstappen is rapidly gaining on him. Lewis is also having to deal with the Massa vs Alonso battle.
Lap 50 - Hamilton has successfully retained his safety pre-safety car lead. He’s still 2.6 seconds ahead of Verstappen.
Bottas is just 2.2 back from Ricciardo now.
There’s a big battle for 10th between Massa and Alonso, with just half a second behind them.
Virtual safety car ends
Lap 49 - When they restart Hamilton’s going to have to contend with some backmarkers. It could be Verstappen’s only hope of pinching an unlikely victory.
They’re back racing now.
Virtual safety car out again
Lap 48 - Stroll’s car is too close to the track for comfort, so we’re under safety car again. Replays show a issue with his front suspension or right front wheel that shot him off the track. It’s his first retirement in 13 races, and he’s lucky that it happened where it did or he might have been into the barrier at speed.
We’ve got 15 runners and four laps left at Suzuka.
Lap 47 - Lance Stroll is off, and in a frightening moment he came back across the track and got uncomfortably close to Ricciardo’s car. The Red Bull didn’t have to take evasive action but there was a moment of panic watching it live.
Lap 46 - Lewis is doing as he likes at the front, still 2.6 ahead of Verstappen entering the final stages of the race. It’s 3.5 seconds between Bottas and Ricciardo, so the Mercedes man will need to push hard to have a chance.
Lap 45 - With only eight laps to go Verstappen isn’t doing enough to cut into Hamilton’s lead. He’s still three seconds behind. In the race for third Bottas is only 3.5 seconds behind Ricciardo now.
Lap 44 - Hamilton’s lead is now out to over three seconds. Max’s challenge may have come to an end.
Lap 43 - After that brief interval where Verstappen started to cut into Hamilton’s lead he’s back down to 2.7 behind at the end of the lap.
Meanwhile the next big battle might be Ricciardo vs Bottas for third. The Australian is 5.5 seconds ahead.
Lap 42 - Down the field Massa and Magnussen touch wheels as the Haas man bravely ducks through a gap before shouting “Goodbye!” through his radio. Massa also drops behind Grosjean.
The lead is still 2.3 seconds. No need for Lewis to do anything crazy from here.
Lap 41 - After staying out of the pits for so long Renault have got another one quicker than expected, with Hulkenberg having to pull in because his DRS has locked on. Classic scenes in the pits as a mechanic violently hammers at the back of the car with his fist to try and fix it. Sadly brute force didn’t help and he’s out of the race.
Hamilton continues to hold the lead, but Verstappen is chipping away ever so slowly and cutting the lead below 2.5 seconds.
Lap 40 - The gap is still 2.4 seconds, it’s like the front two are running under a Virtual Safety Car.
Meanwhile Palmer did sadly pit in the end, ruining my hope of a Benny Hill style chase scene across Japan.
Lap 39 - The lead is hovering around 2.5, Verstappen is going to need some luck to get close enough to have a go at Hamilton from here.
Hulkenberg finally comes in, returning to the race in 13th. That leaves Jolyon Palmer the last man who hasn’t been in - maybe he’ll just drive the car out the gate at Suzuka and tell the people who just sacked him to come and get it.
Lap 38 - Max is starting chip away at Hamilton’s lead now, he got to within 2.3 seconds by the end of the lap but is still nowhere near close enough to have a crack at overtaking.
Lap 37 - It’s now just under 2.5 seconds in front for Hamilton, again not much change.
Down the field the two Renault cars still haven’t been in.
Lap 36 - It’s another lap with little change at the front, with Hamilton still 2.5 in front of Verstappen’s Red Bull.
If you’re just joining us, Sebastian Vettel was an early retirement. His mechanics worked on a spark plug issue in the minutes before the race started, but on lights out he was lacking power and had to pull out.
Lap 35 - Max isn’t letting Hamilton go, slicing 0.1 off his lead on that lap.
Hulkenberg and Palmer still haven’t been in, meaning Magnussen and Grosjean will likely move into the points after they pit.
