2007 Japanese Grand Prix

Infobox Grand Prix race report
Type = F1
Country = Japan
Grand Prix = Japanese
date = September 30
Year = 2007

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Caption = Fuji Speedway
Race_No = 15
Season_No = 17
Official name = XXXIII Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix
Location = Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Sunto District, Shizuoka, Japan
Course = Permanent racing facility
Course_mi = 2.835
Course_km = 4.563
Distance_laps = 67
Distance_mi = 189.945
Distance_km = 305.721
Weather = Very heavy rain
Pole_Driver = Lewis Hamilton
Pole_Team = McLaren-Mercedes
Pole_Time = 1:25.368
Pole_Country = United Kingdom
Fast_Driver = Lewis Hamilton
Fast_Team = McLaren-Mercedes
Fast_Time = 1:28.193
Fast_L

Fast_Country = United Kingdom
First_Driver = Lewis Hamilton
First_Team = McLaren-Mercedes
First_Country = United Kingdom
Second_Driver = Heikki Kovalainen
Second_Team = Renault
Second_Country = Finland
Third_Driver = Kimi Räikkönen
Third_Team = Ferrari
Third_Country = FinlandThe 2007 Japanese Grand Prix was the fifteenth race of the 2007 Formula One season. It was held on 30 September at the recently revised Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Shizuoka, in very heavy rain and misty conditions. For 20 years the Japanese Grand Prix was held at Suzuka, but in 2007 it returned to Fuji for the first time since 1977. Pole position, the fastest lap and the race itself were all won by Lewis Hamilton, who extended his lead in the championship to 12 points with 2 races remaining.

Pre-race

Lewis Hamilton of McLaren led the Drivers' Championship by only 2 points from team-mate Fernando Alonso, who was a further 11 points ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen.

After McLaren's exclusion from the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari had been confirmed as Constructors' Champions, following their Belgian Grand Prix one-two. They were 71 points ahead of BMW Sauber.

Three Japanese constructors and two Japanese drivers competed in the race. Toyota were 6th in the Constructors' Championship, whilst Honda were 8th, behind their own "B-team" Super Aguri. Takuma Sato was 15th in the Drivers' Championship for Super Aguri, whilst compatriot Sakon Yamamoto had yet to score for Spyker F1, having debuted at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Race Summary

Due to torrential rainfall, the race was started under the safety car, which led the field for the first 19 laps. The Ferraris of Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa were forced to pit during the first few laps after starting on standard wet tyres, as opposed to "extreme wet" tyres, which were a requirement in the treacherously wet conditions. Ferrari boss Jean Todt later stated that the team were not informed about the requirements prior to the race, although all other teams were.cite web |url=http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2007/9/6897.html |work= [http://www.formula1.com Formula1.com] |title=Hamilton reigns supreme in rain-swept Fuji thriller]

The Ferraris dropped back to 20th and 21st positions respectively following the pitstops, and Massa pitted again on lap 15. When the safety car finally left the circuit, the two McLarens began the race proper at the head of the field, in front of a quick-starting Sebastian Vettel. The Toro Rosso driver had clinched 3rd place from Nick Heidfeld, after the latter collided with Jenson Button's Honda. Mark Webber reached 4th place during the first racing lap as a result of the collision. A first-corner spin caused Alexander Wurz to collide heavily with Felipe Massa's Ferrari. Wurz's car sustained heavy damage and he retired on the spot.

Later in the race, Fernando Alonso crashed out. The reigning World Champion blamed aquaplaning for the accident, which once again brought out the safety car. During this safety car period on lap 45, third-placed Sebastian Vettel collided with second-placed Webber in the wet conditions. This collision put Heikki Kovalainen's Renault in 2nd place, which he managed to hold until the end of the race, despite repeated overtaking attempts by Kimi Räikkönen. The Ferrari driver would eventually finish third, ahead of David Coulthard in fourth for Red Bull Racing.

On the final lap, Felipe Massa prevailed in a spectacular battle with BMW driver Robert Kubica. The Pole had previously served a drive through penalty for colliding with Hamilton. Massa finished 6th, and Kubica 7th, behind Giancarlo Fisichella's Renault. Vitantonio Liuzzi finished in 8th, scoring the first 2007 championship points for Toro Rosso. However, these points were later removed when Liuzzi was penalised for overtaking Adrian Sutil under waved yellow flags. This promoted Sutil to 8th, giving him and the Spyker team their first F1 points.

Post-race

Following the race, Sebastian Vettel was facing a 10-place penalty for the next race in Shanghai, China, for causing the collision with Mark Webber which put both drivers out of the race, but this punishment was reduced to a reprimand. When new evidence was presented to the FIA, it began an investigation of Lewis Hamilton for dangerous driving and causing the collision himself. Hamilton was leading the race right in front of Webber, before suddenly braking and forcing Webber to follow suit lest he be penalised for overtaking behind the safety car; the collision occurred when Vettel's car ran into the back of Webber. Hamilton might have faced either disqualification or a grid penalty for the next race, [ [http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2007/10/6923.html The Official Formula 1 Website ] ] but the FIA decided not to impose any penalty. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7029797.stm] .]

