Nico Rosberg Extends Point Lead With Japanese GP Win

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

As the 21-race 2016 Formula 1 calendar narrows into a five-race stretch consisting of two long-standing circuits as well as three events first held in 2009 or sooner. First part of the world's top open wheel racing tour in 1987, the Suzuka International Racing Course is a reputable venue for challenging drivers and teams with slow and high-speed sections requiring a well-rounded race car.  Suzuka's late season location in the Formula 1 schedule has presented some landmark championship-related outcomes with the Ayrton Senna/Alain Prost battle of 1989 and 1990 being the most iconic. During five of the past six Japanese Grand Prix events, the race winner has went on to win the world drivers' championship. The enthusiasm leading up to the 17th round of the 2016 race in Japan was linked to the intense title fight between Mercedes AMG drivers as 53 laps.

Despite the full distance of the Formula 1 event at Suzuka, the race was heavily decided on the start. In fact, it could be argued Saturday's qualifying where Nico Rosberg edged-out Mercedes AMG teammate Lewis Hamilton could have wound up as the winning move for Sunday. Achieving a ninth front row dominance for 2016, the Silver Arrows assembled as did the remainder of a 22-car field as the Japanese Grand Prix would commence following a longish five-light start. When the competitors were unleashed, Nico Rosberg was able to optimize his prime starting position launching away with the lead. While Rosberg shot away on the outside of the Suzuka track into turn 1, the inside front row starter left his grid position slowly. Hamilton first seconds of the Japanese Grand Prix saw him fall prey immediately to the Red Bull-TAG Heuer machines as the Mercedes AMG appeared to struggle. The three-time world champion would fall to 8th place on the opening lap of the event he had won in the previous two occasions. In a post-race interview, Hamilton cited a lack of traction and wheel spin as the reason for this poor start that would result in a 53-lap recovery mission strikingly similar to what his teammate needed to perform the previous week in Malaysia. This early incident for the Brit would serve as a major attraction over the course of the race in Japan.

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

Bucking the trend of recent Formula 1 races heading into the latter part of the season, the Japanese Grand Prix went without a Safety Car or Virtual Safety Car Period. There allowed Nico Rosberg to cruise away from Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen. Deeper in the field, Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes AMG needed to exercise the pace to reunite with his teammate. With Hamilton contending with a gap that extended to as much as 17 seconds between himself and the leading car of Rosberg in the early stages of the event, himself and his Mercedes AMG pit crew worked together to climb to fourth place after lap 13.

Lewis Hamilton's run to the front eventually netted the Brit third place running position into the late stage of the Japanese Grand Prix. Attempting to cap off a fierce, determined drive with a runner-up position, Hamilton approached and began hovering over the rear of Red Bull-TAG Heuer of Max Verstappen. Into the final laps, the Mercedes AMG closed in on second place's Max Verstappen pulling within a second of the Red Bull Racing car with several laps remaining. The three-time world championship experience of Hamilton tested the young grand prix winner Verstappen. With 2 laps remaining, Hamilton made his attempt at the runner-up spot into Suzuka's turn 16 chicane but locked-up and overshot the turn-in leaving him to settle for third place. Mercedes AMG issued a protest following the late-race incident insisting Verstappen performed a dangerously defensive move. However, the protest was promptly withdrawn as Lewis Hamilton who later clarified on Twitter he did not want to pursue a penalty for Red Bull Racing and Verstappen for the incident.

Running a clean, steady race, Nico Rosberg captured the Japanese Grand Prix in an overwhelmingly underwhelming manner. Capitalizing on his pole position, the German was left unchallenged over the 53 laps for what was a 9th grand prix victory for the 2016 season. A win that allows Rosberg to push his drivers' championship point lead over teammate Lewis Hamilton to 33 makers heading into the final four Formula 1 events, Mercedes AMG's united efforts between their two drivers in Japan clinches the constructors' title for the 3rd consecutive year.

Finishing outside of the podium positions, both Ferrari racers participated in a quiet but respectable outing that saw drivers Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen overcome grid place penalties after qualifying. Starting 6th, Vettel reached fourth place while Raikkonen rose from a five-position demotion due to a gearbox change to finish 5th. While the 2016 Formula 1 Constructors' Champion was won by Mercedes AMG, Ferrari is still in the hunt for the runner-up position in the standings 50 points behind Red Bull Racing. The second Red Bull-TAG Heuer machine driven by Daniel Ricciardo finished sixth.

