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[DrM]

Video of supposed blocking

if this is blocking for penalty then i will get a new job on Monday...

 

[NHale]

Video of supposed blocking

if this is blocking for penalty then i will get a new job on Monday...

Instead of looking for a job, you should look into treating your hatred towards Ferrari.

From that camera it definitely looks like blocking. He was on the racing line braking very early while on a slow down lap which caused Alonso to brake early and change the approach to the chicane. Vettel could have easily stay outside or slow down on the straight before the 130R.

But if the stewards only gave them a reprimand is because Alonso's telemetry showed it didn't cause the impact that appears on that video.

 

[Lach]

Yep Vettel does seem to break incredibly early while on the racing line. But I don't think it's penalty worthy.

 

[Dead Man]

Shit, slept through qualy, stupid night shifts.

 

[Shaneus]

Shit, slept through qualy, stupid night shifts.

Good news though: We get the broadcast in HD! Because it starts around 5pm and 10's news is on at 5pm (I think this is the reason) we get the F1 broadcast on OneHD!

 

[Myoclonic Jerk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NCGgD0KpfA&feature=youtu.be

lol Kimi

lol

"I spun"

 

[Igo]

Video of supposed blocking

if this is blocking for penalty then i will get a new job on Monday...

Alonso would have turned in later had Vettel not been so indecisive.

 

[pants]

"I spun"

"I don't care about the others"

Kimi <3

 

[Shaneus]

Alonso would have turned in later had Vettel not been so indecisive.

Yeah, I'd have to agree there. You can see he was a lot earlier on the brakes and his line was a little off.

Was that either of their hot laps?

 

[keit4]

Alonso is so lucky.

 

[SunhiLegend]

Alonso is so lucky.

How so?

I assume you're talking about this weekend.

 

[brotkasten]

Alonso is so lucky.

We all know that if Vettel didn't block him, he probably would've spun out of the corner.

Lucky indeed.

 

[keit4]

How so?

I assume you're talking about this weekend.

Sarcasm.

You know, according to some users in this thread Alonso will win the championship because his luck.

 

[PdotMichael]

Sarcasm.

You know, according to some users in this thread Alonso will win the championship because his luck.

I'm pretty sure that Hamilton and Vettel could show many worse moments this year. Don't act like a little baby here.

 

[Ark]

Disappointing qualy, but I expected the Red Bull domination. Their car was born for Suzuka.

 

[SunhiLegend]

Sarcasm.

You know, according to some users in this thread Alonso will win the championship because his luck.

I thought so, my body hasn't adjusted well to waking up at 4am, still feel sleepy and tired.

And if Alonso does win the championship, unlikely as it is, I'd find it hard to believe it was down to luck more than anything.

 

[RukusProvider]

I don't think it is. I have nothing against Vettel, He just turns into a faultless F1 robot when he's in the lead, and I'd prefer to see a battle for 1st place.

Go watch NASCAR. Plenty of fights for the lead.

 

[brotkasten]

I baffles me that Ferrari is still trying to do Q3 with one lap. I can't wrap my head around it.

 

[Xun]

It's a shame Kobayashi will probably never be in a top team.

 

[AndyD]

Not bad quali. I almost wished for some rain to mix things up.

 

[jey_16]

I baffles me that Ferrari is still trying to do Q3 with one lap. I can't wrap my head around it.

No tyres.....Alonso only had one set of new softs for q3, no point going out on used tyres because they will be slower and you need them as fresh as possible for the race. That's the price you pay for having a slower car

On a track like Suzuka, he should have gone out a bit earlier to avoid the traffic but all the teams try and be the last one across the line but I personally don't think it makes that much of a difference

 

[Septimius]

No tyres.....Alonso only had one set of new softs for q3, no point going out on used tyres because they will be slower and you need them as fresh as possible for the race. That's the price you pay for having a slower car

On a track like Suzuka, he should have gone out a bit earlier to avoid the traffic but all the teams try and be the last one across the line but I personally don't think it makes that much of a difference

I'd say track evolution makes up 2 tenths from start to end of Q3.

 

[Dilly]

Bah, I'll just record the race. Not going to wake up early again after a night out.

 

[l2ounD]

Man, Kimi is soo cool, no BS. Haha.

 

[Shaneus]

I'd say track evolution makes up 2 tenths from start to end of Q3.

Wow, I didn't realise it was that much. Not questioning you, just genuinely had no idea.

PS. So fucking pumped. Suck it, people who have to watch at an ungodly hour. Now you know how it feels.

Also, Australia is awesome this weekend because we get both Bathurst AND Suzuka. Double awesome.