Problems with the Circuit

The event had a lot of problems such as the paralysis of the transportation network provided by the shuttle buses, poor facilities including some reserved seats without a view, lack of organization, and expensive meals that meant a simple lunch-box was sold for 10,000 yen ( |publisher=www.kansenzyuku.com/ |accessdate=2007-10-03]

Transportation

The free practice session on Saturday was abandoned due to the fog, which grounded the Medical Helicopter, after repeated delays. [cite news|url=http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2007/9/6883.html |title=Final practice - just three drivers set a time |date=2007-09-29 |publisher= [http://www.formula1.com/ Formula One official website] |accessdate=2007-09-30 |language=English] [cite news|url=http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2007/09/29/final-practice-abandoned-due-to-poor-weather/ |title=Final practice abandoned due to poor weather |date=2007-09-29 |publisher= [http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/ GPUpdate.net] |accessdate=2007-09-30 |language=English] Only three drivers set a time in four minutes: Alexander Wurz (Williams-Toyota), Nico Rosberg (Williams-Toyota) and Jarno Trulli (Toyota). [cite news|url=http://www.formula1.com/results/season/2007/784/6449/ |title=2007 Japanese Grand Prix: SATURDAY PRACTICE |date=2007-09-29 |publisher= [http://www.formula1.com/ Formula One official website] |accessdate=2007-09-30 |language=English]

Before the race, there were suggestions that the plan of carrying all of the 100,000 spectators or more only by shuttle bus would be impossible. To relieve people's doubts, the circuit was said that there was complete preparation for the race. [cite news|url=http://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/shizuoka/20070916/CK2007091602049299.html |title=２８日『富士』でＦ１日本ＧＰ開幕　準備最終コーナーに (Fuji will hold the Japanese GP: The preparation at the final corner) |date=2007-09-16 |publisher= [http://www.chunichi.co.jp/ Chunichi Simbun] |accessdate=2007-10-03 |language=Japanese] These doubts were realised when, after the qualifying session on Saturday, the shuttle buses could not leave because the road on the east gate of the circuit sank around 16:00. As a result, approximately 20,000 spectators were forced to stay for four hours or more until 21:00.cite news|url=http://www.i-dea21.jp/kensawa/index.php?d=20070929 |title=Kenji Sawada's Report from circuit |date=2007-09-29 |publisher=Kenji Sawada, an official F1 photographer |accessdate=2007-09-30 |language=Japanese] [cite news|url=http://www.mainichi-msn.co.jp/entertainment/car/news/20070930k0000m050091000c.html |title=Ｆ１：道路陥没で大渋滞　一部観客４時間足止め　日本ＧＰ |date=2007-09-29 |publisher=MSN Mainichi Interactive |accessdate=2007-09-30 |language=Japanese] [cite news|url=http://www.daily.co.jp/newsflash/2007/09/29/0000664897.shtml |title=Ｆ１観戦客２万人足止め |date=2007-09-29 |publisher=DailySports Online |accessdate=2007-09-30 |language=Japanese] As for the race on Sunday only the shuttle bus was admitted for spectators as transport. [cite news |url=http://www.fujispeedway.jp/english/ticket/index.html |title=Ticket and ride system |date= |publisher=Fuji Speedway |accessdate=2007-09-30 |language=English]

Refund

On Sunday morning, the circuit announced that they would refund spectators who had bought seats in the reserved seat area on 'C' stand, near the first corner. This was due to the low visibility which meant that the cars on the racing line were not seen at all.cite news|url=http://www.i-dea21.jp/kensawa/index.php?d=20070930 |title=Kenji Sawada's Report from circuit |date=2007-09-30 |publisher=Kenji Sawada, an official F1 photographer |accessdate=2007-09-30 |language=Japanese] The cost of the tickets, 50,000 yen (US$435), was scheduled to be reimbursed to 7,000 people who were in the stand. The total cost of the refund is expected to be around 350 million yen (US$3 million).cite news|url=http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/sports/etc/news/20070930it04.htm |title=350 million yen will be reimbursed |date=2007-09-30 |publisher=Yomiuri Online |accessdate=2007-09-30 |language=Japanese] [cite news|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/UK_MOTORSPORT/idUKSP26800920071001 |title=Motor racing-Japan GP host to refund $3 million for poor seats |date=2007-10-01 |publisher=Reuters |accessdate=2007-10-01 |language=English] [cite news|url=http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2007/10/01/fuji-speedway-to-repay-fans/ |title=Fuji Speedway to repay fans |date=2007-10-01 |publisher=GPUpdeta.net |accessdate=2007-10-01 |language=English] After the race on Sunday, the circuit held the press conference to apologise for problems and announced that they would refund another 85 spectators who did not arrive at the circuit until after the start of the race, at 13:30, due to the delay of the shuttle bus. The circuit said that they would reimburse them for all the costs caused by watching the race: the transportation expenses, hotel charges and the cost of the tickets etc. [cite news|url=http://www.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/071002085937.shtml |title=Fuji apologises for problems |date=2007-10-02 |publisher=F1-Live.com |accessdate=2007-10-02 |language=English]