Foto Studio Columbo Per Pirelli Media

After a sluggish start to the season, Force India has continued to show impressive consistency in Japan, Sergio Perez crossed the finish line at Suzuka in 7th place while teammate Nico Hulkenberg followed in 8th. Since the British Grand Prix, at least one Force India car has scored points elevating the Mercedes-Benz powered race team to the position of fourth in the constructors championship standings.  

For what proved to be the leading strategy for lapping the Suzuka Circuit through the 2016 Japanese Grand Prix, a two-stop plan was exercised by the top eight finishing competitors. The Williams Martini Racing team drivers rounded out the top-10. Felipe Massa finished 9th ahead of Valtteri Bottas being the only competitors finishing the points paying positions to endure the Japanese Grand Prix's 53 laps with a one pit stop strategy after starting the event on medium compound Pirelli tires. Bottas' Williams-Mercedes was able to narrow fend off the Haas F1 Team's Romain Grosjean for the tenth place spot.

Since there were no retirements due to mechanical or on-track incidents, every driver of the 22-car field finished the 2016 Japanese Grand Prix.

Austin, Texas' Circuit of the Americas will serve as the next venue for deciding the outcome of the 2016 Formula 1 Drivers' Championship as well as one of four chances to leave 2016 triumphant. The United States Grand Prix will take place on October 23rd.

2016 Formula 1
Japanese Grand Prix
Race Results

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
3 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
4 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
5 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
6 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
7 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
8 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
9 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
10 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
11 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
12 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
13 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
14 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
15 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
16 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
17 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
18 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
19 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
20 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
21 31 Esteban Ocon Manor Mercedes-Benz
22 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz

By A Narrow Margin, Rosberg Beats Hamilton for Japanese GP Pole

The remaining five races in the 2016 Formula 1 season has the promise to be a tight battle between Mercedes AMG drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton. Braking away from the remainder of the grand prix race grid in a similar way as happened in the previous two seasons, the Mercedes AMG team is all but guaranteed to clinch the manufacturers' championship. As for the Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship, never before in the previous two championship seasons for the German factory organization has resulted in such a fierce battle into the latter stages. Following a bizarre Malaysian Grand Prix last week, Rosberg leads Hamilton by 23 points.

A week after the race where Red Bull Racing's Daniel Ricciardo won following Nico Rosberg's lap 1 contact from Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton suffering a power unit failure while leading, the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka presents a chance to add another chapter to the circuit's storied history for affecting world championships. For qualifying at the 18-turn, 5.807-kilometer track defined for requiring power, balance and durability from a race machine, Suzuka epitomized the uncertainty of this year's championship.

In the final stage of qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, the difference between the Mercedes AMG race cars was just 0.013 seconds. At the end, it was Nico Rosberg that inched his way to a 8th pole position for the 2016 season. The third consecutive year that the German driver will be starting at the front of the race in Suzuka, Rosberg is still chasing his first victory on the track while teammate and front row starter Lewis Hamilton is hunting for this third victory in a row in the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Ferraris led the way in the Q1 session in Japanese Grand Prix qualifying with Sebastian Vettel claiming a slight 0.015-second advantage on teammate Kimi Raikkonen. At the conclusion of the time trials, the two drivers were the second fastest team. Raikkonen was slated to start third on the grid for Sunday's race but his team would need to make a late change of his Ferrari's gearbox resulting in an 8th place starting spot. The second Ferrari of Vettel will also not be able to assume the fourth place starting spot. Following the last race incident, Sebastian Vettel was assessed a three-place grid penalty starting 6th. Vettel is the most winning active Formula 1 driver at Suzuka with four event wins on the track.

Promoted to the second row for the 2016 Japanese Grand Prix, the Red Bull Racing team continues to be floating on a wave of success and fortune following the 1-2 finish in Malaysia. The youngster Max Verstappen is starting third while Daniel Ricciardo will be fourth on the grid.

Aside from Mercedes AMG, Red Bull Racing and Ferrari, two other teams have inserted their two drivers into the top-10 at Suzuka. Sergio Perez will lead the charge of Force India powered Mercedes-Benz race cars in Japan by grabbing the 5th spot. Nico Hulkenberg will launch from 9th place. Attempting to iron out some late season bugs in what has otherwise been a decent rookie season, Haas F1 Team ended up with both drivers Romain Grosjean and Esteban Gutierrez in the top-10.

