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The
return
to
Suzuka
marked a
return
to form
for
Scuderia,
after
the
disappointment
of
Singapore.
But a
return
to
form
only
within
the
modest
targets
the team
can now
set
itself
for the
final
part of
the
season,
as all
technical
effort
is
focussed
on next
year’s
car.
Once
again,
Kimi
Raikkonen
produced
a very
strong
drive to
come
home in
fourth
place,
while
Giancarlo
Fisichella’s
twelfth
place
finish
is not
an
accurate
reflection
of how
much
progress
he made
this
weekend
in terms
of
getting
to grips
with the
F60.
The race
was won,
with an
impressive
lights
to flag
performance
by Red
Bull’s
Sebastian
Vettel,
the
German’s
third
victory
of the
season.
Joining
him on
the
podium
in
second
place,
to the
delight
of the
Japanese
crowd,
was the
Toyota,
driven
by Jarno
Trulli,
while
third
spot
went to
reigning
champion,
Lewis
Hamilton.
With the
McLaren
man
picking
up six
points
compared
to
Kimi’s
five,
the
Scuderia’s
lead
over the
English
team in
the
battle
for
third
place in
the
Constructors’
Championship
is now
down to
just two
points,
the
Scuderia
on 67
and
McLaren
on
65. It’s
going to
be a
tough
battle
over the
remaining
two
races
and as
Team
Principal
Stefano
Domenicali
said
after
the
race,
Ferrari
will be
fighting
"tooth
and
nail" to
maintain
the
advantage.
With
five
drivers
being
given
penalties,
Timo
Glock
not
taking
part
after
his
qualifying
accident
and Mark
Webber
starting
from pit
lane,
the
actual
grid
bore
little
relation
to the
actual
times
set on
Saturday
afternoon.
Kimi
Raikkonen,
having
qualified
eighth
was now
on the
third
row in
fifth
place,
with his
Scuderia
Ferrari team-mate,
Giancarlo
Fisichella
moving
up a row
to
fourteenth
place.
As the
lights
went out
on the
downward
sloping
grid all
but
Buemi
got
away,
with
Vettel
pulling
out a
big lead
from
pole
after
fighting
off
Hamilton
at the
first
corner,
who had
gone
from
third to
second
ahead of
Trulli,
Heidfeld
and Kimi
fifth,
with
Giancarlo
moving
up to
12th.
The gaps
grow
quickly
at this
long
track
and
after
just
two
laps,
Vettel
had a
lead of
1.9 over
his
pursuers,
with
Kimi
already
5.3
down.
The
tightest
battles
on
around
lap 6
were
Sutil
sitting
on the
gearbox
of
Kovalainen
in
eighth
place
and
Giancarlo
getting
ever
closer
to
Kubica
who was
eleventh.
The
positions
remained
unchanged
for
several
laps
after
this. On
lap 15,
Hamilton
was
the
first to
put,
followed
by Sutil
next
time
round.
On 17,
Trulli
came in
from
second,
then
came
Button
and
Giancarlo.
The
leader
Vettel
came in
on lap
18,
followed
by
Heidfeld,
Kimi and
Barrichello.
So by
lap 20,
Vettel
still
led from
Rosberg,
Hamilton,
Trulli,
Heidfeld,
Kovalainen,
Kubica,
Kimi at
17.7 and
Barrichello.
Rosberg
and
Kovalainen
came in
on laps
23 and
25
respectively.
By lap
30, Kimi
was now
up to
fifth
and one
lap
later,
Alonso
made his
only pit
stop.
Five
laps
later,
Kimi
made his
second
stop,
remaining
on the
soft
tyre and
this was
enough
for him
to get
ahead of
Heidfeld.
Lap 39
saw some
action
as
Trulli
pitted
from
second
and
managed
to come
out
ahead of
Hamilton
to keep
the same
position.
Kovalainen
and
Giancarlo
came in
together
and
although
the
Ferrari
man
got out
slightly
ahead,
as the
came
past the
end of
the
white
line at
the pit
lane
exit,
the
McLaren
dived
inside
and just
squeezed
the F60
wide
enough
to get
ahead of
the
Roman
driver.
