F1 2011 Japanese GP

[Bartek S.]

3.606 miles (5.803 km)
Number of laps:	53
Race length:	191.117 miles (307.573 km)
Joined F1 calendar:	1987
Previous winner:	Sebastian Vettel
Previous polesitter:	Sebastian Vettel, 1:30.785
Lap record:	1:31.540 (Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren, 2005)

[TD="class: stats-tbl-left"]Circuit length:
[/TD]

Button secures new multi-year contract at McLaren

Jenson Button will stay on at the McLaren team, having signed a multi-year contract with the British squad, it was confirmed on Wednesday.
The Briton joined McLaren as world champion in 2010, having clinched his first title with the Brawn GP squad back in 2009.

He has so far won four races with McLaren, and had been in talks about extending his deal for a while now, with both the McLaren and the driver having made it clear that he was to stay on.

On Wednesday, McLaren officially confirmed the news, saying Button has signed a new multi-year deal.
The Briton is currently in second place in the standings behind Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel.

"I've never felt more at home at a team than I do at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes," said Button.

"I've won four of the greatest races of my life here, I'm currently lying second in the drivers' world championship, and I feel that I'm driving better than ever.

"You can only achieve that with the right level of support - and I truly believe that the passion and determination to win are stronger here at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes than anywhere else.

"As a grand prix driver, those are incredibly powerful feelings to share and be part of, and they've only reinforced my desire to commit my long-term future to this team.

"I've made no secret of my ambition to continue winning races and world championships, and I fully believe this is the place where I can achieve those aims.

"We at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes know how to win, and we're busy refining an organisation that will enable us to keep on doing that for years to come."

Team boss Martin Whitmarsh added: "Jenson is a great driver and a great guy. In fact, I can safely say that he's one of the most capable and respected drivers we've ever had, and I'm therefore absolutely delighted that he'll continue to work with us into the future.

"He's a considerable credit to this organisation, and I'm proud to be his Team Principal.

"I feel sure that he'll now build on the considerable success he's already achieved with us, and will be even more successful with us in years to come.

"I think he and Lewis say it better than anyone. Their comments show just how much they respect and trust each other, and they once again continue to prove what we as a team have always known: that Vodafone

McLaren Mercedes has the very best driver line-up in all of Formula 1."
Button's team-mate Lewis Hamilton also welcomed the news.

"It's great news that Jenson has chosen to stay with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes," he said. "Jenson has been a great person to work with, and a genuine team-player, from the moment we welcomed him on board.

"Vodafone McLaren Mercedes is a team with a unique and successful tradition in Formula 1, which I'm proud to be part of.

"It was the best moment of my career when I won the drivers' world championship with this team. Jenson and I are as hungry and as ambitious as ever to win races and world championships in the future."

Alonso says runner-up spot not a lost cause, but concedes it will be hard

Fernando Alonso says the runner-up spot in this year's championship is not a lot cause, even though he admits it will be very hard to secure the position.Ferrari driver Alonso dropped to third place in the standings after the Singapore Grand Prix, but he is just one point away from McLaren's Jenson Button.

With Ferrari already fully focused on next year's car, Alonso is likely to face an uphill battle to secure second place, but the Spaniard, who reckons the result would be 'great', says it is not out of reach.

"Even if it's true we are no longer even mathematically in the hunt for the drivers' title, there are still plenty of reasons to retain our motivation to tackle these last five races with the right attitude," wrote Alonso on Ferrari's website.

"First of all there's second place in the drivers' table. Given how the season has gone so far, with Vettel totally dominant, failing to get on the podium only once, being runner-up would really be a great result for me and for the team.

"There are four of us in the running, as I am up against Webber and the two McLaren guys and I reckon we will have to wait until Interlagos to find out who it will go to.

"Clearly, if one looks at the way recent races have gone, it will definitely not be easy, as my closest rivals seem to have that little bit extra in terms of car performance, but that does not mean it's a lost cause.

"We know we have to do everything perfectly if we want to reach our goal and we will be trying right to the very end."

The Spaniard believes second position in the constructors' championship is not impossible either, even if Ferrari is 85 points behind McLaren with five races to go.
"There's still second place in the constructors' championship, but this is a much harder target, because there's a significant gap to McLaren, but it's not impossible.

"In the end, myself and all the team just want to end a season that did not go the way we wanted in the best way possible. Taking at least one win would be the maximum, while the important thing is to always be in the fight for the podium places."

Autosport

 

[Bartek S.]

FP1

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m33.634s 20
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m33.725s + 0.091 18
3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m34.090s + 0.456 22
4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m34.372s + 0.738 24
5. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m34.426s + 0.792 25
6. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m34.937s + 1.303 23
7. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m35.585s + 1.951 27
8. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m35.590s + 1.956 25
9. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m36.033s + 2.399 22
10. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m36.370s + 2.736 18
11. Bruno Senna Renault 1m36.487s + 2.853 18
12. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m36.700s + 3.066 21
13. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m36.948s + 3.314 24
14. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m36.949s + 3.315 22
15. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m37.103s + 3.469 29
16. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m38.197s + 4.563 18
17. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m38.331s + 4.697 11
18. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m38.446s + 4.812 8
19. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m39.168s + 5.534 10
20. Karun Chandhok Lotus-Renault 1m39.946s + 6.312 22
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m40.872s + 7.238 13
22. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m41.019s + 7.385 24
23. Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 1m41.106s + 7.472 25
24. Narian Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m41.775s + 8.141 25

 

[Bartek S.]

 

[Bartek S.]