In addition to Scuderia Ferrari team cars, two other drivers have been demoted to the back of the Japanese Grand Prix due to penalties due to mechanical repairs. At the back of the field serving a grid penalty is the Manor Racing car for Pascal Wehrlein who's team switched the gearbox ahead of Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix. Also announced hours before the race's start was news from McLaren Honda that Jenson Button would drop to the back of the grid field due to a engine change. Button's final race at Suzuka as a Formula 1 competitor, the 2011 winner of the Japanese Grand Prix starts in an unremarkable position for a track he fondly races.

Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix will be a 53-lap event set for 2:00 PM local time (1:00 AM Eastern time).

2016 Formula 1
Japanese Grand Prix
Starting Grid 

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
3 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull TAG Heuer
4 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull TAG Heuer
5 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
6 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
7 8 Romain Grosjean Haas F1 Team Ferrari
8 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
9 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
10 9 Esteban Gutierrez Haas F1 Team Ferrari
11 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
12 19 Felipe Massa Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
13 26 Daniil Kvyat Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
14 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari
15 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
16 30 Jolyon Palmer Renault Renault
17 20 Kevin Magnussen Renault Renault
18 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
19 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
20 31 Esteban Ocon Manor Mercedes-Benz
21 28 Pascal Wehrlein Manor Mercedes-Benz
22 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda

Rosberg Re-Establishes Mercedes Pole-Winning Ways in Japan

Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG

The last race in Singapore proved to be the biggest defeat of Mercedes AMG in the last two seasons. Not only was the German factory team defeated in the main event, their long running pole and front-row starting streak was ended by the efforts of Ferrari and lead driver Sebastian Vettel. One week later, the team supporting championship-contending pilots Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg set sights on the 2015 Japanese Grand Prix's Suzuka Circuit in order to reclaim their glory.

For the first time returning to the same track where last year Jules Bianchi suffered his eventually fatal accident in the rain, some competitors appeared apprehensive taking to a wet track on Friday. Since the forecast called for a dry qualifying for Saturday, teams like Mercedes AMG chose to limit their track activity on the first day at Suzuka. In the third and final practice on Saturday ahead of time trials, Nico Rosberg claimed a near 3/10ths of a second advantage over teammate Hamilton. With Mercedes AMG once again positioned with superior pace, the team prepared alongside nine other Formula 1 teams for Japanese Grand Prix qualifying.

Throughout all three sessions, the Mercedes AMG duo fought for the top spot. At the end, it was Nico Rosberg claiming the pole for the Japanese Grand Prix. Clocked setting a 1-minute, 32.584-second lap time around the 5.807-kilometer track, the pole-winning result by the German was just 0.076 seconds faster than teammate Lewis Hamilton. Rosberg's top time was cemented before time officially ran out in Q3.

A frightening high-speed crash involving the Red Bull-Renault race car, driven by Russian pilot Daniil Kyvat, occurring in the last moment of the final qualifying group placed a yellow flag out on the course. The caution flag effectively defeated any possibility of Hamilton being able to set a faster time then Rosberg's. Putting a wheel off onto the grass, the Kvyat's car shot violently against a safety barrier and promptly flipped sideways as wheels dug into the sand of the run-off area. Landing upright, the driver inside the mangled Red Bull-Renault faired well considering his wild ride. While Daniil Kvyat was thankfully unhurt in the massive impact, the Russian driver will have to start the Japanese Grand Prix from pit road due to the extensive damage of his primary race car.

With factory-backed Mercedes-Benz powered vehicle occupying the front row, Valtteri Bottas mounted the charge that placed his Williams-Mercedes in third in Japan. Singapore winner Sebastian Vettel will start fourth in his Ferrari alongside the Williams of Bottas. In the third row, Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen will start immediately behind their teammates.

Scheduled to start at 3 P.M. local time, the 53-lap 2015 Japanese Grand Prix will be seen at 1 A.M. in the eastern time zone.