Toyota bias

The circuit, (now Renault), criticised the organization of the circuit. Tsugawa mentioned:

On the other hand, there was a high evaluation by the visitors of the paddock. [cite news|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/grapevine.php/id/62910 |title=Paddock Life - Fuji edition |date=2007-10-01 |publisher=Jonathan Noble, autosport.com |accessdate=2007-10-01 |language=English] [cite news|url=http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=Ted_Kravitz&PO_ID=40903 |title=Ted's Fuji notebook |date=2007-10-01 |publisher=ITV-F1.com |accessdate=2007-10-03 |language=English] Though there were a lot of problems and the Grand Prix was criticized very much during the event, the Team Principal of Toyota F1, Tadashi Yamashina praised the event:

Lawsuit

On 16 June 2008, 109 spectators went to Tokyo District Court and took an action against the circuit to claim total 32 million yen (US$295,500) in compensation for the bad health and missing the race by transportation problem of the shuttle buses. [cite news|url=http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200806170079.html |title=Irate F1 fans sue Speedway |date=2008-06-17 |publisher=Asahi Shimbun |accessdate=2008-06-19] [cite news|url=http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2008/06/17/japanese-fans-sue-fuji-speedway/ |title=Japanese fans sue Fuji Speedway |date=2008-06-17 |publisher=GPupdate.net |accessdate=2008-06-19]

Classification

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton of McLaren-Mercedes started from pole ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso. He is the second man to qualify on pole in F1 at Fuji after Mario Andretti in 1976 and 1977. For the third consecutive race, both positions on the front row were occupied by team-mates. 6th place is Jenson Button's best qualifying position of the year and his best since the 2006 Chinese Grand Prix for Honda. Sebastian Vettel's 8th position is Scuderia Toro Rosso's best ever qualifying position, although higher positions had been attained by the team in its previous guise of Minardi. Qualifying was run on a wet track, although no rain was falling. all drivers used Wet tyres.

* † Ralf Schumacher had no car during the second session of qualifying as he crashed into the back of Sakon Yamamoto at the end of the first session.
* ‡ During Friday morning practice, Williams decided to change Nico Rosberg's engine, giving him a 10-place grid penalty for the race. [cite news|url=http://f1.gpupdate.net/en/news/2007/09/28/grid-penalty-for-rosberg/ |title=Grid penalty for Rosberg |date=2007-09-28 |publisher=GPUpdate.net |accessdate=2007-09-28]

Race

* Vitantonio Liuzzi handed 25 second penalty after overtaking under yellow-flags. [cite news|url=http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/62898 |title=Liuzzi penalised, Sutil scores first point |date=2007-09-30 |publisher=autosport.com |accessdate=2007-09-30]

Notes

* Lap leaders: Lewis Hamilton 55 (1–28 & 41–67), Sebastian Vettel 3 (29–31), Mark Webber 5 (32–36), Heikki Kovalainen 3 (37–39) and Giancarlo Fisichella 1 (40).
* On Sunday, the safety car led the race for the first 19 laps (about 40 minutes) due to torrential rainfall on the racetrack. After the race, a lot of drivers criticized the decisions to continue this situation and start the race in bad conditions. [cite news|url=http://www.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/070930114404.shtml |title=Drivers say GP should not have started – “It was impossible to see anything” – Barrichello |date=2007-09-30 |publisher=F1-Live.com |accessdate=2007-09-30 |language=English]
* During the initial Safety Car period, the FIA instructed the lapped car of Vitantonio Liuzzi to pass the field and catch up to the back of the queue as quickly as he safely could, as a way of gauging whether the track was ready for the race to begin.
* Mark Webber, who was still suffering from the after-effects of food poisoning, vomited in his helmet during the first safety car period. [cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7020434.stm |publisher=bbc.co.uk |title=Japan Grand Prix|date=2007-09-30|accessdate=2007-10-25]
* David Coulthard changed his helmet design for this race, choosing to use the helmet design of the late Colin McRae as a tribute to his recently deceased friend.
* This is the first time two Finnish drivers have been on the podium at the same time, Heikki Kovalainen finishing 2nd and Kimi Räikkönen finishing 3rd.cite web |url=http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2007/9/6903.html |work= [http://www.formula1.com/ Formula1.com] |title=FIA post-race press conference – Japan]
* The result was Adrian Sutil's first point, and Spyker F1's only point (as they were bought out by Force India after this season).
* McLaren were not awarded constructors points or a trophy on the podium.
* Heikki Kovalainen achieved his first podium at this race. This was also Renault's only podium of the season.
* Sebastian Vettel became the youngest ever driver to lead a lap of a Formula One race.
* This was the first retirement of the season for a McLaren.

External links

* [http://www.manipef1.com/results/2007/japan.php Detailed Japanese Grand Prix results]

References

F1_race_report
Name_of_race=Japanese Grand Prix
Year_of_race=2007
Previous_race_in_season=2007 Belgian Grand Prix
Next_race_in_season=2007 Chinese Grand Prix
Previous_year's_race=2006 Japanese Grand Prix
Next_year's_race=2008 Japanese Grand Prix