 

[Myoclonic Jerk]

Man, Kimi is soo cool, no BS. Haha.

That's why his fans love him

Wow, I didn't realise it was that much. Not questioning you, just genuinely had no idea.

PS. So fucking pumped. Suck it, people who have to watch at an ungodly hour. Now you know how it feels.

Also, Australia is awesome this weekend because we get both Bathurst AND Suzuka. Double awesome.

I was having dinner with an Australian friend who's visiting and he was like "Bathurst is 100 times better than your F1" ... I have to admit I have no idea what Bathurst is so I'll google it now

 

[brotkasten]

Bathurst is awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yctEEDWXXmU

 

[fu3lfr3nzy]

I was having dinner with an Australian friend who's visiting and he was like "Bathurst is 100 times better than your F1" ... I have to admit I have no idea what Bathurst is so I'll google it now

Why not get the best of both worlds?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4XVF3jJL5Q

 

[Leunam]

2011 Race Summary

Jenson Button made a better start off the line than Sebastian Vettel, who also had a good start compared to some cars behind him. Button attempted to overtake down the inside, but Vettel covered aggressively and Button lifted off after being half on the grass which allowed Lewis Hamilton to take him down the outside of Turn 1. Button asked his race engineer soon afterwards "He's got to get a penalty for that, hasn't he?". Martin Brundle thought the move was "harsh but not worth a penalty", while Vettel said that he had not seen Button because Button was behind him. Meanwhile, home favourite Kamui Kobayashi lost his seventh place qualifying slot, slipping to twelfth when his anti-stall kicked in at the start. Contrastly, Paul di Resta made a good start to take eighth place.

Lap 6 saw Fernando Alonso take Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa into Turn 1, for fourth place; Massa made no attempt to defend the position. Hamilton was overtaken by Button on lap 9, after developing what the team believed to be a right-rear puncture (judging by their telemetry) at the time, before later discovering it was just heavy degradation. Hamilton attempted to compensate for the puncture by slowing through 130R before pitting and changing to the option tyres. The other front runners pitted within the next couple of laps, with Vettel remaining in the lead after the first pit-stop phase. Both Red Bulls pitted together for the second time each on lap 20, a 10.3 second gap only just ensured that Vettel left the pits as soon as Webber began to enter them. The good pace and low tyre-degradation of the McLaren proved quite useful for Button, as he took the net lead on the next lap after making his pit-stop, leaving Vettel a second behind him. Also on this lap, Hamilton and Massa made contact for the fourth time in 2011, after Massa went down the outside of Hamilton on the approach to the chicane. Hamilton, seemingly unaware of Massa being there went to take his normal line, breaking off a small endplate on the Ferrari's front wing. Hamilton blamed his wingmirrors for the contact, saying that they vibrate too much down the straights. Hamilton dived into the pits immediately afterwards, but a bad pit stop lost him more time putting him behind Massa and Webber, who had managed to pass Massa.

The awkwardly placed piece of debris that had resulted from the Massa-Hamilton collision caused the safety car to emerge on lap 24. Button slowed the pack up on the exit of 130R before restarting. Vettel pitted on lap 34, to begin his final stint on the prime tyres. Within the next three laps Webber, Massa, Hamilton and race leader Button all made their stops, all retaining position. This was until lap 38, when Hamilton overtook Massa in the DRS zone for net fifth place. Heavy traffic had slowed Vettel down on his out-lap, and Alonso moved into net second place after his stop. This left Schumacher in the lead, already being on the prime tyres, he had a longer stint before switching to the options at the end. He spent three laps in the lead in total, the first time he had led a race since the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix. When he pitted, he had got the undercut on Massa, putting Schumacher into sixth on options and Massa in seventh on primes. Schumacher's pace on the options meant that he initially challenged Hamilton for fifth but later backed off.

Vettel began to get closer to Alonso at this stage, diving down the outside of Turn 1 on a couple of occasions. He showed his frustration at having lost two places in the pits and at being unable to regain them when he wildly gesticulated after a Virgin got in his way whilst chasing Alonso. Throughout the final eight laps, Vettel was reminded by the team that he did not need to win the race, to win the Championship in Japan so he held position, as did teammate Webber who was in fourth. A large battle for the final points scoring positions began on lap 46, when Adrian Sutil went down the inside of 130R to pass Kobayashi for ninth. Teammate di Resta was falling back on worn out tyres though, with Vitaly Petrov taking eleventh from him only a few corners later. Petrov would then pass both Sutil and Kobayashi to finish the race in ninth place. Nico Rosberg would get ahead of both the Force Indias to claim the final points scoring position, overtaking Sutil around Dunlop on the penultimate lap. To worsen Kobayashi's race, he would eventually be taken by both Force Indias too, placing him a lowly thirteenth. Kobayashi's teammate, Sergio Pérez, made great use of a two stop strategy, by saving his tyres coming from seventeenth to eighth on race day. Force India just missed out with eleventh and twelfth place finishes. Lotus had a relatively successful day, finishing with both cars on the lead lap for the first time since their debut at Bahrain in 2010. This completed the most cars on the lead lap of a race ever, in Formula One.

