Japan 2007

THANK GOODNESS, WE'VE FINISHED WITH THE OFF-TRACK EVENTS THAT HAVE CAST SUCH A CLOUD OVER WHAT SHOULD BE ONE OF THE CLOSEST FINISHES TO AN F1 TITLE RACE IN RECENT MEMORY. THE TITLE WILL BE DECIDED WHERE IT SHOULD BE - ON THE TRACK. THE FUJI SPEEDWAY HAS PREVIOUSLY WITNESSED A NAIL-BITING FINISH WHEN, IN 1976, JAMES HUNT (MCLAREN) WON THE TITLE IN WHAT WAS THEN THE FINAL RACE OF THAT SEASON. NICKI LAUDA (FERRARI) HAD SUFFERED HIS DREADFUL BURNS AT NÜRBURGRING AND WAS HEROICALLY RACING AGAIN WITHIN WEEKS BUT AT FUJI HE FELT THE WET WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE TOO SEVERE TO BE RACING AND WITHDREW AFTER A FEW LAPS - A COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDABLE POSITION FOR A MAN WHO HAD ALMOST DIED IN THE FIRE. JAMES HUNT HAD TO FINISH 3RD OR BETTER AND SO HE CARRIED ON, FINISHED 3RD AND WON THE TITLE.

BACK AT FUJI FOR THE FIRST TIME FOR MANY YEARS, IT SEEMED THAT NOTHING HAD CHANGED. ATROCIOUSLY WET CONDITIONS AND MCLAREN DRIVER (EITHER HAMILTON OR ALONSO) BIDDING FOR THE TITLE AND FIGHTING FERRARI DRIVER (EITHER RAIKKONEN OR MASSA). ALL FOUR DRIVERS WERE STILL IN THE RACE EVEN THOUGH THE FERRARI DRIVERS HAD THE BIGGEST, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE, TASK AND IN ALL PROBABILITY THE TITLE WOULD BE DECIDED BETWEEN HAMILTON AND ALONSO. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS THAT IT WAS NOT THE FINAL RACE OF THE SEASON AND THE TITLE COULD NOT BE WON HERE.

SATURDAY QUALIFYING WAS ONLY DAMP, DRIZZLING AND MISTY BUT STILL PROVED VERY EVENTFUL AND, AS IT SUBSEQUENTLY TURNED OUT, DECISIVE. LEWIS HAMILTON SURVIVED A SCARE IN THE FIRST SESSION AND ONLY MADE IT THROUGH TO THE NEXT SESSION WITH HIS LAST LAP. HE SEEMED TO LIKE LIVING DANGEROUSLY BECAUSE HE ONLY MADE IT ON TO POLE POSITION WITH HIS LAST BRILLIANT LAP IN THE FINAL SESSION. THE RACE ITSELF HAD TO BE STARTED BEHIND THE SAFETY CAR BECAUSE OF THE TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR AND FOR MANY LAPS THERE WAS SOME DOUBT THAT THERE WOULD EVER BE ANY RACING BECAUSE CARS WERE SLIDING OFF AT SAFETY CAR SPEEDS BUT EVENTUALLY IT WAS DEEMED SAFE ENOUGH AND AWAY THEY WENT.

BUT BEFORE THAT HAPPENED THERE WAS THE MOST BIZARRE INCIDENT YOU COULD IMAGINE IN THE HI-TECH WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN TODAY. ALL TEAMS HAD BEEN NOTIFIED BEFORE THE START THAT THEIR CARS SHOULD START ON THE EXTREME WET TYRES. FERRARI DID NOT, CLAIMING THAT NO-ONE HAD TOLD THEM, AND THEY WERE THEN FORCED TO PIT TO CHANGE TYRES FROM THE ORDINARY WETS THEY HAD CHOSEN. THIS PUT BOTH FERRARIS AT THE BACK OF THE TRAIN AND SEEMINGLY OUT OF CONTENTION. THERE WERE MANY OTHER RAIN-AFFECTED INCIDENTS RANGING FROM THE BAD LUCK OF JENSON BUTTON (LOST NOSE CONE), SEBASTIEN VETTEL (RAN INTO THE BACK OF MARK WEBBER), MARK WEBBER HIMSELF IN THE SAME INCIDENT PLUS THE OWNER OF BOTH THE RED BULL AND TESTA ROSSO TEAMS (WEBBER WAS 2ND AND VETTEL 3RD AT THE TIME) AND BOTH TEAMS WERE ON FOR A PODIUM PLACE. (IN ADDITION, VITANTONIO LIUZZI, TESTA ROSSO, FINISHED 8TH BUT WAS PENALISED 25 SECONDS FOR OVERTAKING UNDER A YELLOW FLAG THUS BEING DEMOTED TO 9TH AND AIDRIAN SUTIL PROMOTED TO EARN SPYKER'S FIRST POINT). BUT THE BIGGEST LOSER WAS FERNANDO ALONSO. HE HAD BEEN RATHER RAGGED ALL RACE AND EVENTUALLY DESTROYED THE CAR AGAINST THE BARRIER LEAVING HIS ARCH-RIVAL, LEWIS HAMILTON TO GO ON TO TAKE THE WIN.

NOT THAT HAMILTON AVOIDED ALL SCARES - ROBERT KUBICA HIT THE MCLAREN'S REAR WHEEL AND SPUN HIM OFF THE TRACK MID-RACE. A RACING INCIDENT AS BOTH DRIVERS CONFIRMED BUT KUBICA HAD TO SERVE A DRIVE-THROUGH PENALTY. FORTUNATELY, HAMILTON WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE. HE HAD PUT IN A MASTERLY DISPLAY AND ALWAYS LOOKED TO BE THE MOST-ASSURED DRIVER OUT THERE. THERE WAS PLENTY OF EXCITEMENT RIGHT TO THE END AS KIMI RAIKKONEN PICKED OFF ONE DRIVER AFTER ANOTHER BUT, DESPITE MANY ATTEMPTS IN THE DYING STAGES, HE WAS NEVER ABLE TO GET PAST HEIKKI KOVALAINEN AND THEY BOTH FINISHED ON THE PODIUM.

ROLL ON CHINA! THE TITLE CAN BE WON THERE - HAMILTON ONLY HAS TO FINISH IN FRONT OF ALONSO TO CLAIM HIS REWARD AS THE FIRST-EVER ROOKIE TO WIN THE F1 WORLD TITLE. BUT A HAMILTON NON-FINISH ALLIED TO AN ALONSO WIN WOULD TAKE IT ON TO THE FINAL RACE IN BRAZIL. WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN!

Race Results posted by
David Little
1st October 2007

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