2015 Formula 1
Japanese Grand Prix
Starting Line-up

Pos # Car # Driver Team Engine

1 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
2 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes AMG Mercedes-Benz
3 77 Valtteri Bottas Williams F1 Mercedes-Benz
4 5 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari Ferrari
5 19 Felipe Massa Williams Mercedes-Benz
6 7 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari Ferrari
7 3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Renault
8 8 Romain Grosjean Lotus Mercedes-Benz
9 11 Sergio Perez Force India Mercedes-Benz
10 55 Carlos Sainz Jr Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault
11 13 Pastor Maldonado Lotus Mercedes-Benz
12 14 Fernando Alonso McLaren Honda
13 27 Nico Hulkenberg Force India Mercedes-Benz
14 22 Jenson Button McLaren Honda
15 9 Marcus Ericsson Sauber Ferrari
16 12 Felipe Nasr Sauber Ferrari
17 33 Max Verstappen Scuderia Toro Rosso Renault
18 28 Will Stevens Manor Marussia Ferrari
19 53 Alexander Rossi Manor Marussia Ferrari
20 26 Daniil Kvyat Red Bull Renault

Jules Bianchi Succumbs to 2014 Japanese Grand Prix Crash Injuries

Photo Credit: Ferrari S.p.A

The events of a Formula 1 race that concluded October 5th of last year have today become the focus of ultimate sorrow. A former champion of the French Formula Renault 2.0, Formula 3 Euro Series and more-recently up-and-coming Formula 1 driver Jules Bianchi has died at the age of 25 years old.

News of Jules Lucien André Bianchi’s Friday evening passing was shared online early Saturday morning in France. A statement arriving from the family of Jules Bianchi was posted on the driver’s official fan club page on Facebook. Translated from French, the statement from the now-departed driver’s parents and siblings said, "Jules fought until the end, as it has always done, but yesterday, his battle has ended.” The Bianchi family expressed their thanks to the medical staff in Japan and France for more than nine months of efforts following the accident at the Suzuka circuit.

In the final laps of the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, the Suzuka Circuit was being pounded by heavy rain resulting from Typhoon Phanfone. During the retrieval of the stricken Sauber driven by Adrian Sutil from the Dunlop Curve runoff area, the Marussia-Ferrari driven by the promising French driver Jules Bianchi slid wide entering the same corner. Bianchi’s loss of control resulted in a 212-kilometre per hour impact with a vehicle recovery crane. The Marussia reportedly slid under the tractor crane and proved to be an exceptionally violent accident. Eventually, word came out the driver of the Marussia suffered a severe head injury. When a medical crew reached the crash scene, they arrived to find Jules Bianchi in what his father later described as a “desperate” condition.

Photo Credit: Andrew Hone/ Pirelli 

 

Through the remaining grand prix events for the 2014 season, concerns and well-wishes for Jules Bianchi showed how a multi-million-dollar sport is not without the capacity to care. The hashtag #JB17 was placed on the sole Marussia-Ferrari competing at the following Formula 1 race. #ForzaJules were worn on Ferrari race cars with Bianchi recognized as a graduate of the Ferrari Driver Academy. Lewis Hamilton dedicated victory at the race after Suzuka (the inaugural Russian Grand Prix) to Jules Bianchi. Remaining in a coma since the accident in Japan, the prognosis for the driver grew less positive in recent months. At the beginning of this week, Jule’s father Philippe Bianchi recalled the current state of his son as a “daily torture” as time has gone by.  

Bianchi was as much admired for his personality as he was for his driving skill among his race team. Manor Marussia team principal John Booth described him as a “very special driver.” Serving as the most monumental performance in less than two seasons, Jules Bianchi’s ninth place at the 2014 Monaco Grand Prix handed the Marussia team its ever constructor points. After the crash in Japan, Booth remained in the hospital on the weekend the Marussia F1 Team ran a single-car at the Russian Grand Prix. Jules Bianchi’s 2014 teammate with Marussia was quick to share his thoughts in a tweet following the news of the French driver’s passing.

No words can describe what his family & the sport have lost. All I can say it was a pleasure knowing & racing you. x pic.twitter.com/NVcfbV9qdR

— M A X Chilton (@maxchilton) July 18, 2015

Following the announcement of his death, Ferrari has also remembered the life of Jules Bianchi. Formerly a test driver with Scuderia Ferrari, Bianchi was on the minds of an over 16,000-person crowd that attended Ferrari for Family Day at Maranello. Jules Bianchi becomes the first Formula 1 driver since 1994 to die as a result of a grand prix competition weekend crash when the San Marino Grand Prix claimed the life of Ayrton Senna.