Button took his third victory of the season, and fifth consecutive podium, just ahead of Alonso, who was only 1.1 seconds behind Button by the time he took the chequered flag. Vettel became 2011 Drivers' World Champion with four races remaining, by finishing third, taking his fourteenth podium from fifteen races. Vettel also became the youngest double World Champion, and one of only nine drivers in the sport's history to successfully defend their title. Mark Webber's solid fourth place, only 8 seconds off the lead, ensured that Red Bull Racing had already amassed more points than in their previous year's World title with 518 points. Hamilton finished fifth for the second race in a row, followed by Schumacher, Massa, Pérez, Petrov and Rosberg, who completed the ten points scoring positions.

Circuit Info

[Click for Onboard]

Laps

53​

Circuit length

5.807 km (3.608 mi)​

Race length

307.573 km (191.117 mi)​

Lap Record

Kimi Räikkönen - McLaren - 2005 - 1:31.540​

Most Wins (Drivers)

Michael Schumacher (6)​

Most Wins (Constructors)

Mclaren (9)​

Previous Winners

Suzuka

2011 - Jenson Button for McLaren-Mercedes
2010 - Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull-Renault
2009 - Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull-Renault

Fuji

2008 - Fernando Alonso for Renault
2007 - Lewis Hamilton for McLaren-Mercedes

Suzuka

2006 - Fernando Alonso for Renault
2005 - Kimi Räikkönen for McLaren-Mercedes

Videos and highlights of the Japanese Grand Prix

David Coulthard explains what goes into a proper launch in an F1 car

Ayrton Senna displays his footwork at Suzuka in an NSX-R

Sauber's Kaumui Kobayashi makes some moves at his favorite corner in Suzuka

Highlights from the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix

Highlights from the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix

Highlights from the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix

Highlights from the 2011 Japanese Grand Prix

Senna Vs. Prost at Suzuka
Senna passes Prost at Suzuka 1988
Fight for pole at Suzuka 1989
Senna and Prost collide at the Casio corner in 1989
Senna and Prost collide at the first corner in 1990

Changes from 2011

-The whole West Course (from turn 7 until after the chicane) has been resurfaced.
-New storm water drainage systems have been installed around the newly resurfaced section of track.
-The DRS Zone is 20m shorter this year. The detection zone is 50m before Turn 16 and the activation zone is at the Control Line after Turn 18.

GP Facts

-Michael Schumacher is without doubt the most successful driver here with a staggering six Japanese Grand Prix wins (1995, &#8217;97, 2000-&#8217;02 and 2004) to his credit. His nearest rivals are all stuck on two wins apiece. Double winners include Gerhard Berger, Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill and Mika Hakkinen. From the current grid Fernando Alonso (2006, &#8217;08) and Sebastian Vettel (2009-&#8217;10) have also won twice here.
-The Japanese Grand Prix hasn&#8217;t been a particularly happy hunting ground for home-grown drivers, however. Over the course of 27 races, Japanese drivers have scored just 22 points. Satoru Nakajima finished sixth in 1987 and 1989 to bag a total of two points under the scoring rules in effect at the time. Aguri Suzuki became the first Japanese driver on the podium in 1990, taking four points for the third place under the same rules and Kamui Kobayashi grabbed six points under the current scoring rules with seventh place in 2010. Takuma Sato is the country&#8217;s most consistently successful racer at this race, finishing fifth in 2002, sixth in 2003 and fourth in 2004 for a total of 10 points.
-The 1989 race is remembered as one of F1&#8217;s most controversial. A tumultuous rivalry between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost reached boiling point here when the pair collided at the final chicane. Prost was forced to retire, while Senna kept going. He overhauled Alessandro Nannini for the lead and claimed victory. The Brazilian was, however, disqualified afterwards for missing the chicane and Prost won the title, much to Senna&#8217;s disgust. It was Nannini&#8217;s only F1 win.
-The feud between the pair continued the following year, only this time the collision occurred at turn one. The accident handed the Brazilian his second world title.
-The first Japanese team to take part in its home race wasn&#8217;t a big gun such as Honda but the tiny privateer outfit Kojima, which lined up for the inaugural race at Fuji in 1976. The car, the KE007, was driven by Masahiro Hasemi and the team finished 11th. Compatriot outfit Maki had attempted to start grands prix before but had never succeeded in qualifying for a championship round. That pattern continue at Fuji in &#8217;76 when Tony Trimmer failed to qualify its F102A car. It was the team&#8217;s final Formula One event.

