Coming off a dismal performance in Singapore, the Mercedes AMG Formula One team vowed a return to its winning ways come the Japanese GP. Both Nico and Lewis had their lowest starting position at the Marina Bay Circuit and it was only the second time that both drivers finished off the podium all season. It was a race that left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Mercedes hierarchy.
The weekend began under a blanket of clouds that dumped rain on the track during the practice sessions, on this, the annivesrary of Jules Bianchi’s crash that eventually claimed the life of the Frenchman. This made for a somber mood in the paddock as memories of that fateful accident came rushing back.
The skies opened up and the sun shone brightly for qualifying. Nico Rosberg claimed P1 ahead of Lewis Hamilton with Valtteri Bottas taking P3. Singpaore GP winner Sebastian Vettel could only muster P4. Row 3 featured Felipe Massa on P5 and Kimi Raikkonen in the other Ferrari down in P6. No driver was able to challenge Nico for the top spot as the session was cut short by the stranded Toro Rosso of Verstappen just after the hairpin.
As the lights went out to signal the start of the race, both Mercedes got off the line quickly, Hamilton having a slightly better take off than Nico.They were wheel to wheel into turn 1, with Lewis holding the racing line as they approached turn 2. Rosberg was pushed wide onto the astroturf, enabling Hamilton to sweep past to lead the pack. Nico’s foray outside the track meant that he lost position to both Vettel and Bottas. It was later found out that a overheating of the battery in Nico’s car was to blame for his lack of power.
Meanwhile down in the midfield, Massa and Ricciardo came into contact with each other, causing punctures to both cars. The Williams and Red Bull had to crawl around the circuit to get to the pits and they wound up out of a point scoring position.
There was no looking back for Lewis Hamilton. He gamely went about the business at hand, and by the end of the first lap, Lewis had already managed to put a buffer of 1.6 seconds between him and the rest of the field, even setting a fast lap time of 1:39.140, which was exceptional for the start of the race. Hamilton was in total control. The race was his, and he, along with the rest of the Mercedes team, knew it.
Lap 10 saw Alonso and Verstappen dive into the pits, while Button and Nasr Jr. came in a lap later. This early change of tires meant that the team was thinking of having three-stop strategy. Sebastian Vettel, who was now running in send after Bottas pitted on lap 12, had a very fast turn around. The Ferrari pit crew changed his tires in only 2.2 seconds. This was pit stop perfection!
Raikkonen was brought in a lap later, and like Vettel, had a short stint in the pits. The Finn came out ahead of Nico Hulkenberg in the Force India. Lap 17 saw race leader Hamilton come in for a new set of Pirelli’s. The gap behind Hamilton was so big that Lewis still was able to come out in P1.
With all cars making their stops, the pit to car radio chatter was at a minimum. Then, unexpectedly, a frustrated Fernando Alonso came over the airwaves yelling “GP2 engine, GP2 engine! Arghh!” as he was being easily overtaken on the straights. This made for a very awkward situation at the McLaren hospitality suite, as Honda bigwigs were in attendance, on this, their home track no less. Ron Dennis would later berate the Spaniard for his outburst.
Lap 29 saw Ferrari, who was hoping to undercut the Williams of Bottas, call in Kimi who was then running fifth. The Ferrari boys had another quick turn around, releasing Kimi in only 2.2 seconds. A lap later Nico Rosberg and Valtteri Bottas dove into the pits, but bouyed by the fast action of his pit crew, and some clean air in front of him, Kimi was able to go past bottas to claim fourth. The undercut worked wonders for Raikkonen!
Lap 31 saw Vettel, who was runing in secnd, dive into the pits, but, Rosberg aided by his earlier pit stop, came barreling down the pit straight to undercut Sebastian who had no option but to take position behind the Mercedes. Meanwhile race leader Hamilton was called in the following lap for his last stop of the race. Lewis had a big enough gap that ensured that he come out ahead of everyone. From that moment on, it was just a matter of maintaing the lead and managing the tires for Hamilton. He was not challenged from the get go.
Lewis crossed the line to win the 2015 Japanese GP. Nico Rosberg followed behind to take second place, albeit 18 nseconds behind his team-mate. Singapore GP winner Sebastian Vettel took the checkered flag a few seconds later to take the last step of the podium.
This gave Lewis his 41st career win, tying the legendary Ayrton Senna for 4th on the all time wins list. Hamilton now is just one win behind Sebastian Vettel and 10 wins behind Alain Prost.
The post race press conference showed a dejected Nico Rosberg frowning at his misfortune. Adding insult to injury, Sebastain Vettel made a quip about Nico running low tire pressures again. The comment, while a joke, did not sit well with Rosberg who maintained his somber demeanor all throughout.
Lewis Hamilton maintains his lead in the championship nstandings with 277 points, while Nico Rosberg holds on to second with 229 and in third is Sebastian Vettel with 218 points.
It would be a brave man to bet against Hamilton winning it all again, but, with 5 races to go and 125 points on offer, anyone amongst the top 3 can still claim the championship trophy at seasons end.
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