Lap 45
featured
a huge
crash
for
Alguersuari,
who
demolished
his Toro
Rosso at
the
130R,
which
brought
out the
car and
the
field
bunched
up. At
the
restart,
Kimi
thought
about
making a
move on
Hamilton
who was
having a
technical
problem
with
KERS,
but
there
was
never a
real
opportunity.
With
only a
few laps
remaining
after
the SC
pulled
in, the
order
remained
unchanged,
so the
podium
places
went
to
winner,
Vettel,
second
placed
Trulli
and
third
man
Hamilton.
Behind
them
came
Kimi in
fourth,
with the
rest of
the
points
going to
Rosberg,
Heidfeld,
Barrichello
and
Button.
Stefano
Domenicali: “All things
considered, this is a
positive result: I don’t
think we could have done any
more than this fourth place.
We got the most out of the
F60 as it stands today and,
thanks to yet another great
drive from Kimi, we also
managed to stay third in the
Constructors’
classification. Giancarlo
also drove a good race,
driving competitively in
terms of pace and
performance, as can be seen
from the fact he set the
eighth best lap time. In the
middle stint, on the soft
tyre, both our drivers were
very quick, their lap times
matching those of the best.
The team worked well and we
must continue to do so for
the final two races left to
run in this strange season,
fighting tooth and nail to
reach the target we set
ourselves from the
mid-season onwards.”
Giancarlo
Fisichella: “I had a
better feel for the car this
weekend and I think the
effect from that could be
seen, although maybe not in
terms of the results. Today,
I could run at a good pace,
especially in the middle
part of the race. It’s a
shame I lost a place in my
battle with Kovalainen. We
managed to get ahead of him
in the pit stop, but then he
swerved across to the inside
at the only point where I
left the door slightly open
and he leaned on me,
managing to get by. Towards
the end, I had to fight off
Sutil who was very quick and
was on the soft tyre, while
I was on the hard: at this
point the KERS came in
handy. Now I am looking
forward to Interlagos in a
more confident mood: it will
be important to get a
slightly better start
position to try and finally
make it into the points.”
Kimi
Raikkonen: “Today the
car wasn’t bad, but it was
not quick enough to fight
for the podium. This fourth
place is useful in terms of
keeping the team in third
place in the Constructors’
championship, but it will be
hard to hang onto it over
the final two races. I will
definitely do everything I
can though. I was unable to
make up places at the start,
especially as the first
corner is not that far from
the start line and so I was
unable to make the most of
the KERS. In the first
stint, when I was on hard
tyres, the situation was a
bit difficult, but then,
once on the softs, things
improved considerably. I
managed to close on Heidfeld
and pass him at the pit
stop, even though, coming
away from my stop, I found
myself in traffic behind
Button. Then there was not
much to fight for to the end
of the race.”
Chris
Dyer: “After the
disappointment of Singapore,
it’s nice to see Kimi again
finish a race in a good
position. With hindsight,
there’s some disappointment
with a result that could
have been even better: we
opted to start on the hard
tyres on Kimi’s car, because
we weren’t entirely sure
about how the soft ones
would work over a distance.
In fact, their performance
stayed consistent, as we saw
in the second part of the
race, when both our drivers
were very competitive. On
top of that, we failed to
make up places at the start,
which is what we usually
manage. We played about a
bit with the stops to try
and pass Heidfeld and we
managed it. In the final
stint, it seemed at one
point that Hamilton had a
problem and then the Safety
Car closed everyone up. Kimi
tried to see if there was
room to attack him at the
re-start but there was not.
Giancarlo drove a good race
and it was important for him
and for the team to see him
fighting with Kovalainen and
Alonso for a place just
outside the points. It’s a
shame that, coming out of
pit lane after his second
stop, he lost a place in his
battle with the McLaren
driver.”
Race details:
K.
Raikkonen: 4th 1:28.28.383 +
7.940 53 laps chassis 279
G.
Fisichella: 12th 1:28.35.039
+14.596 53 laps chassis 280
Weather: air temperature 28/27 °C, track temperature
43/41°C, sunny
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