A mad one 'til the end.

A 30 year gap separates the last time F1 visited the Fuji Speedway back the in 77 brit James Hunt won the race but the famous race was the year before when in atrocious conditions James Hunt survived the wet track to take the 76 world title in a Mclaren.

Whilst he can’t take the title this weekend the brit in the Mclaren now Lewis Hamilton has to stop the charge of his Teammate Alonso who has now got the gap down to two points.

Qualifying.

Whilst F1 cars have moved on leaps and bounds since the last visit here in 1977 the weather has stayed the same. For the first time this season the qualifying session was wet all the way through the hour and saw the cars all out straight away. Bad news for Nico Rosberg his Williams needed an engine change after the race at Spa meaning a 10-place drop from where ever he qualified.

Q1 22 cars all going straight out trying to get the track at its best, At the start of the session Alonso and Massa traded fastest laps but Hamilton had a scare when with only Minuets to go he stood a chance of being knocked out dropping down as far as 18th, He managed to post 4th fastest time. Dropping out however were Rubens Barrichello, Alex Wurz, Anthony Davidson, Adrian Sutil, Takuma Sato, Sakon Yamamoto, at the end of the session Ralf Schumacher on a last lap push collided with the Spyker of Yamamoto, The Toyota getting slightly airborne losing its front and rear wings as is hit the ground. Schumacher was 16th and mean he had got through to the next round, but with his car badly damaged he would have no choice other than to watch from the sidelines.

Q2 The session got started once the Toyota was cleared away, All 15 remaining cars went straight out on to the track. Hamilton made sure he wouldn’t be in any danger like the first session and went quickest with Alonso right behind. The Ferrari’s 3rd and 4th 3 tenths of a second off the pace of the Mclarens. Towards the end of the 15 minuets some drivers began trying to use the intermediate tires or wet as Bridgestone call them (there is no intermediate tire Bridgestone label them Slick, wet and extreme) the track dying out a little. Being knocked out however were both Renaults who had gone for a dry set up for the race David Coulthard, Jarno Trulli, Tonio Liuzzi, and the stranded Ralf Schumacher

Q3 Making it through into the top 10 shoot out however was Jenson Button in the Honda and Sebastian Vettel in the Toro Rosso, Both drivers taking advantage of the conditions, Nico Rosberg got into the top 10 even though he was losing 10 places he was still putting in maximum effort. Alonso lead most of the session but Hamilton managing to put in a brilliant last gasp effort to snatch pole from his team mate, Raikkonen 3rd Massa 4th Heidfeld 5th Roberg 6th becoming 16th after his penalty this meant that Button moved up one place from 7th hi best position of the season, Then it was Mark Webber and Vettel who was doing brilliantly completing the top 10 was Kubica.

The Race.

The rain was a lot worse than in qualifying, the track was flooded and there was little sign of it lifting. It was decided the race would start under the safety car and they would continue behind it until the track conditions improved, even this turned out to have incidents and controversy. Firstly FIA race director Charlie Whiting sent an email to all the teams saying that all the teams must use the extreme wet weather tires. All the teams did except Ferrari who claim they never received the email until the race had started. On the 2nd lap still under the safety car Massa spun putting behind Heidfeld Massa re-passed Heidfeld believing he was allowed to take his place back. He wasn’t and received a drive through penalty, Added to that both Ferrari’s were told they had to pit for extreme tires or be black flagged this put both Raikkonen and Massa down to 20th and 21st. 22nd and 1 lap down was Liuzzi in the Toro Rosso he had opted to start from the pits so he could change to a wet set up. This put him a lap down but he would play a crucial part to getting the race going.

There was a real possibility there would be no race at all. With all the cars following the safety car the drivers were not prepared to go racing, the drivers telling there teams the conditions were getting worse and it would be stupid to race. There were other bizarre scenarios coming into play as well. Firstly was Kimi Raikkonen pitted again to fill his car too the maximum because he would simply join the back of the pack and if the whole race was to follow the safety car then all the cars would have to pit, Then Kimi would cruise up to the front and win, Massa, Wurz and Yamamoto did the same. If that was to happen there was also the fact the safety car itself did not have enough fuel to complete the race! It would mean that at some stage the safety car would have to come in and swap to the fully fueled spare Mercedes to finish the race! It probably had a few people thinking; “Bring back Suzuka” as the race was beginning to turn into a farce. I know I was.

Then a crucial moment to get the race underway began, with the new for 2007 rules lapped cars can go past the safety car and get back on the same lap once instructed, This is where Liuzzi came into play. He was realized and unlapped himself, on the open track with no one in front of him he set lap times of a respectable pace and did not just float off the road trying to catch up. As Barrichello, Trulli and Sato pitted to try and also play the safety car trick it was announced the safety car would come in on lap 19. Finally we could have a race!

