Japan 2008

LEWIS HAMILTON LOST HIS HEAD AS A RESULT OF A POOR GETAWAY FROM THE GRID AND THREW AWAY A FINE POLE POSITION. HE TRIED TO RECOVER THE SITUATION AT TURN 1 BY DIVING TO THE INSIDE OF KIMI RAIKKONEN, LOCKED HIS BRAKES BADLY, FORCING KIMI AND OTHERS TO GO OFF-TRACK. HE WAS GIVEN A DRIVE-THROUGH PENALTY FOR THIS.

BUT BEFORE IT WAS EVEN INVESTIGATED, FELIPE MASSA (STARTING FROM 5TH) WENT WIDE AT TURN 2, LEWIS WENT PAST AND TOOK THE RACING LINE FOR THE SECOND PART OF THE CHICANE AND WAS PROMPTLY TORPEDOED AT THE APEX BY THE RECOVERING MASSA, WHO HAD ALL FOUR WHEELS OFF THE TRACK AS HE HIT THE MCLAREN. HAMILTON'S CAR WAS SPUN ROUND 180º BY THE IMPACT, DAMAGED, AND HE HAD TO WAIT UNTIL THE REST OF THE FIELD HAD PASSED BEFORE HE COULD RECOVER BACK TO THE PITS. HE RE-JOINED BUT HIS RACE WAS EFFECTIVELY OVER. LIKE HAMILTON EARLIER, MASSA GOT A DRIVE-THROUGH PENALTY!

AT THE PRECISE MOMENT WHEN THESE PENALTIES WERE ANNOUNCED, HEIKKI KOVALAINEN'S ENGINE PACKED UP. THE MCLAREN'S HAVE BEEN VIRTUALLY BULLET-PROOF AND FOR THIS TO HAPPEN WHEN HEIKKI WAS LYING A CLOSE THIRD AND CONSTRUCTORS' POINTS SO VITAL WAS A DOUBLE BLOW FOR THE MCLAREN TEAM.

TAKING NO PART IN ANY OF THIS WAS FERNANDO ALONSO. HE ESCAPED THE TURN 1 FARCE, TOGETHER WITH ROBERT KUBICA, AND THE PAIR OF THEM DROVE AWAY WITH ROBERT IN THE LEAD. WHEN THEY PITTED FOR THE FIRST TIME, FERNANDO CHOSE TO SHORT-FUEL SO THAT, FIRSTLY, HE COULD GAIN THE LEAD DUE TO THE SHORTER PIT-STOP AND, SECONDLY, BE LIGHT ENOUGH TO OPEN A GOOD GAP TO ROBERT AND TAKE HIS SECOND CONSECUTIVE VICTORY. THE PLAN WORKED TO PERFECTION.

ROBERT, IN TURN, DROVE BRILLIANTLY TO FEND OFF KIMI RAIKKONEN IN THE CLOSING STAGES WHEN KIMI CLEARLY HAD THE FASTEST CAR DOWN THE LONGEST STRAIGHT IN F1. ROBERT'S CHOICE OF DEFENSIVE LINE ON THE APPROACH TO TURN 1 WAS IMMACULATE AND KIMI HAD TO SETTLE FOR THIRD PLACE.

FELIPE MASSA WAS GRADUALLY MOVING UP THROUGH THE FIELD AS HIS CAR WAS UNDAMAGED IN THE FRACAS WITH LEWIS BUT HE WAS THEN INVOLVED IN ANOTHER INCIDENT - THIS TIME WITH SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS. SEBASTIEN WAS EMERGING FROM THE PIT-LANE EXIT JUST AS FELIPE ARRIVED. THEY BOTH KEPT TO THEIR RESPECTIVE SIDES OF THE WHITE LINE WHERE THE PIT-LANE MEETS THE TRACK AND THEY WERE SIDE-BY-SIDE AS THEY COMMENCED THE TURN - SEBASTIEN ON THE INSIDE VERY CLOSE TO THE KERB, FELIPE ON THE OUTSIDE. FELIPE COULD VERY EASILY HAVE GIVEN SEBASTIEN ROOM, AFTER ALL HE WAS ON TYRES AT RACING TEMPERATURE WHEREAS SEBASTIEN HAD JUST CHANGED TYRES, BUT FOR SOME REASON HE APPEARED TO TURN IN ON SEBASTIEN AND THEY COLLIDED.

THEY WERE BOTH ABLE TO CONTINUE AND SEBASTIEN TOOK 6TH PLACE BUT WAS LATER DEMOTED TO 12TH BY THE STEWARDS WHO SAW HIM AS THE CULPRIT. HOW THAT CAN BE THE CASE I HAVE NO IDEA. THEY PENALISED HIM BY ADDING 25-SECONDS TO HIS TIME, WHICH PROMOTED SEBASTIAN VETTEL TO 6TH AND, CRUCIALLY, MASSA TO 7TH. THIS REDUCED HAMILTON'S LEAD IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP TO 5 POINTS. IS THERE A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE PENALISING OF BOURDAIS RATHER THAN MASSA AND THE TITLE RACES IN BOTH CHAMPIONSHIPS?

WITH ONLY TWO RACES LEFT, WE NOW GO TO CHINA NEXT WEEK WITH THE STAKES GETTING HIGHER WITH EVERY ROLL OF THE DICE!

Race Results posted by
David Little
13th October 2008

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