Lap 34 - The lead is still 2.6 seconds, so if Hamilton is having rubber drama it isn’t impacting his times yet.
Lap 33 - Hamilton is starting to have some struggles with his rear tyres, giving Verstappen some hope as he finishes the lap 2.6 seconds behind the leader. With Ricciardo 12 seconds behind the leader it’s looking like a race of two contenders at the moment.
Lap 32 - The current top 10:
1. Hamilton
2. Verstappen (3.0 seconds behind)
3. Ricciardo
4. Bottas
5. Hulkenberg
6. Raikkonen
7. Ocon
8. Perez
9. Palmer
10. Massa
Lap 31 - Hamilton’s got 3.1 seconds on Verstappen now, and Max is seven seconds ahead of Ricciardo in third.
Hulkenberg and Palmer of Renault are the only drivers not to pit, while Pascal Wehrlein has been in
three times.
Lap 30 - Hamilton continues to build a lead, now 2.6 seconds as Verstappen continues to look for a way ahead of Bottas. Finally he gets past when Mercedes call their man into the pit.
Lap 29 - Raikkonen emerges from the pits in 6th, just ahead of Esteban Ocon. At the front of the field, Verstappen can’t get close enough to Bottas on the home straight to have a crack at second. Hamilton continues to lead Bottas by 1.9 and Verstappen by 2.5.
Lap 28 - Bottas moves over, allowing Hamilton to jump back into the lead but remains in front of Verstappen to retain third. Great news for Lewis, giving him clear air to build his lead.
Lap 27 - Bottas continues to lead by 1.4 seconds, and now it’s starting to become a problem for Mercedes as Verstappen gets to within a second of Hamilton and puts him in DRS range.
Lap 26 - Hamilton is 1.4 seconds behind Bottas, but for now can afford to wait for his teammate to pit because he’s got 2.1 seconds on Verstappen’s Red Bull. Unless he does the team thing and moves over!
Updated
Lap 25 - Ricciardo is in at the end of the lap, gifting the lead to Bottas. Hamilton is into second and two seconds ahead of Verstappen.
We’ve still got 17 runners. Ericsson, Vettel and Sainz are the retirements as we see Hulkenberg run ride and narrowly miss impact with a barrier. He’s still sixth but hasn’t pitted.
Lap 24 - Approaching the halfway mark of the race, Ricciardo leads by 4.1 seconds for now but and Hamilton has a 1.7 second buffer on Verstappen.
Lap 23 - Ricciardo and Bottas hold the top two spots now by virtue of not having pitted yet. More importantly the margin between Hamilton and Verstappen has closed to just under two seconds. They’re currently running third and fourth.
Lap 22 - Hamilton is in as well, just after setting the fastest lap of the race. Ricciardo takes the lead temporarily. Lewis gets out in front of Verstappen for 3rd.
Lap 21 - Lewis Hamilton is on the move now, extending the lead to 5.7 seconds. Verstappen is in and out quickly, and he narrowly holds Raikkonen out for 4th.
Ocon is the first of the major players to come into the pits, and he loses half a second with a slow tyre change. It costs him position, coming out behind 11th placed Fernando Alonso.
Updated
Lap 20 - Raikkonen takes Perez around the outside on the first turn to grab 6th and give Ferrari fans something to cheer about today. He’ll be in Ocon’s mirrors before long at this rate.
At the front it’s a lead of over five seconds for Hamilton now.
Lap 19 - Raikkonen is starting to hunt down Perez in the battle for 6th, he’s just 0.6 of a second behind now. At the front it’s steady as you go, with Verstappen still 4.6 seconds behind.
Lap 18 - Sergio Perez sets the fastest lap of the race, and he’s on Ocon’s tail now.
Massa is the first to come in for a planned stop, dropping out of ninth and temporarily pushing Roman Grosjean into the top 10.
Hamilton still leads the Grand Prix by 4.6 seconds.
