Japanese Grand Prix – Race

Aaaargh! The PVR failed to record the race! I know it was set to record it because I programmed it on Thursday and checked it on Friday, but this morning there’s no race! In fact nothing has been recorded since Thursday night (and no, it’s not full). ROGERS, YOU SUCK!

Fortunately the race is being repeated this evening, so I’ll do my notes then…

The grid (with *penalties applied): SV, MW, KK, RG, SP, FA, KR, JB*, LH, FM, PRe, PM, NR, DR, NH*, BS, HK, TG, JV*, PRo, CP, VP, MS*, NK
[My notes from Qualifying]

Penalties were:

• JB & NH -5 grid spots for gearbox change
• JV -3 spots for blocking BS in Qualifying
• MS -10 spots for the incident he caused with JV at the previous race

Available tyre compounds: prime = hard (silver band), option = soft (yellow)
Looks like everyone except JV, CP & MS are starting on options

Weather: air temperature 23°C; track 32°C; wind 7m/s humidity 52%

SV leads everyone away on the formation lap

01/53: KK gets a good start – beats MW into Turn 1
FA runs wide in T1; rejoins – hits NR
Safety Car deployed – FA’s Ferrari stuck on the edge of T1
MW limping back to the pits

02[SC]: RG pits – new nose
BS pits – new nose for the Williams too
MW finally makes it back to the pits – new nose as well
SC in at the end of this lap

03: SV, KK, JB, FM, KR, SP, LH, NH, PM, DR; retirements: FA, NR
SP tries to go round the outside of KR but runs wide in Turn 1
Replay of the start shows KR nudge FA under braking for Turn 1
Replay shows RG rear-end MW and then shove him off track

04: SV fastest lap 1:39.841
Turn 1 incident involving cars 2 and 10 (MW & RG) under investigation

05/53: SV, KK, JB, FM, KR, LH, SP, NH, PM, DR
SV f/lap 1:39.523
DRS enabled

06: SV has a 3.0sec lead over KK, who in turn has JB 1.1secs behind
SP steams down the inside of LH and takes P6 – symbolic of the change of seats at McLaren next season?

07: 10-second stop-go penalty for RG for causing the accident with MW on lap 1
Radio for MS – team have lost telemetry

08: SV f/lap 1:39.450
Radio for RG telling him of his penalty; pits to serve it

09: SV f/lap 1:39.341

10/53: SV, KK, JB, FM, KR, SP, LH, NH, PM, PM, DR
SV f/lap 1:39.180 – his lead now 5.4sec over KK

12: SP closing on KR
MS easily takes P18 from VP
Turn 1 incident involving cars 19 and 8 (BS & NR) under investigation

14: JB pits, as do KR and NH
PRe pits too

15: KK pits from P2; rejoins just ahead JB
KR takes a look at HK … and then takes P9

16: SP pits – nearly took the front jack man with him as he peels out of the box

17: LH pits followed by PM
KK takes P5 from DR

18: SV pits from P1
FM pits – rejoins ahead of KK
Radio from JB – problem with gearbox? Team say everything’s ok
SP f/lap 1:38.983

19: Replay of LH pit stop – fumble on the front right
JB f/lap 1:38.953
SP tried to go round the outside of LH – runs wide, into the gravel; beaches it at the hairpin

20/53: SV, FM, KK, JB, KR, LH, NH, PM, MW, DR
FM f/lap 1:38.925
TG the only one yet to pit

21: Drive-through penalty for BS for lap 1 incident
Radio from JB – “missing gears”

22: FM f/lap 1:38.876
BS serves his drive-through penalty
Radio from LH – “front tyres have gone off”

23: SV f/lap 1:38.449
Radio for FM – 15 laps until he pits
RG pits again

25/53: SV, FM, KK, JB, KR, LH, NH, PM, MW, DR; retirements: SP, FA, NR
Radio from NH – “rears are struggling”
SV’s lead just over 10 seconds over FM

26: Radio for JB – “on Plan B; target -1”

Half-distance

27: MW pits
MS down the inside to steal P10 from PRe

28: Radio for JB – “pace looks good”
VP has lost KERS

29: SV f/lap 1:38.246

30/53: SV, FM, KK, JB, KR, LH, NH, PM, DR, MS

31: KR pits from P5; rejoins P8

32: KK pits from P3, followed by LH and NH
KK almost takes out the front jack man … like SP nearly did on his stop
LH alongside KR into Turn 1; KR spotted LH just in time; LH goes through

33: SV f/lap 1:37.961

34: Replay of PRe’s stop – front right crew man removing something from front wing as PRe is released from the box
NK pits; pushed into the garage

35/53: SV, FM, JB (top 3 yet to make 2nd stop) KK, LH, KR, NH, PM, MS, MW

36: JB pits from P3; slow change on the rear right; rejoins P4 behind KK
LH f/lap 1:37.947

37: FM pits from P2; rejoins still P2
MS pits; he started on primes so he swaps to options (soft compound)

38: SV pits; clean stop; rejoins with the whole pit lane between him and FM
BS f/lap 1:37.337

39: Radio from SV asking if they changed the front wing angle; confirmed

40/53: BS closing on RG, who is struggling with rear grip

42: Radio for KK telling him JB is faster in Sector 1
BS around RG on the outside as they enter 130R

43: JB still closing on KK

44: VP pits

45/53: SV, FM, KK, JB, LH, KR, NH, PM, MW, DR; retirements: CP, NK, SP, FA, NR
SV leads FM by 18.9secs, who in turn has KK 5.0secs behind

46: SV continues to expand his lead by about 0.4sec/lap
JB’s hand up to his visor – didn’t look like he was removing a tear-off

47: SV f/lap 1:36.466
Radio for MW warning him temperatures too high
Radio for JB – “give it everything from here”

48: FM and KK post personal fastest laps
Drive-through penalty for VP for ignoring blue flags
MS looking for a way around DR

50/53: SV, FM, KK, JB, LH, KR, NH, PM, MW, DR; retirements: CP, NK, SP, FA, NR
MS still harrying DR for P10
NH chasing KR for P6
VP serves his penalty

51: JB closes the gap from KK to 1.2sec – almost close enough for DRS

52: KK driving very cleverly – keeping some KERS for the main straight, in case JB gets close enough to use DRS

53/53 = fastest lap: SV f/lap 1:35.774 … and almost immediately his engineer tells him to go easy – there’s “a lot to lose”
RG pits – pushed into the garage
JB still closing on KK

SV takes the chequered flag
20 secs later, FM over the line for P2
KK brings his Sauber home in P3, and the crowd go mad
JB just 0.5sec behind KK

Provisional result: SV, FM, KK, JB, LH, KR, NH, PM, MW, DR; MS, PRe, JV, BS, HK, TG, VP, PRo
DNF: RG, CP, NK, SP, FA, NR

First podium for FM in 33 races
KK’s first podium

Next race: Korea, next weekend.