2010 japanese grand prix articles archive

Lewis Hamilton finished last of the five championship contenders after gearbox trouble in the Japanese Grand Prix but says he was encouraged by the performance of the McLaren: It’s funny, I’ve never believed in luck; I’ve always believed you make your own luck. But that belief has been stretched a bit over the last four … Continue reading Hamilton takes heart from McLaren pace

Mercedes could have avoid getting Michael Schumacher stuck behind Nico Rosberg in the Japanese Grand Prix if they had left his pit stop one lap later, the team have admitted. Schumacher spent almost half the race stuck behind his team mate, which cost him a chance of overtaking Lewis Hamilton’s stricken McLaren for fifth place.

Fernando Alonso isn’t ruling the McLaren drivers out of contention for the championship despite them falling more than 25 points behind Mark Webber in the Japanese Grand Prix. He told the Ferrari website: I still think that the fight for the title is open for five drivers. Too many times this year we’ve seen someone … Continue reading Alonso says five drivers can still win title

It’s advantage Red Bull in the championship after a dominant one-two in the Japanese Grand Prix. Find all the F1 Fanatic coverage of the Suzuka race in one place below – from Friday practice to the post-race review and our live comments on every session.

Sebastian Vettel took points off team mate Mark Webber for the third race in a row, and has halved his team mate’s championship lead in that time. Red Bull were able to translate their performance advantage into a one-two start and finish, giving them a 45-point lead in the constructors’ championship.

Going into the Japanese Grand Prix weekend Felipe Massa had the words of Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo ringing in his ears. Montezemolo made various remarks to the effect that he expected Massa to drive quicker and continue to help support team mate Fernando Alonso’s championship bid. Instead Massa had a weekend so dreadful it … Continue reading Disaster for Massa (Ferrari race review)

Both McLaren drivers finished behind the Red Bulls and Fernando Alonso Suzuka. That means both could be eliminated from championship contention at the next race. More unreliability and a strategic gamble that failed to pay off blunted McLaren’s challenge in Japan.

Heikki Kovalainen all-but confirmed Lotus as the highest-ranked new team in the constructors’ championship by finishing 12th in the Japanese Grand Prix. With Jarno Trulli finishing 13th the team look set to claim tenth in the teams’ championship and win a significant amount of prize money.

Kamui Kobayashi was in great form at his first home race. He passed a string of cars with some astonishing late-braking moves to score points for the sixth time this year. With Nick Heidfeld finishing behind him this was also Sauber’s biggest points haul of the season.

The strategies of the Mercedes drivers came into conflict as Michael Schumacher spent half the race stuck behind Nico Rosberg. But could it have been avoided? Michael Schumacher Nico Rosberg Qualifying position 10 6 Qualifying time comparison (Q3) 1’31.846 (+0.352) 1’31.494 Race position 6 17 Average race lap 1’43.533 (-0.994) 1’44.527 Laps 53/53 47/53 Pit … Continue reading Schumacher sixth (Mercedes race review)

Williams had both cars in the top ten in qualifying again but only scored two points. Still it helped reduce the gap to Force India in the constructors’ championship. Rubens Barrichello Nico Hulkenberg Qualifying position 7 9 Qualifying time comparison (Q3) 1’31.535 (-0.024) 1’31.559 Race position 9 Average race lap 1’43.739 Laps 53/53 0/53 Pit … Continue reading Hulkenberg gets hit (Williams race review)

Sebastien Buemi ended the team’s six-race points drought by bring the car home in the top ten for the first time since the European Grand Prix. Sebastien Buemi Jaime Alguersuari Qualifying position 18 16 Qualifying time comparison (Q1) 1’33.568 (+0.097) 1’33.471 Race position 10 11 Average race lap 1’43.776 (-0.707) 1’44.483 Laps 53/53 52/53 Pit … Continue reading Points at last (STR race review)

Force India failed to score for the fourth time in six races for reason not entirely within their control at Suzuka. That allowed Williams to move within two points of them in the constructors’ championship. Adrian Sutil Vitantonio Liuzzi Qualifying position 15 17 Qualifying time comparison (Q2) 1’32.659 (-0.495) 1’33.154 Race position Average race lap … Continue reading Sutil’s scare (Force India race review)

Robert Kubica looked on course for a strong result in Suzuka – until his wheel fell off. With Petrov crashing out at the start, Renault failed to score for the third time this year. Robert Kubica Vitaly Petrov Qualifying position 3 13 Qualifying time comparison (Q2) 1’32.042 (-0.38) 1’32.422 Race position Average race lap 2’07.363 … Continue reading Failure halts Kubica (Renault race review)

Thanks to the high number of retirements in Suzuka, Bruno Senna scored his best finish to date for HRT. That keeps them ahead of Virgin in 11th place in the constructors’ championship. Sakon Yamamoto Bruno Senna Qualifying position 24 23 Qualifying time comparison (Q1) 1’37.365 (+0.095) 1’37.270 Race position 16 15 Average race lap 1’49.404 … Continue reading Senna’s best finish (HRT race review)