Webber Wows with Pole Run in Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying

Photo Credit: Pirelli Photo Service

A race many Formula 1 drivers look forward to, the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka International Racing Course is a fast track with challenging, hard-braking corners. For years, the grand prix in Japan concluded the Formula 1 season with some memorable incidents including two Senna/Prost battles with the championship on the line. For 2013, the Japanese Grand Prix is the 15th race on a 19-race calendar. As for the drivers' title battle this season, reigning champion Sebastian Vettel's 77-point lead has effectively ended a chance at a firm late season battle.

Qualifying for the 2013 Japanese Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel was favoured to take pole for a fourth-straight occasion. Two Friday practices on the 5.807-kilometer race track consisted of Vettel and Mercedes AMG drive Lewis Hamilton posting top times. While predictions were right about Red Bull Racing on the front row, it was Australia's Mark Webber that captured the top spot on the grid. In Q3, Webber logged the only speed under 1 minute, 31 seconds for the pole position. At 1 minute, 30.915 seconds, the time marginally edged-out teammate Vettel by 0.026 seconds.

With Webber's success with his Red Bull-Renault, the other team car wheeled by drivers' championship contender Sebastian Vettel received attention for its inability to mount a pole time following three-straight times triumphing in qualifying. Reports that Vettel's Red Bull-Renault was experiencing issues with its KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) is believed to have been an obstacle for grabbing pole at Japan. Sebastian Vettel has a mathematical chance of locking up the title at Suzuka if the Red Bull Racing driver would gain 23 points on Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. A win by Sebastian Vettel and a finish lower than ninth by Alonso would seal the 2013 Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship in favour of the Red Bull-Renault driver.

The second row of the Japanese Grand Prix will feature Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes AMG car and the Lotus-Renault of Romain Grosjean. On the third row, Felipe Massa is wrapping up his current career with the Ferrari Formula 1 by drastically out-qualifying his teammate Fernando Alonso. Alonso's Ferrari will start eighth at Suzuka on a fourth row that also finds Nico Hukenberg posting another Q3 worthy effort with Sauber-Ferrari. Climbing seven positions in the last Formula 1 round in South Korea, Kimi Raikkonen's presence in ninth place doesn't seem as troubling as it does for some potential race winners. Raikkonen's win in Australia was the only victory so far in 2013.

Mark Webber has been a soul of some misery on track as of late. Running well at the Singapore Grand Prix, a late retirement cost him glory. In addition to failing to finish the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Webber accumulated a 10 grid spot penalty following a kind gesture from Fernando Alonso deemed unsafe by race stewards. In South Korea, Mark Webber placed the third fastest time of the Q3 session with his Red Bull-Renault but would have to start 13th as he served his penalty. Progressing quickly to the front through the first-half of the race, Webber's plans of a strong finish at the Korean Grand Prix was crushed when a Force India-Mercedes collided into his race car. Initially appearing as a minor hit to the sidepod of the Red Bull-Renault, a fire quickly sparked ending the Australian driver's day. Moving to the Porsche prototype sports car program for 2014, 37 year-old Mark Webber's remaining Formula 1 career is practically five races away from completion. Pole at the Japanese Grand Prix is well-earned for the driver who has driven for Red Bull Racing for 7 of his 12 Formula 1 seasons.

A 53-lap event, the 2013 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka is set for 3 PM local time (2 AM eastern time).


2013 Formula 1
Japanese Grand Prix
Starting Grid

Pos #	Car #	Driver	Team	Engine
1	2	Mark Webber	Red Bull	Renault
2	1	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull	Renault
3	10	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes-Benz
4	8	Romain Grosjean	Lotus	Renault
5	4	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	Ferrari
6	9	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes AMG	Mercedes-Benz
7	11	Nico Hulkenberg	Sauber	Ferrari
8	3	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	Ferrari
9	7	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	Renault
10	5	Jenson Button	McLaren	Mercedes-Benz
11	6	Sergio Perez	McLaren	Mercedes-Benz
12	14	Paul di Resta	Force India	Mercedes-Benz
13	17	Valtteri Bottas	Williams F1	Renault
14	12	Esteban Gutierrez	Sauber	Ferrari
15	16	Pastor Maldonado	Williams F1	Renault
16	19	Daniel Ricciardo	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Ferrari
17	18	Jean-Eric Vergne	Scuderia Toro Rosso	Ferrari
18	23	Max Chilton	Marussia	Cosworth
19	21	Giedo van der Garde	Caterham	Renault
20	20	Charles Pic	Caterham	Renault
21	22	Jules Bianchi	Marussia	Cosworth
22	15	Adrian Sutil	Force India	Mercedes-Benz