Japanese Grand Prix – Race

October 8, 2006 by paul
Filed under: Uncategorized

I’m surprised that there’s no update to the qualifying session‘s provisional grid … no, wait, I’m not all that surprised. Ho hum.

The race starts at 1am (well, it’ll be 1am where I am) which is an hour earlier than the Chinese GP last week … and hopefully it’ll be another good race.

Weather: track temperature 27°C, air temp 24°C, humidity 40%, wind 5.9m/s (it’s really windy!)

The grid:1=FM, 2=MS, 3=RS, 4=JT, 5=FA, 6=GF, 7=JB, 8=RB, 9=NH, 10=NR, 11=KR, 12=RK, 13=MW, 14=PdlR, 15=VL, 16=CA, 17=DC, 18=RD, 19=SS, 20=TS, 21=TM, 22=SY

So will we see Massa passed before Turn 1 or T2? Officially team orders are banned, but I don’t think Ferrari need to tell FM that he has to let MS past him ASAP and then he’s to hold up the rest of the grid … bit like he did in qualifying.

Bernie Ecclestone tells Speed that he expects MS to win the race (especially with Bridgestone being on “home turf”) but not the championship until the next (and final) race.

Formation lap: This will probably be the only lap Massa leads Schumacher round
Everyone’s off the grid cleanly, around and reforms OK

01/53: FM still ahead in Turn 1
JT passed by FA; JB passes GF

02: FM, MS, RS, FA, JT, JB, GF, NH
RB has a broken front wing – he’ll have to pit at the end of this lap

03: MS fastest lap 1:33.383
MS passes FM – the only surprise there is that it took so long to happen
RB pits for a new nosecone; rejoins in P18

04:MS f/lap 1:32.889

05: MS, FM, RS, FA, JT, JB, GF, NH
RK in P10 is holding up the rest of the field
VL spins his Toro Rosso in the final corner but rejoins in P18

06: MS leads FM by 1.2s
GF has passed JB for P6

07: GF posts a personal f/lap 1:33.677

09: RK is almost 7s behind KR
SS has DC pushing him for P14

10/53: MS, FM, RS, FA, JT, GF, JB, NH

11: RS trails FM by 3.5s; MS has almost 5.5s lead over championship rival FA

12: Toyota preparing for a pit stop

13: JT pits from P6
FA passes RS in to T1 for P3 … and then posts fastest Sector 1

14: FM pits from P2 – 8.3s stop
RS pits too – rejoins in P9, behind JT
FA posts fastest S1 again

15: FA f/lap 1:32.676
GF pits from P3

16: FA pits from P2 – 8.1s – rejoins just ahead of NH and FM

17: JB pits from P2 – rejoins in P10 behind RK

19: MS pits from P1 – 8.9s stop – rejoins still ahead of FA

20/53: MS, FA, FM, KR, JT, RS, GF, RK; JB=9

21: The rear wing CA’s MF1-Spyker failed – replay suggests maybe an engine failure that then broke the rear wing and ripped off the right rear wheel
Lots of debris on the track but no sign of the Safety Car
That’s the first retirement of the race

23: KR finally pits – 8.7s stop
RB pits a second time (after an early stop for a new nose)

24: A marshall makes a crazy dash across the track (at the chicane) to clear some of Albers’ debris

25/53: MS, FA, FM, JT, RS, GF, JB, KR
TM (in P15) is the only driver yet to pit

(Half distance)

27: MS leads FA by 4.9s, who is 5.8s ahead of FM
FA seems to be closing the gap

29: MS – 4.2s – FA – 5.2s – FM

30/53: MS, FA, FM, JT, RS, GF, JB, KR; retirements: CA
JT pits from P5, the first of the 2nd scheduled stops
SS runs wide in Degner2 but makes it back on to the track

31: RS pits from P5 – rejoins behind JT

33: RK runs wide in Degner1 but rejoins OK and retains P10

34: GF pits from P4

35/53: MS, FA, FM, JT, RS, GF, JB, KR
MS – 5.9s – FA – 10.5s – FM

36: FA pits from P2 – 7.2s
FM pits from P3 – 7.9s
JB posts personal f/lap 1:33.451

37: MS pits from P1 – 7.4s stop – rejoins well ahead of FA, almost the length of the pit lane ahead
MS pulls off track after the engine blows in Degna2 – he’s out of the race!
FA can’t win the championship today, but he can make it pretty safe by winning this race

38: JB pits from P2
FM personal f/lap 1:33.296

40/53: FA, FM, KR, GF, JB, JT, RS, NH
FA’s lead over FM is now 9.5s
DC has retired (according to the timing screen, but I didn’t see how/why)

41: MW runs wide and touches the grass exiting the final corner, throwing the car into the tyre wall

42: KR pits from P3 – rejoins P5, ahead of JT

43: RB pits

44: FA’s lead now up to 10.5s

45/53: FA, FM, GF, JB, KR, JT, RS, NH
Retirements: CA, DC, MS, MW

46: FA – 12.1s – FM – 14.0s – GF

48: FA – 14.0s – FM – 13.0s – GF

49: Closest battle: RK pushing teammate NH for P8
RK gets the OK from his race engineer to pass NH

50/53: FA, FM, GF, JB, KR, JT, RS, NH
Retirements: CA, DC, MS, MW

51: SS pits from P17 … and is pushed into the garage
SY spins at the Spoon Curve but rejoins – he was already in last place

52: RK is still 0.8s behind NH

53/53 (final lap): FA takes the chequered flag
FM is ~16s seconds behind in P2
GF is just 7.8s behind FM in P3
P4=JB, 5=KR, 6=JT, 7=RS, 8=NH
9=RK, 10=NR, 11=PdlR, 12=RB, 13=RD, 14=VL, 15=TS, 16=TM, 17=SY
Retirements: CA, DC, MS, MW, SS

So (assuming the results are confirmed) we head in to the final race in Brazil in two weeks (Oct22) with Alonso leading the championship by 10points … but if MS wins and FA doesn’t score, MS will take the title.