Japanese GP: Alonso Wins As Title Rivals Falter

Sunday 12th October 2008

Fernando Alonso made it two-from-two in Sunday's Japanese GP as the title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa failed to keep their heads and were hit with drive-through penalties.

Robert Kubica of BMW finished an impressive second, keeping at bay a late-race charge from Kimi Raikkonen. Nelson Piquet was fourth and Jarno Trulli fifth, but most attention was turned to incidents on Lap 1 and 2 which effectively ended Felipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton's chances of good points finishes.

Race Report
The track was dry with the ambient temperature at 16C and the track at 21C. Felipe Massa in his bid to make up early places had opted for the softer white stripe tyre and it would pay dividends later on.

As the red lights went out Hamilton got too much wheelspin on the grid and Kimi Raikkonen was immediately in front of him. Going into the tight first corner Hamilton dived up the inside of the Finn, but left his braking way too late, locked his tyres and went sailing on towards the tarmac run-off.

To avoid him Kimi Raikkonen also had to run wide, as did the following Heikki Kovalainen and the rest of the grid looked to take advantage by ducking up the inside. In fact it was Kovalainen's car who pushed Raikkonen over the edge of the kerbs - not that Raikonen ever needs much invitation to use tarmac run-off as we saw at Spa.

In the frantic reshuffling of the order, Robert Kubica took advantage and headed the field. Further back, David Coulthard had been bounced from behind in Turn 1 and his rear suspension broken, running down to Turn 2 his car snapped left and he went off the track for a heavy impact.

Home favourite Kazuki Nakajima took to the grass in avoidance and lost a nose in the process and would have to return to the pits.

The order at the end of the first lap was: Kubica, Alonso, Kovalainen, Massa, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Piquet (up from 12th) and Sebastien Bourdais.

In his braking for Turn 1 Hamilton had flat-spotted his tyres, but he was still closing on Felipe Massa and on Lap 2 got up the inside going into the chicane when Massa left his own braking too late. Hamilton was through, but Massa cut the chicane in his bid to get on terms, a move that never looked like working and didn't. Massa hit Hamilton at the rear of his sidepods spinning him to the back of the field.

Hamilton returned to the pits to get new tyres.

The order on Lap 4 was: Kubica, Alonso, Kovalainen, Trulli, Raikonen, Bourdais, Massa, Glock, Piquet, Vettel.. Massa was all over the back of the Toro Rosso of Sebastien Bourdais but couldn't find a way past.

Timo Glock had run well all weekend but on Lap 5 he was back in the pits, all hopes of a points finish gone.

Kimi Raikkonen looked very quick and anxious to get back to the front and on Lap 7 he was up into P4 - at this stage Lewis Hamilton was five seconds a lap quicker than Jenson Button who'd had a good opening lap to get to P10, but was now relegated back in P.15

By Lap 11 there was a notice that the stewards were investigating incidents relating to Cars 1 (Raikkonen), 2 (Massa) and 22 (Hamilton). Meaning that Hamilton's late braking at Turn 1 - was also under investigation.

Replays had already shown that it was a conventional racing cock-up at the start, but it wasn't Hamilton who'd pushed Raikkonen off the track but his team-mate Kovalainen (though Heikki was also taking avoiding action).

Seven laps later it was deemed that Massa should have a drive-through penalty for spinning his World Championship rival to the back of the field, and Hamilton should have one for a poor overtaking move that hadn't resulted in any contact with the cars around him. It was bizarre but not unfamiliar territory for the Mclaren team.

On Lap 17 everything began to happen at once. Leader Robert Kubica came in for his first pit-stop and was joined in the pitlane by fourth place Kimi Raikkonen who'd just put in the Fastest Lap of the race so far with a 1:19.193 on Lap 16.

Raikkonen's good qualifying had indeed been achieved on lower fuel than Massa. At the same time Heikki Kovalainen retired from third place, his smoking McLaren limping to the side of the track. Then it was announced that both Massa and Hamilton should have drive-throughs.

On Lap 17 Fernando Alonso, sensing he had the opportunity to take the net lead, had edged the Fastest Lap down to 1:19.169 - when he pitted at the end of Lap 18 he was now ahead of Robert Kubica on track and the first placed of ythe one-stoppers.

Hamilton pitted for his drive-through straight away while Massa waited until he'd got his planned pit-stop out of the way before taking his. It left them 14th and 15th, though Lewis was a good thirteen seconds back from Massa.