With 49 of 67 laps left finally we go racing and there is incidents from the word go, Wurz collides with Massa losing it under braking hitting the Ferrari in the side. Surprisingly the Ferrari escaped damage but still had to come in the pits for his drive through. At the end of the first racing lap it is Hamilton, Alonso, Vettel Webber Button Barrichello top 6 Massa taking his drive through then running wide in turn 1 perhaps the conditions or possibly a bit of Brazilian rage? Hamilton pulls away at the front with Alonso 2 seconds behind. Replay footage shows Heidfeld and Button came together at the restart. Button was passing Heidfeld when the BMW spun into the Honda leaving the car minus its front wing, Heidfeld continued with no damage but later it turned out he has a miss fire and no working radio to his team. Insanely though Button continues with no front wing only losing 3-5 seconds a lap! He did come in a few laps later wrecking his race in which he could of scored some good points. Sato too had lost his front wing in the spray but was unable to see whom he had hit. His stop however was an eventful one too after replacing the damaged wing Sato went to leave the pits only for his car catch fire on fire he drives out the pits the amount of water on the track and in the air extinguishing the flames. And this was only a few laps into actual racing!

On lap 25 Raikkonen passes Ralf Schumacher Moving up to 11th and then Sutil who was running in the top 10 the Finn however was on a real charge with nothing to loose as no points would mean his title hopes were over. Hamilton completed lap 27 as Alonso pits, but Alonso comes out in traffic is behind Fisichella, Kovalinen, Kubica, Coulthard and a solid wall of spray worse still is all the cars in front of him have yet to pit. Then Alonso runs wide off then back on the track. His driving getting slightly ragged. How much being stuck behind a wall of spray can slow you down was apparent when Hamilton stopped next lap and cam out even further ahead of Alonso by some 14 seconds after a few laps. The gap had originally been just 3 seconds. But having the race of his Vettel lead in the Toro Rosso! Finally pitting on lap 32 Webber now lead. Heidfeld then passes Alonso on lap 34 in what would be a worrying few laps for the Mclaren team. Racing the other BMW Hamilton has Kubica drives into the side of Hamilton who is forced off the track and into a spin, luckily they both continue. But Hamilton has a few slow laps which lets Webber And Vettel past. Alonso a few laps before however had spun at turn 1 trying to pass Vettel dropping down the order slightly. Pure mayhem!

Hamilton got back up to speed and after Webber and the other few cars in front of him pitted he re took the lead.. At the back of the grid Japanese honor at stake as Button passes Trulli for p19 surprisingly the only retirement so far was Wurz.

Raikkonen has to pit his tires worn with the rain getting worse on lap 40, it appeared he didn’t have enough fuel to finish the race as first thought. Possibly because all the teams had thought the safety car would of stayed out longer, Meanwhile Kubica gets a drive through penalty for his clash with Hamilton. The safety car would have to reappear however because of a crucial moment in the fight for the world championship had happened. Fernando Alonso had spun hit the wall and was out with his car stranded near the middle of the track with debris scattered all over. This was the 2nd retirement of the race but bizarrely there was about to be another two added. Webber who was warming his brakes is hit by Vettel whilst still under the safety car knocking them out of 2nd and 3rd destroying both there races. Vettel who had until that point been a star of the race. He limped back to the pits to retire minus a front wing and a broken suspension. Webber left trackside his rear wheel hanging off threw his steering wheel off and stomped angrily away. The Safety car went in on lap 48 the order Hamilton Kovalainen, Massa, Coulthard, Raikkonen, Fisichella, Heidfeld, Barrichello, Kubica, and Liuzzi in tenth. With any of them still able to score some points the way things were going.

Barrichello was in 8th with a chance of getting into the points but he had to pit for fuel, which wrecked his chances. Up front Hamilton pulled away from Kovalainen with Massa trying to pass the Renault, Ralf Schumacher and Anthony Davidson retire in there Toyota and Honda Davidson spinning out and Schumacher coming into the pits and into the garage ahead of them on lap 57 Raikkonen passes Coulthard for 4th, brilliant pass at turn 5 where Alonso had gone off. The race now touch and go between being down to time not laps, the conditions getting worse however as cars were impossible to see if they were behind another. The spray now as bad as when they started behind the safety car. Massa pitted with 8 laps to go he would come out behind Kubica in 8th. With 2 laps to go Heidfeld's misfire became terminal and he retired putting Liuzzi up to 8th after passing Sutil, but under yellow flags. Raikkonen was putting real pressure on Kovalainen the rookie holding off his fellow Finn. So Hamilton won a chaotic race from Kovalainen, Raikkonen, Coulthard 4th, Fisichella 5th behind him however raged a brilliant battle on the last lap between Massa and Kubica for 6th, They passed, re-passed ran wide, banged wheel and went off the track trying to stay ahead of each other Massa however managed to finish just ahead leaving Kovalainen in 7th and Liuzzi in 8th to take the final but first point of the season for Toro Rosso. Liuzzi however was judged to of passed Sutil under a yellow flag and penalized 25 seconds dropping him to 9th and giving Spyker its and Sutil’s first point.