Lap 17 - The lead is slowly growing, now 4.5 seconds. Ricciardo still not making much impact on Verstappen, 8.5 seconds back and likewise Bottas not mounting an immediate challenge for third.
Lap 16 - The margin is now 4.4 seconds, and this says it all...
AS IT STANDS:
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 8, 2017
HAM 59 points clear of VET in the championship
Vettel needs a big favour from the Red Bulls...#JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/a6MiAgZ38E
Lap 15 - Ricciardo isn’t making any progress from third, still 7.7 seconds behind Verstappen. Ocon is holding Perez in the race for 5th, 1.8 seconds ahead.
Lap 14 - For now it’s all Hamilton, more than four seconds ahead in the front now.
Slightly further down the field, Raikkonen is up to 7th, easily ducking in front of Felipe Massa on the straight.
Lap 13 - Verstappen is 3.5 seconds behind Hamilton, but thanks to Ricciardo’s earlier struggles to get past the Force India he’s a further 6.5 in front of his teammate in third.
Ocon will avoid dropping another spot for now, but he’s only got a second lead on Sergio Perez now.
Lap 12 - For the second lap in a row Ocon loses out on the straight, dropping fourth place to Bottas. In front the lead is growing, with Hamilton now almost 3.5 seconds in front.
Our top 10 as it stands
1. Hamilton
2. Verstappen
3. Ricciardo
4. Bottas
5. Ocon
6. Perez
7. Massa
8. Raikkonen
9. Hulkenberg
10. Magnussen
Lap 11 - Ricciardo grabs Ocon on the straight as the lap starts and takes third place. After being held up pre-safety car that brings him into contention for the rest of the race.
Ocon is now only 0.5 ahead of Bottas in 5th and 1.2 in front of Perez in 6th.
Safety Car ends
Lap 10 - The race is back on in earnest, as Ricciardo has a look at Ocon but can’t get close enough to make a move. Verstappen is now 2.9 seconds behind Hamilton.
Lap 9 - As Ericsson’s car is hauled away by a crane we’re still under the virtual safety car. Hamilton leads from Verstappen and Ocon.
More safety car action (this time virtual)
Lap 8 - Marcus Ericsson is out. He’s in the barrier in the Sauber and he’s finished for the day. Hamilton holds his lead, now almost three seconds ahead.
The virtual safety car is now out.
Updated
Lap 7 - The gap is now 1.7 seconds, as Lewis begins to pull away from Verstappen with a new fastest lap of the race.
Lap 6 - Hamilton is maintaining his lead, still 1.3 seconds in front of Verstappen. They’re both pulling away from Ocon in the Force India in third. He’s about 0.9 ahead of Ricciardo in their battle.
The other big loser from the start is Vandoorne who has dropped six places to 16th.
Lap 5 - Our top 10 as it stands:
1. Hamilton
2. Verstappen (1.3 behind)
3. Ocon
4. Ricciardo
5. Bottas
6. Perez
7. Massa
8. Hulkenberg
9. Raikkonen
10. Magnussen
Wehrlein last on track in 18th.
Vettel is OUT
Lap 4 - Hamilton retains the lead, now 1.2 seconds in front of Verstappen with Ocon third but more importantly Vettel is OUT. The garage has called him in to retire. Great news for Lewis, tragic news for the title race.
Safety car in. Race to recommence.
Lap 3 - Vettel has reported to the pits that he was losing power in the opening lap. His title challenge is in big trouble if he can’t make it to the end of the race. After two years of retirement free Japanese GPs this one is already looking tasty.
Safety car deployed
Lap 2 - The safety car is out to deal with Sainz’s car. He’s been eliminated from his last race for Toro Rosso. There was no contact he put himself off, and quickly apologised to his garage.
Updated
Lap 1 - Hamilton retains the lead by 1.4 seconds, but Verstappen grabs Vettel napping and pinches second place. Sainz has run wide and sits last, while Raikonnen has also taken a quick excursion off track but has survived.
