Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix. - 28.29.30 September 2007 @ Fuji Speedway Fuji Japan

Race weekend report , Q1. Q2 . Q3 and race times click here

The race

The first 19 laps of the race were run behind the safety car and thereafter Lewis Hamilton drove perfectly to win, after being hit by Robert Kubica and his chances of being world champion look almost certain after his team mate Fernando Alonso lost it on the exit of turn five and smashed into the outside wall. having earlier been tapped into a spin by Sebastian Vettel. Vettel looked almost certain for a podium finish until, behind the safety car he rain into the back of Mark Webber causing both of the Red Bull cars retirement. The Ferrari´s had got it wrong at the start having put on intermediate wets when the FIA had ordered wets and had to come in to change them and Kimi refueling to the end. From the back in the early stages Raikkonen drove brilliantly and during the latter stages overtaking David Coulthard and crawled all over his fellow Finn Heikki Kovalainen using all of the track, and off it in his attempt to wrest the second place, but the rookie deservedly took the honors, aquaplaning the Renault to the chequered flag. Felipe Massa had been lying third before he came in for an unexpected fuel stop and during the last lap kept the crowd on their feet with his duel with Robert Kubica, the Brazilian taking sixth, despite a drive through penalty and 3 other pit stops and the Pole seventh ahead of Vitantonio Liuzzi giving Scuderia Toro Rosso Ferrari their first point. Adrian Sutil drove well to bring the Spyker into ninth ahead of Rubens Barichello finishing in front of his team mate Jenson Button who had driven well in the earlier stage until his front wing was knocked off. David Coulthard used all of his race craft to take an impressive fourth place for Red Bull.

Comments
Lewis Hamilton - "I think for every race it's important for me to focus and just remember that it is my first year. I have to remain relaxed and calm. Anything can happen."

Fernando Alonso - "For next year I have a contract with this team and I don't see any (problem on that. I have been working with the engineers, with the mechanics, with everybody from the beginning of the season, until now with the same relationship. They are all very professional, very focused on doing the best we can and we are achieving good results. I won four races, I make some good podiums and I am fighting for the world championship so everything is going quite well for me and I am happy." (Reuters)

Felipe Massa - "I have to think about the team, thinking to do the most to help the team whenever I can. In that situation, if one driver no longer has the chance of winning, then he must concentrate on just working for the good of the team to help it win. But at the moment, I still have a chance of taking the title."

Giancarlo Fisichella - "There are several interesting places on this circuit: turns five and six for example look fairly tricky. The final section is a bit slow with first and second gear corners. I think there’ll also be a few traps because of poor visibility. This is because there’s a part of the track that falls away, and in one corner in particular it’s impossible to see the apex."

Ralf Schumacher - "The track itself has a very long straight, so that's very exciting; you could end up overtaking twice on the straight. I think the corners we have except for turn four are not so special, but it's a nice layout."

Takuma Sato - "I think everything is open but looking realistically, it's going to be a very very tough race for us, so we need something - a little change – that always gets us into an exciting situation."

Japanese Grand Prix on ITV
Live qualifying Saturday 29 September 0530-0720 ITV3
Quali re-run Saturday 29 September 1000-1120 ITV1
Live race Sunday 30 September 0430-0735 ITV1
Race re-run Sunday 30 September 1130-1330 ITV1
Highlights Monday 1 October 0010-0115 ITV1
Highlights re-run Monday 1 October 1800-1900 ITV4