Japan – Race: Hamilton wins the Grand Prix, concerns over Bianchi

The weather is apocalyptic in Suzuka this morning, with torrential rain pouring down on the drivers. A decision has been made to start the race under safety car conditions, which is unlikely to be lifted in the first few laps.

In the first lap, the drivers start behind the safety car and are already suffering from aquaplaning. The first driver makes a mistake: Marcus Ericsson, in the last corner, finds himself stuck in the gravel. Assisted by the marshals, the Caterham driver returns to the track.

In the second round, the red flag is deployed and the drivers are asked to line up single file in the pits.

At 8:25 French time, the race resumes behind the safety car, taking advantage of a lull. And the first victim is Fernando Alonso, whose single-seater gradually came to a complete stop. Some drivers are starting to request that the safety car return to the pits, on a track that is improving more and more.

On the 10th lap, the safety car returns to the pits and the race is on! Lewis Hamilton stays in the slipstream of Nico Rosberg, while Jenson Button pits for a bold gamble: switching to intermediate tires! In just one lap, the two Mercedes drivers already have a six-second lead over the Williams cars. The gamble pays off for Jenson Button: the Briton’s lap times are on par with the Mercedes, which means incredibly fast!

In the 12th lap, numerous drivers enter the pits for a real deluge of tire changes! The intermediate tires are the winning choice! The teammates of these drivers imitate them the following lap, only the Mercedes drivers didn’t stop, as well as… Jules Bianchi, in 3rd place! But the Silver Arrows are forced to switch to the intermediate tires as well, much more effective than rain tires, even if the intrinsic qualities of the Mercedes hide this deficit. Nico Rosberg and Jules Bianchi decide to pit, and Lewis Hamilton launches an attack to try to exit ahead of his teammate after his stop. But the Brit makes a small mistake, which may cost him the first place.

On the 16th lap, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo are behind Felipe Massa, who seems to be slowing them down. Jenson Button, in 3rd place, has a comfortable cushion of 6 seconds over Valtteri Bottas. And Sebastian Vettel overtakes the Brazilian at the hairpin, while Daniel Ricciardo remains stuck behind the Williams. But the Australian manages to take the outside in the Esses, taking advantage of the wet conditions.

**On the 18th lap,** Sebastian Vettel effortlessly overtakes Valtteri Bottas on the outside at the hairpin, and the Finn sees Daniel Ricciardo approaching in his mirrors. Valtteri Bottas is overtaken in the same manner as his teammate by the Red Bull driver. The duel is fierce between the Mercedes drivers, who are battling for first place by mere hundredths. Jean-Eric Vergne heads to the pits: in his opinion, his car has been undrivable since switching to intermediate tires.

On the 21st lap, the two Red Bull drivers are the fastest on the track, ahead of the Mercedes and Jenson Button. According to the Mercedes drivers’ radio, the race should no longer be disrupted by rain, and slick tires might make an appearance. The battles are intense in the pack, and some drivers decide to switch to new intermediate tires to take advantage of a performance gain.

At the 24th lap, Kimi Räikkönen loses a lot of time. During his pit stop, one of his wheels won’t tighten, and when the Finn can finally get going again, it’s to rejoin the pack in 14th position.

Surprise: the use of DRS is allowed, benefiting Lewis Hamilton, who is less than a second behind Nico Rosberg. A small issue for Lewis Hamilton at the first braking with a slightly late DRS closure, causing him to go a bit wide off the track, his brake glowing with heat. Meanwhile, several drivers are pitting to change tires, while others are hoping to make them last until the track allows for dry-weather tires.

On the 29th lap, Lewis Hamilton takes the lead at the first corner with a very nice overtaking move on Nico Rosberg. The 2008 world champion quickly escapes to gain a bit of a lead, pulling ahead by almost 2 seconds per lap. Daniil Kvyat manages to overtake Esteban Gutierrez for ninth place. At this point in the race, three drivers are faster than the two Mercedes: Daniel Ricciardo, Jenson Button, and Sebastian Vettel. The latter decides to pit for new intermediate tires, even though his lap times were still very fast.

Slight problem during Jenson Button’s pit stop as he struggles to engage first gear, allowing Sebastian Vettel to pass the Briton without a duel. In the pack, the Sauber drivers drop down the hierarchy.

On the 34th lap, while Sebastian Vettel begins an incredible recovery with an amazing pace, Nico Rosberg pits to switch to new intermediate tires. The decision to wait for a dry track is now obsolete, as drivers on new tires are too fast. However, Lewis Hamilton only follows his teammate a few laps later, leaving Daniel Ricciardo in the lead. But the Australian loses a lot of time in traffic and pits, relegating him to fifth place.

At the 38th lap, rain reappears on the pit straight, and some drivers decide to switch to new intermediate tires for this reason, like Felipe Massa who comes out in ninth place behind Daniil Kvyat. In the Esses, Sebastian Vettel makes a mistake that costs him several seconds, allowing Nico Rosberg to escape and Jenson Button to close in on the German.

But the McLaren driver sees Daniel Ricciardo coming up behind him, and a duel ensues between the two men, which benefits Sebastian Vettel. With the return of the rain, the use of DRS is no longer allowed, as the track is completely soaked.

On the 41st lap, Kevin Magnussen decides to take the gamble with extreme wet tires. The McLaren driver comes back like a rocket on the drivers ahead of him, while Daniel Ricciardo overtakes Jenson Button. And the first victim of this return of the rain is Adrian Sutil, who went into the wall in the Esses of the first sector. Jenson Button decides to follow the example of his teammate, much faster in this last lap, to switch to extreme wet tires.

At the 44th lap, the safety car is sent back onto the track, accompanied by the medical car. This initiates a new round of pit stops, as the tow truck does not remove Adrian Sutil’s car. Sebastian Vettel comes out on intermediate tires for a daring gamble given the current conditions, which puts him back in 4th place, behind Daniel Ricciardo. Nico Hülkenberg brings his car to a stop at the end of the pit straight, as a red flag is deployed in a tense atmosphere…

Adrian Sutil still hasn’t been evacuated from the scene of his accident, while the FIA announces that Jules Bianchi is immobilized on the track… The cameras are focused on the Marussia pit, not providing any images or information about either of these drivers, as an ambulance arrives on the track.

The race is this time permanently interrupted in an atmosphere more than heavy and filled with apprehension regarding Adrian Sutil and especially Jules Bianchi. The latest information indicates Adrian Sutil is walking back to the pits…

It is therefore Lewis Hamilton who wins this Grand Prix, ahead of Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel, with the classification being as it was two laps before the red flag, as stipulated by the regulations.