Vettel is down to sixth. The spark plug has had its revenge! Raikkonen is 15th.
Updated
Hamilton leads at Suzuka!
Hamilton shuts the door on an early challenge from Vettel to retain his lead into the first corner, as Ricciardo drops two positions.
Everyone’s made it through the warm-up lap and they’re forming up on the grid now. Strap yourselves in, a start is imminent.
And they’re off for the formation lap. We’re just couple of minutes away from a start at Suzuka.
Ferrari fans turn on the TV. See usual panic unfolding. pic.twitter.com/P5HGyFz5Ec
— Grand Prix Diary (@GrandPrixDiary) October 8, 2017
Ferrari are already working on a mechanical issue with Vettel’s car. They’ve had the engine cover off to work on a spark plug, and for the second week in a row think they’ve fixed the issue. Let’s hope he has more success getting to the grid than Raikkonen in Malaysia.
Updated
Defending champion Nico Rosberg is holding a microphone in pit lane, but we’re not short of previous winners in Japan. Vettel’s done it four times, Hamilton three and Alonso twice.
Either that or he’s casting a spell on somebody.
SPY: Two podiums in a row and Daniel starts demanding the crew bow down before him as part of the pre-race procedure... #RBspy 🕵️ #F1 pic.twitter.com/rchBjTxU1F
— Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) October 8, 2017
It’s a warm day at Suzuka, and we’re about 15 minutes from lights out and race start.
15 MINUTES TO LIGHTS OUT ⏰
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 8, 2017
Perfect conditions at Suzuka for the #JapaneseGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/wSbvejrW1n
Updated
You never know, enough retirements in the race and he might nick a point.
Olympic gold medals: 4 🥇🥇🥇🥇
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 8, 2017
Time it would take him to run around Suzuka:: 15 mins 🎽⏱
Welcome to #F1, @Mo_Farah #JapaneseGP 🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/xHNKqbqodH
I don’t suppose we can come to Suzuka and talk about an F1 title race without the obligatory viewing of Senna vs Prost in 1990.
Pit lane is open and cars on the track.
An interesting stat on the television coverage, no team has ever won a race at Suzuka from the second row of the grid. It’s bad news for the two Red Bull drivers, but a great advertisement for the big title clash between Hamilton and Vettel.
After the various alterations and penalties the grid will look like this:
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
3. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
4. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
5. Esteban Ocon (Force India)
6. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
7. Sergio Perez (Force India)
8. Felipe Massa (Williams)
9. Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
10. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
11. Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
12. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
13. Roman Grosjean (Haas)
14. Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
15. Lance Stroll (Williams)
16. Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
17. Pascal Wehrlein (Sauber)
18. Jolyon Palmer (Renault)
19. Carlos Sainz (Toro Rosso)
20. Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
And a reminder of the top cars in the title race:
1. Hamilton (281)
2. Vettel (247)
3. Bottas (222)
4. Ricciardo (177)
5. Raikkonen (138)
Good afternoon (Suzuka time) wherever you are, and welcome to our coverage of the 2017 Japanese Grand Prix.
To catch up on what’s already happened this weekend:
- In what has been a busy week for the mechanics so far, Carlos Sainz, Roman Grosjean and Kimi Raikkonen all had high-profile shunts. The key outcome was a grid penalty for a gearbox change that dropped Raikkonen, to 10th.
- Lewis Hamilton will start on pole, only needing to keep finishing in front of Sebastian Vettel to claim a fourth world title. Valtteri Bottas originally qualified second, but his gearbox change penalty has vaulted the Ferrari back onto the front row.
- Fernando Alonso fared worst in qualifying, finishing 10th before being handed what seems like an unnecessarily administrative 35 place grid penalty for making a range of component changes. He’ll be lucky if they don’t make him start back in Malaysia after that.
- Jolyon Palmer will drive his last race for Renault, with Carlos Sainz to step into the car for the last four races of the season.
Updated
Adam will be here shortly.