Drivers Championship

Constructors Championship

Fantasy League Championship

 

[Goldrusher]

I have to admit I have no idea what Bathurst is

 

[Omiee]

Finally got to watch qualy been busy. What a great session. Nice to see RBR locking up the front row again.

RBR should back up vettel instead of webber at this point. No reason losing all those points they could make tomorrow by letting webber fight for the win.



Guys i switched to google chrome and for some kind of reason it does not keep me logged in on this site when i close the window. How can i fix it?

 

[Mister Zimbu]

I was having dinner with an Australian friend who's visiting and he was like "Bathurst is 100 times better than your F1" ... I have to admit I have no idea what Bathurst is so I'll google it now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4onmIljP0I&feature=player_embedded

Bathurst 1000 V8 supercars; live stream, starting right now.

 

[Dead Man]

Great preview, as always Leunam. Thanks for all your work with these.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4onmIljP0I&feature=player_embedded

Bathurst 1000 V8 supercars; live stream, starting right now.

Just posted that in the general motorsports threads, thanks for the link. And Jerk, you need to watch it.

 

[Salacious Crumb]

Go watch NASCAR. Plenty of fights for the lead.

I don't know if this was meant to be some sort of burn or genuine advice but no thanks, I don't like oval racing. The race at watkins glen was pretty awesome though.

 

[fu3lfr3nzy]

I cant believe the race is less than 5 hours away.

Normally, I have to wake up like 4am(PST) for European GP's but its nice to watch at 11pm this time around.

 

[Shaneus]

I was having dinner with an Australian friend who's visiting and he was like "Bathurst is 100 times better than your F1" ... I have to admit I have no idea what Bathurst is so I'll google it now

No idea what Bathurst is? Yikes. Get yourselves re-educated, *everyone* should know what it is. I'm pretty sure the Australian V8 Supercars are even more popular universally than the European touring cars (but it's hard to know for sure when you actually live IN Australia).

 

[RomanticHeroX]

I had read the quote already, but just saw Kimi's interview myself. God I love Kimi.

 

[Psychotext]

Ugh, I have a headache. Why am I up?

 

[Sloane]

Anybody here? :jnc

Hope the race will be interesting, Japan usually is, but Vettel looks too strong.

Webber's car already broken, lol.

 

[Draconian]

I thought I was gonna go to sleep, but I caught a second wind and think I'll stay up and watch this live.

 

[Ark]

I'm only awake because I was watching the League of Legends season 2 championships, which finished at 4:30am. Figured I might as well go all the way and stay up for the race, plus it lets me hard-reset my sleep pattern.

 

[Adamm]

I'm awake, don't worry

 

[Wax Free Vanilla]

Webber's car falling to bits

 

[Adamm]

Webber's car falling to bits

Sabotaged so he doesn't challenge vettel

 

[Dead Man]

Webber's car falling to bits

What happened?

 

[Draconian]

Hoping for a good result for Sauber here. Both qualified well, I'm just worried about the first corner.

 

[Chris R]

Suck it you Europeans Finally a race on at a reasonable time! Still Saturday here, race should finish just before midnight meaning I'll have a nice night of sleep versus waking up (or trying to) at 4 AM

edit: Looks like it is an absolutely beautiful day in Japan. Hoping for a good race

 

[clemenx]

Omg I want those Sauber hats.

 

[Draconian]

Suck it you Europeans Finally a race on at a reasonable time! Still Saturday here, race should finish just before midnight meaning I'll have a nice night of sleep versus waking up (or trying to) at 4 AM

I'm just glad I don't have to sift through this thread to reactions to things I'm watching. I can't tell you how many times I did that and scrolled past where I was in the race and ended up spoiling myself.

 

[Ark]

Suck it you Europeans Finally a race on at a reasonable time! Still Saturday here, race should finish just before midnight meaning I'll have a nice night of sleep versus waking up (or trying to) at 4 AM

It's okay, I'll happily deal with the inconvenience of these few fly-aways when we get to watch all the European races at reasonable times