Jarno Trulli had led briefly for Toyota before leaving it to Sebastien Bourdais to take over in the lead. Thus the positions on Lap 22 were: 1.Bourdais (not stopped), 2.Piquet (not stopped), 3. Vettel (not stopped), 4.Alonso, 5.Kubica, 6.Raikkonen, 7.Webber (not stopped) 8.Trulli

Felipe Massa finally got on tems with Jenson Buton and passed him easily on Lap 30 to take 13th place and though Hamilton had gained time on him, the gap between the two began to go out again. Lewis would have to wait till Lap 35 before getting past Jenson.

With the late two-stoppers out of the way the order at the front on Lap 37 was Alonso, 11 seconds clear of Robert Kubica in second who was 4.5 seconds ahead of Kimi Raikkonen in third. Alonso was going away from Kubica, while Raikkonen seemed to be just about holding on to Kubica's BMW.

Nick Heidfeld finally pitted from P8 on Lap 40 (Rosberg would wait until an incredible Lap 43) and Alonso began to stamp his authority at the front - he set a Fastest Lap of 1:19.101 on Lap 41 before pitting for the second time on Lap 44.

Now it was Raikkonen who began to put the hammer down and closed the gap to Kubica from 4.7 to 3.7 seconds when the Pole made an exemplary stop on Lap 46. Raikkonen was able to run two laps longer until his stop and exited the pits just metres behind the BMW.

The order on Lap 49 was: Trulli, Piquet, Bourdais, Alonso, Vettel, Kubica, Raikkonen, Massa, Webber, Heidfeld - though five of those drivers still had to pit for a second time.

Bourdais came in for his second stop on Lap 50 and as he exited the pitlane was struck by Felipe Massa in Turn 1. Whether or not Massa thought he was going to be let through is hard to tell - the Brazilian had been putting in a series of very fast laps, lowering the FL to 1:19.014 on Lap 48 and 1:18.963 on Lap 49 but was due for his second pit-stop soon.

Luckily the impact on Bourdais didn't affect his car and it was Massa who lost time - four laps later the stewards decided that they would investigate that one after the race - although when it happened there were still 17 laps to the finish.

Raikkonen was now keen to get past Robert Kubica and the Pole had to use some strong-arm tactics to keep the Finn behind, closing up on the inside into the braking zone for Turn 1 and on Lap 53 pushing him wide, almost onto the grass between Turns 2 and 3, way off the racing line.

Meanwhile Nelson Piquet who had pitted for the second time and rejoined in P4 was catching them both.

Further back down the field Lewis Hamilton's softer tyres were looking very worn and he didn't look as though he could make up places unlike Felipe Massa who was finishing the race on the harder tyres and catching ninth placed Heidfeld hand over fist. By Lap 59 he was through to P9 and on Lap 64 he had caught the Red Bull of Mark Webber.

Webber had been one-stopping and his front left tyre had lost all grooves. Massa caught him at two seconds a lap and even though Webber closed right across to the pitlane wall, Massa dived into the pitlane exit road to take the line into Turn 1 and P8.

Though Raikkonen had got close to Kubica, he couldn't find a way past and was looking to defend from Nelson Piquet Junior when the Brazilian spun at Turn 5 on Lap 60 and lost seven seconds in the process.

Fernando Alonso duly took his second GP win in a row from Kubica and Raikkonen. On the grid he had said: "this is F1, so anything is possible" and he was right. Kubica's finish means that he is not out of the Championship hunt yet and will be ruing BMW's switch of focus to the 2009 car so early in the season.

Hamilton and many F1 pundits were left puzzled over a drive-through penalty that will have implications for every subsequent GP start - but ultimately it was a rush of blood to the head that ruined his afternoon - and that was certainly all his own doing.

FH

Results
01 F. Alonso Renault 1:30:21.892
02 R. Kubica BMW + 5.200
03 K. Räikkönen Ferrari + 6.400
04 N. Piquet jr. Renault + 20.500
05 J. Trulli Toyota + 23.700
06 S. Bourdais Scuderia Toro Rosso + 34.000
07 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso + 39.200
08 F. Massa Ferrari + 46.100
09 M. Webber Red Bull + 50.800
10 N. Heidfeld BMW + 54.100
11 N. Rosberg Williams + 1:02.000
12 L. Hamilton McLaren + 1:18.900
13 R. Barrichello Honda + 1 laps
14 J. Button Honda + 1 laps
15 K. Nakajima Williams + 1 laps
Did not finish
16 G. Fisichella Force India F1 + 46 laps
17 H. Kovalainen McLaren + 51 laps
18 A. Sutil Force India F1 + 58 laps
19 T. Glock Toyota + 60 laps
20 D. Coulthard Red Bull + 67 laps

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