FP2

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m31.901s 32
2. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m32.075s + 0.174 33
3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m32.095s + 0.194 35
4. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m32.147s + 0.246 28
5. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m32.448s + 0.547 34
6. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m32.710s + 0.809 26
7. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m32.982s + 1.081 27
8. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m33.245s + 1.344 26
9. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m33.446s + 1.545 36
10. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m33.681s + 1.780 33
11. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m33.705s + 1.804 25
12. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m33.790s + 1.889 36
13. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m34.393s + 2.492 35
14. Bruno Senna Renault 1m34.557s + 2.656 27
15. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m34.601s + 2.700 33
16. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m36.038s + 4.137 33
17. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m36.225s + 4.324 35
18. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m37.123s + 5.222 14
19. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m37.440s + 5.539 30
20. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m38.093s + 6.192 30
21. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m38.387s + 6.486 16
22. Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 1m38.763s + 6.862 36
23. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m39.800s + 7.899 24
24. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m42.480s + 10.579 4

 

[Bartek S.]

FP3

Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap
1. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m31.255s
2. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m31.762s + 0.507s
3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m32.122s + 0.867s
4. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m32.279s + 1.024s
5. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m32.401s + 1.146s
6. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m32.429s + 1.174s
7. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m32.725s + 1.470s
8. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m32.878s + 1.623s
9. Vitaly Petrov Renault 1m33.058s + 1.803s
10. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m33.424s + 2.169s
11. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m33.469s + 2.214s
12. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m33.545s + 2.290s
13. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m33.818s + 2.563s
14. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m33.836s + 2.581s
15. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m33.990s + 2.735s
16. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m34.321s + 3.066s
17. Bruno Senna Renault 1m35.389s + 4.134s
18. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m35.651s + 4.396s
19. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m36.327s + 5.072s
20. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m36.912s + 5.657s
21. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m37.938s + 6.683s
22. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m38.011s + 6.756s
23. Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 1m38.355s + 7.100s
24. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1m41.097s + 9.842s

 

[Bartek S.]

Qual.

Pos Driver Team Time Gap

1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m30.466s
2. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m30.475s + 0.009
3. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m30.617s + 0.151
4. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m30.804s + 0.338
5. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m30.886s + 0.420
6. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m31.156s + 0.690
7. Michael Schumacher Mercedes no time
8. Vitaly Petrov Renault no time
9. Bruno Senna Renault no time
10. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari no time

Q2 cut-off time: 1m32.380s Gap **
11. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m32.463s + 1.997
12. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m32.746s + 2.280
13. Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 1m33.079s + 2.613
14. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1m33.224s + 2.758
15. Sebastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m33.227s + 2.761
16. Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m33.427s + 2.961
17. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari no time

Q1 cut-off time: 1m35.111s Gap *
18. Heikki Kovalainen Lotus-Renault 1m35.454s + 4.988
19. Jarno Trulli Lotus-Renault 1m35.514s + 5.048
20. Jerome D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 1m36.439s + 5.973
21. Timo Glock Virgin-Cosworth 1m36.507s + 6.041
22. Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 1m37.846s + 7.380
23. Nico Rosberg Mercedes no time
24. Tonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth no time

 

[Centurion]

It's not over until it's over and today's championship wrap up is a testament. Vettel had to cruise as opposed to fight for 1st place position. Good job by Mclaren in bringing good upgrades that put the car up there at the front. Sadly it's about 6 races too late, nevertheless a solid drive by Button. Massive congrats to Vettel, more importantly to Newey and Red Bull. They have got everything right this year; tire wear, strategy, versatility, speed and pit stops.

I wonder what's happened to Kobayashi. He's fallen off the cliff in the past races, failing to finish in the top ten, losing it on track and not gunning for it.

 

[Deleted member 25]

Perez is what happened to him Congrats for the champ and well done Jens.

 

[Centurion]

Perez is what happened to him Congrats for the champ and well done Jens.

Perez is just making his look even worse and killing his prospects of getting a top drive in 2013. It's not even that he's crashing or anything like that. He's simply flaccid and is destroying the Sauber's chances of finishing ahead of Force India which looked rather plausible a few races back.

 

[Bartek S.]

PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS

The Japanese Grand Prix
Suzuka, Japan;
53 laps; 307.573km;
Weather: Sunny.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1h30:53.427
2. Alonso Ferrari + 1.160
3. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 2.006
4. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 8.071
5. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 24.268
6. Schumacher Mercedes + 27.120
7. Massa Ferrari + 28.240
8. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 39.377
9. Petrov Renault + 42.607
10. Rosberg Mercedes + 44.322
11. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 54.447
12. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1:02.326
13. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1:03.705
14. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:04.194
15. Maldonado Williams-Cosworth + 1:06.623
16. Senna Renault + 1:12.628
17. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1:14.191
18. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 1:27.824
19. Trulli Lotus-Renault + 1:36.140
20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
21. D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
22. Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps
23. Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps

Fastest lap: Button, 1:36.568

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 35

 

[Bartek S.]

World Championship standings, round 15:

Drivers:
1. Vettel 324
2. Button 210
3. Alonso 202
4. Webber 194
5. Hamilton 178
6. Massa 90
7. Rosberg 63
8. Schumacher 60
9. Petrov 36
10. Heidfeld 34
11. Sutil 28
12. Kobayashi 27
13. Di Resta 20
14. Alguersuari 16
15. Buemi 13
16. Perez 13
17. Barrichello 4
18. Senna 2
19. Maldonado 1

Constructors:
1. Red Bull-Renault 518
2. McLaren-Mercedes 388
3. Ferrari 292
4. Mercedes 123
5. Renault 72
6. Force India-Mercedes 48
7. Sauber-Ferrari 40
8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 29
9. Williams-Cosworth 5

 

[Bartek S.]

 

[Bartek S.]