The result means Hamilton has a 12-point lead over Alonso with 2 races to go and 17 over Raikkonen. Massa is now mathematically out of the title fight now on 80 points to Hamilton’s 107, Raikkonen needs a miracle to win now and Alonso has to hope Hamilton makes some big mistakes in the final rounds.

Race Bits

• Fuji partying like its 1976!
  The Fuji race almost could of ended in turmoil with the weather similar to the conditions that James Hunt finished 3rd in the 1976 race in his Mclaren to clinch the title. Whilst Hamilton hasn’t won the title today he took a large step towards it but another of the talking points was should the race of started at all. Qualifying to was possibly to be delayed with a heavy mist stopping the medical helicopter from taking off. Alternative arrangements were made so that qualifying did go ahead on time the race however was a different matter. There was no way the cars could take there traditional start off the grid with the weather as it was but some drivers thought no start should of happened at all. Heidfeld said, In my opinion the race should not have been started under these weather conditions," In trouble with a miss fire and lack of radio he just tried not to be driven into I tried to find a line where I would be as safe as possible. That's why Kimi Raikkonen could pass me on the left hand side. I was just happy we didn't crash. But then Jenson Button crashed into my car and damaged it” Kubica backed his teammate up, Coulthard on the other hand didn’t think it was all bad, "That was very, very difficult. It's a crazy thing to be a racing driver - on the one hand you're scared, but on the other, you're having the time of your life because every moment you're right on the edge, even on the straights.”



• Ferrari doesn’t get the message.
  Ferrari were left fuming after having there race compromised after having to pit to change to extreme wets being told by Charlie Whiting that all cars had to run the same tires. An email was sent to all the teams just before the start of the race but Ferrari only received it once the race had started. The FIA later put out a statement saying any similar decisions in the future will be sent by E mail and by written conformation.
  
  
• Red bull taking the Rough with the smooth.
  Red Bull were happy with points but were disappointed that a podium and possible win were wiped out by Vettel in the sister team Toro Rosso. Vettel had been having the drive of his life over the weekend getting into the top 10 in qualifying and leading the race at one stage, Vettel was seen to be crying in the team garage and later faced the press “I made a good start and the race was going well," said Vettel. "Then, with the final safety car, I was behind Lewis and Mark and exiting Turn 13, I looked to the right and saw Lewis going really slowly, I don't know why, but I thought he had a problem. Probably he was heating his brakes. Then, by the time I looked forward again, I was already in the back of Mark's car and I think he had also reacted to Lewis. I apologise now to Mark because I ruined both our races." Webber was annoyed to say the least “It’s kids isn’t it, they have not got enough experience – they do a good job and then they f*** it all up.” Vettel was given a 10-place grid penalty for the next race for causing “avoidable contact”



• The Number of the day is 1(st)
  Several 1st’s happened at Fuji today With Vettel leading his 1st race, Kovalainen getting his 1st podium and Renaults 1st of the season it was the 1st race of the season that the race was wet all the way through, no slick tyres were used during the race at all, it was the 1st podium to feature two Finnish drivers with Raikkonen and Kovalainen, It was also the 1st point for Toro Rosso this season but then that went to Spyker for there 1st point ever and Sutil’s. That decision however is being appealed and will be heard before the FIA court of appeal not the 1st time that has happened this season however.




• Hamilton vs. Alonso. It is personal, defiantly.
  Whilst Hamilton and Alonso have spent the whole season insisting they are friends off the track this came into question when Hamilton said Alonso has not been loyal to the team. He said that he and de la Rosa had bent over backwards to make Alonso feel welcome at the team and when asked was Alonso loyal to the team he replied “No”…” “We've done that, and then you saw what he did to the team," Alonso was asked about weather he thought he and Hamilton would take each other out at any of the remaining races this season he didn’t think so "In Spa we didn't crash. I think we will never crash into the other one. We are fighting for the world championship but at the same time we are intelligent people and we try to finish the races.” Never say never Fernando…

In 7 days time F1 will race in China where Lewis Hamilton could become the first rookie to win the world title in the history of the sport. You could almost say its now Hamilton’s title to loose.

Champ of the race: All 22 drivers that raced in those conditions. Even if they didn’t want to.

Chump of the race: Vettel. A shame I really wanted to give him “champ” instead. But on a more positive note he has shown he has skill. His time will come.

Move of the race: Raikkonen on Coulthard. A brilliant move on the outside of turn 5 where only a few laps ago Alonso binned it.