Japan – Race: Five in a Row for Vettel

The conditions are ideal for this Japanese Grand Prix, which has seen many mistakes on both sides during the first two days: missed braking points, technical problems, crashes, the spectators have seen it all. All the drivers are on option tires, except for Daniel Ricciardo and Charles Pic, who is already condemned to do a drive-through within the first five laps of the race.

At the start, Romain Grosjean takes the lead of the race following an excellent getaway. Lewis Hamilton does too, but he is moving slowly: the Englishman has lost his right rear tire. Apparently, it was Sebastian Vettel’s wing that caused the puncture as the Mercedes driver was returning to the track. At the back of the pack, Giedo van der Garde and Jules Bianchi collided and are forced to retire, a difficult weekend for the Frenchman.

In the 6th lap, a great battle between Jenson Button and Kimi Räikkönen who are fighting for… tenth place. The Lotus driver missed his start and now has to perform like last week on a track that doesn’t really suit him. But the Finn overtakes the Englishman with the help of DRS. At the front, Romain Grosjean maintains the gap between him and Mark Webber while Sebastian Vettel is clearly struggling with his car. A great fight also between Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso, the Brazilian resists! Lewis Hamilton retires shortly after, almost a lap behind.

In the 10th lap, the first pit stops took place with Jean-Eric Vergne, Jenson Button, and Adrian Sutil. This is earlier than what was expected by Pirelli, but it may be for strategic purposes, the famous undercut. The first stop among the leading trio, which clearly detached from the rest, was Mark Webber to fit hard tires, although he was asked a few laps earlier to let Romain Grosjean go to save his tires. At Lotus, they protect the position of the Frenchman by also pitting, allowing him to keep the advantage over the Australian. Thus, Sebastian Vettel leads, while Nico Rosberg almost tags Sergio Perez and half of the Lotus mechanics after Mercedes released their driver in a more than dangerous manner.

On the 14th lap, it’s Fernando Alonso’s turn to stop while Sergio Perez overtakes Jenson Button at the first corner. Sebastian Vettel relinquishes his lead to switch to hard tires, while Nico Rosberg receives a drive-through penalty for his dangerous exit in the pits. A bit further back, Nico Hülkenberg has moved ahead of the Ferrari drivers thanks to his early stop, as Ferrari is experiencing its Korean nightmare once again. The German is on the tail of Daniel Ricciardo, the Toro Rosso driver still equipped with the hard tires from the start.

At the 20th lap, the Australian creates a bottleneck, allowing Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso to catch up. The Spaniard takes the opportunity to overtake his teammate. Daniel Ricciardo begins to struggle significantly with his tires and gets overtaken by Nico Hülkenberg before the 130R, and by Fernando Alonso on the straight. There’s a major tussle between Felipe Massa and Esteban Gutierrez, which eventually allows Kimi Räikkönen to overtake the Mexican. A little further back, Nico Rosberg climbs into the top 10 by passing Jenson Button, who then goes to the pits, but the mechanics have a small problem with a wheel, causing the Englishman to lose a lot of time.

On the 24th lap, Mark Webber sets the fastest lap to close in on Romain Grosjean and moves into the DRS zone, putting pressure on the Frenchman, even though the Suzuka circuit is not the most favorable for overtaking. Red Bull decides to pit Mark Webber, allowing the Australian to benefit from clear air, as the leading trio has more than a 25-second lead over Nico Hülkenberg in 4th place. Sebastian Vettel takes the opportunity to set the fastest lap, a second quicker than Romain Grosjean. And the Frenchman continues on track, perhaps a different strategy for a Lotus that has been economical with its tires since the start of the season?

On the 28th lap, Sebastian Vettel closes in on Romain Grosjean for first place while Mark Webber pushes hard with a clear track, allowing him to catch up like a rocket. The Frenchman stops shortly after and comes out in 3rd place while Vettel is in the lead. Nico Hülkenberg also heads to the pits after heavy braking at the entrance. Daniel Ricciardo is under investigation for overtaking Paul di Resta off track in the 130R by going wide: the Australian is penalized with a drive-through. Fernando Alonso, Esteban Gutierrez, and Sergio Perez follow into the pits, uncertain if they can make it to the end. The McLaren Mexican also suffers an issue with changing the right rear wheel like Jenson Button.

On the 34th lap, Felipe Massa is penalized with a drive-through for speeding in the pit lane. Sebastian Vettel is still in the lead and does not lose significantly to his two chasers, although the German is still on much older tires. But it’s Kimi Räikkönen who is the fastest with a 1:35:516. Huge gap between the leading trio and the others. Sebastian Vettel, Mark Webber, and Romain Grosjean are within 20 seconds, while Nico Hülkenberg is 30 seconds from the Lotus driver.

On the 38th lap, Sebastian Vettel goes to the pits and comes out a few seconds behind Romain Grosjean. The end of the race promises to be exciting as Sebastian Vettel is urged to attack. And it works for the German, who manages to overtake the Lotus driver in a few minutes. There’s a big fight for fifth place between Fernando Alonso and his future teammate Kimi Räikkönen. In the pack, Jenson Button goes to the pits to fit medium tires.

On the 43rd lap, Mark Webber makes his 3rd stop to put on medium tires and comes out 3rd: the Australian driver will be in full attack mode aiming for at least second place. In 4th position, it’s Nico Hülkenberg who holds steady, resisting the pressure from Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen. Sergio Perez also pits after contact with Nico Rosberg in the last chicane. The leading trio is in a frenzy with consecutive fastest laps from Mark Webber, who is driving much faster than his teammate and Romain Grosjean. The Australian could very well catch up to his teammate to contest the victory at the end of the race.

After almost a race and a half behind Nico Hülkenberg, Fernando Alonso finally manages to overtake the Sauber driver, while further back, Nico Rosberg gets rid of Felipe Massa who is gradually fading.

At the 48th lap, Mark Webber is well contained by Romain Grosjean, which benefits Sebastian Vettel who gradually extends the gap to build his 5th consecutive victory: a feat achieved by only 5 drivers in the past. Five laps from the end, Esteban Gutierrez is in the points ahead of Nico Rosberg.

Three laps to go, Romain Grosjean and Mark Webber are stuck behind backmarkers who are costing them time against Sebastian Vettel. Behind them, Kimi Räikkönen is in a high-level battle with Nico Hülkenberg. At Mercedes, Nico Rosberg is being asked to overtake Esteban Gutierrez.

With two laps to go, Mark Webber takes advantage of backmarkers to overtake Romain Grosjean on the pit straight, and the Frenchman will not improve his best result of the season today. Further back, Kimi Räikkönen finally manages to overtake Nico Hülkenberg in the final chicane, placing the Sauber drivers in 6th and 7th.

It is ultimately Sebastian Vettel who wins after dropping to third position, something that hadn’t happened in a long time. Mark Webber and Romain Grosjean complete the podium after making the race complicated for the future four-time world champion. But it’s not enough for the title, as Fernando Alonso finishes 4th. He is followed by Kimi Räikkönen, Nico Hülkenberg, and an impressive Esteban Gutierrez. The young Sauber driver scores his first career points ahead of Nico Rosberg, Jenson Button, and Felipe Massa.

The result of the 2013 Japanese Grand Prix: