Lap 15/53: Just to repeat, the track is dry, which is was not in practise, so this is causing some questions about which tires to use.
Lap 14/53: Vettel is up to 16th and Ricciardo is up to 5th. What a race we have here.
I pressed send too soon. Ricciardo has now passed Gasly.
Lap 13/53: And now Ricciardo is eyeing up passing Pierre Gasly. But not yet.
Lap 12/53: Ricciardo is up to 7th. What a race the Australian is having.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards.
You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Lap 11/53: It might be time for Vettel to change tires to medium. He may be getting a second penalty.
Lap 10/53: Vettel has moved up to 18th, but it’s a very long way back for him.
Lap 9/53: Vettel is down to 19th place. Magnussen looks like he out of the race.
Lap 8/53: Verstappen spins Vettel around. It’s all happening.
Lap 7/53: Daniel Ricciardo, who started in 15th is up to 10th.
Lap 6/53: Fernando Alonso is also being investigated for a possible time penalty.
Lap 5/53: Five second time penalty for Max Verstappen for leaving the track and not returning safely after an incident with Kimi Raikkonen.
Lap 4/53: Kevin Magnussen has lost a tire. That looks scary. There is debris all over. The safety car has been deployed.
Lap 3/53: Great start for Ferrari.
Looking at a replay of the start, Vettel passed two cars before the first turn.
Lap 2/53: Vettel started in eighth and is now fourth. So much for it being hard to pass on this track.
Lap 1/53: Brilliant start from both Hamilton and Vettel.
This is the only figure of eight track on the circuit, as I’m sure you all well know.
They have started the formation lap to get a feel for the grip on the track.
Some wishful thinking here, perhaps.
We’ve already had the Japanese school kids singing the national anthem, so the race is close.
Several people in the pre-race interviews mention how hard it is to overtake on this track, meaning, of course, that the grid position really makes a difference.
It’s 28 degrees at the track, which is starkly different to the rain they had there yesterday. That’s leading to some changes to the cars.
Getting close to show time now.
Different “sport”, but this gave me a laugh too.
This tweet made me laugh.
I have no idea what this tweet is saying, but it looks like they have a good spot to watch the race.
If you were wondering who won that 1976 GP (of course you were), it was American driver Mario Andretti. Frenchman Patrick Depailler came second and the legendary James Hunt came third, winning the drivers’ championship into the bargain. Andretti, now aged 78, is the only one of those three still alive. Depailler was killed in a crash at Hockenheim on 1 August 1980, during a private testing session. He was 35. Hunt died of a heart attack in 1993. He was 45.
Looking up the history of the Japanese Grand Prix, I came across an extraordinary quote from Niki Lauda from 1976. The weather was very wet with fog and running water at several places on the track. There were intense debates as to whether the race should even start, but the organisers went ahead. Some drivers, including Lauda, were not happy with the decision. On the second lap, Lauda drove into the pits to withdraw, as he believed the conditions made the track too dangerous. He later said “my life is worth more than a title”. Can you imagine a driver saying that today?
Hamilton leads Sebastian Vettel by 50 points in the world championship with five races remaining and if he wins today, he’ll have one hand on the title.
Hamilton has won five of the last six races and taken four of the last six poles. He’s certainly the form driver right now.
As Giles Richard wrote yesterday, Lewis Hamilton’s eighth pole of the season is only his second at Suzuka. He converted pole to a win here last year but scored his previous two poles in Japan when the race was held at Fuji. He has four wins at the Japanese Grand Prix, one at Fuji and three at Suzuka, the latter all with Mercedes who have yet to be beaten here during the turbo-hybrid era.
Quick guide to the Japanese GP: Grid and qualifying times
1 Lewis Hamilton (GB) Mercedes 1min 27.760sec
2 Valtteri Bottas (Fin) Mercedes 1:28.059
3 Max Verstappen (Neth) Red Bull 1:29.057
4 Kimi Räikkönen (Fin) Ferrari 1:29.521; 5 Romain Grosjean (Fr) Haas 1:29.761; 6 Brendon Hartley (NZ) Toro Rosso 1:30.023; 7 Pierre Gasly (Fr) Toro Rosso 1:30.093; 8 Sebastian Vettel (Ger) Ferrari 1:32.192; 9 Sergio Pérez (Mex) Force India 1:37.229; 10 Charles Leclerc (Mon) Sauber 1:29.864; 11 Esteban Ocon* (Fr) Force India 1:30.126; 12 Kevin Magnussen (Den) Haas 1:30.226; 13 Carlos Sainz (Sp) Renault 1:30.490; 14 Lance Stroll (Can) Williams 1:30.714, 15 Daniel Ricciardo (Aus) Red Bull No Time; 16Nico Hülkenberg (Ger) Renault 1:30.361; 17 Sergey Sirotkin (Rus) Williams 1:30.372; 18 Fernando Alonso (Sp) McLaren 1:30.573; 19 Stoffel Vandoorne (Bel) McLaren 1:31.041; 20 Marcus Ericsson (Swe) Sauber 1:31.213.
*Ocon penalised three places for a red-flag infringement during practice
Good afternoon, good morning or good evening, depending on where you are in the world. Here’s a look at the grid.
While we wait for the race to start, have a read of Giles Richards’s story about Lewis Hamilton taking pole.
🕐 Top News in the Last Hour By Importance Score
View More Top News ➡️
