ONLINE AROUND THE WORLD ON F1 GP

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1 ONLINE AROUND THE WORLD ON F1 GP MONDAYs >> Issue 229 >> MONDAY SEP Formula 1 WEEK.com with the support of never in doubt Hamilton takes no prisoners in Suzuka PARTNERS: follow us: GPWEEK.com // 1

2 Japanese Grand Prix September 24, 2015 Photographer: Mirko Stange, Sutton Images Camera: Nikon D4 Shot at 70mm, 1/500 sec f/7.1 OPENING SHOT

3 Japanese Grand Prix September 25, 2015 Photographer: Patrik Lundin, Sutton Images Camera: Nikon D4 Shot at 600mm, 1/1250 sec f/8 OPENING SHOT

4 Japanese Grand Prix September 25, 2015 Photographer: Mark Sutton, Sutton Images Camera: Nikon D4 Shot at 200mm, 1/500 sec f/3.2 OPENING SHOT

5 Japanese Grand Prix September 25, 2015 Photographer: Patrik Lundin Sutton Images Camera: Nikon D4 Shot at 24mm, 1/10 sec f/9 OPENING SHOT

6 Japanese Grand Prix September 25, 2015 Photographer: Mirko Stange, Sutton Images Camera: Nikon D4 Shot at 16mm, 1/60 sec f/3.5

7 Japanese Grand Prix September 26, 2015 Photographer: Keith Sutton, Sutton Images Camera: Nikon D4S Shot at 122mm, 1/500 sec f/9 OPENING SHOT

8 F1 >>> news the director's cut Mercedes team bosses were left seeking answers from Bernie Ecclestone following Lewis Hamilton s domination of the Japanese Grand Prix. Hamilton raced away into a clear lead from the get-go, while teammate Nico Rosberg battled his way back from fourth to complete another 1-2 for the team. Despite that, Mercedes received less than six minutes of television coverage, with most of that coming thanks to Rosberg s battle with Valtteri Bottas over third place. I was watching TV all day long, and funny enough I saw Saubers and a lot of Honda cars, but I don t know why, Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda said. I want to see Bernie next week and ask him what is the reason. At the moment I can t say much but it was funny today that even the pitstop of Lewis the leader you only saw him driving out, Lauda added. You didn t even see if he changed his wheels. So it was interesting. I wasn t sure during the race where we were, joked Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes- Benz Motorsport. I needed to look at the timing screens because you couldn t see the cars on track. With the world feed managed by Formula One Management, which is headed by Ecclestone, there were similar accusations laid from the Ferrari camp following the Hungarian Grand Prix. However, unlike the Japanese Grand Prix, the Hungarian race featured a number of incidents away from the race lead key players Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Daniel Ricciardo all struck trouble. By contrast, the Japanese Grand Prix was an uneventful affair with television coverage focusing on battles outside of the points and all but ignoring the race leader. Some suggested the lack of Mercedes presence on the telecast could be Ecclestone's way of penalising the German marque for having not provided Red Bull with an engine deal. Having all but split with current supplier Renault, Red Bull is currently courting a supply of factory spec Ferrari engines for Should it not conclude a deal with Ferrari, and having burnt bridges with Renault, Red Bull would be left without options and has claimed it will leave the sport. However, according to Lauda, discussions between Red Bull and Mercedes never reached anything but a preliminary stage, a point he says made to Ecclestone. "I spoke to Bernie in a couple of occasions about this engine deal, and it was very clear that Mateschitz never really approached us for the reasons he never really liked Mercedes from the past, nothing to do with today," Lauda explained. The Austrian admitted Mercedes received a letter from Red Bull's Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, upon which he met with the drink company's billionaire owner Dietrich Mateschitz. "Bernie is not upset about us about the engine, that's for sure." The supply Red Bull could have received from Mercedes has since gone to Manor. PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 8

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10 F1 >>> news WEEK.com MANAGING EDITOR Chris Lambden EDITOR Mat Coch CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Formula 1: Mike Doodson Paolo Filisetti (F1 Tech Editor) Sean Kelly Social Media: Ernie Black Photography Sutton Motorsport Images Keith Sutton Mark Sutton, Daniel Kalisz, Mirko Stange, Dirk Klynsmith Published by Grand Prix Week Ltd 61 Watling Street, Towcester Northants NN12 6AG United Kingdom Publisher Chris Lambden ADVERTISING Richard Partridge Ph: Mob: Mark Sutton mark@sutton-images.com Lotus woes hit new lows The financial troubles facing Lotus saw the team reach new lows in Suzuka after its freight was late arriving and the team was locked out of its hospitality suite - both the result of unpaid bills. The team, which could be placed in administration by the courts later today, was still setting up its garages on Thursday, at a time all other teams were already preparing their cars for the weekend ahead. DHL had reportedly delayed the freight delivery because it had not been paid, while Suzuka circuit officials refused to unlock the hospitality suite after it was revealed the team had not picked up last year's tab. It forced Bernie Ecclestone to allow team personnel to eat in the paddock club while Romain Grosjean and Pastor Maldonado gave their usual media briefings under an umbrella in the rain. It's understood the problem stems from the protracted negotiations with Renault over a potential buyout of the team. As they continue to be drawn out there is uncertainty within the team over just who should be paying the bills. Those negotiations are reportedly coming to a close, with Lotus' CEO Matthew Carter claiming "there is going to be a press release from Renault next week." However the situation has left many in the paddock baffled, including Ecclestone. The deal between Renault and Lotus had allegedly been held up as the French manufacturer sought 'heritage' payments from Formula One in acknowledgement of the fact it's been in the sport since admittedly with a few fits and starts. "It's strange that a company as large as Renault are taking such a long time to make a decision, to be honest with you," Ecclestone told Reuters. "They've been waiting for us to make a contribution to give them a reason to do something, which we've done two weeks ago. So I don't know." Carter meanwhile claims the team's current problems all relate back to the negotiations. "There was an interest shown in the team by Renault and as that decision got closer, we had to make financial decisions and Renault asked us not to sign contracts. That was back in May/June and it has dragged on," he explained. "Things are looking very positive at the moment. We are confident Monday will go in our favour and things are looking very positive going forward, much more than in the last few weeks." Adjourned on the Friday of the Singapore Grand Prix, the team will today front the court to stave off administrators after UK tax authorities chase tax and national insurance contributions. Should the court not find in Lotus' favour it casts doubt on its participation in Russia, at very least. SE Asia, Australasia GPWEEK (Australia) publisher@gpweek.com Accessible via the GPWEEK APP CLICK on the appropriate provider (right) PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 10

11 Briefly F1 >>> news extra muscle In an effort to reduce instances of crowd participation, as was seen in Singapore, officials are looking at adding additional security and marshals for next year's event. new kids on the block Esteban Gutierrez and Romain Grosjean are expected to be confirmed by Haas F1 Team when it makes its driver announcement this week. staying put Fernando Alonso has pledged his future to McLaren, scoffing suggestions from former manager Flavio Briatore that he could leave the team, and F1, in prusuit of a winning car in the power of three Should Red Bull and Toro Rosso pull out of the sport teams could be forced to run a third car, which could net them as much as $25million more from the sport's coffers as a result. sunny melbourne Despite ongoing confusion surrounding the exact makeup of next year's calendar, the Australian Grand Prix can at least rest easy knowing it is secure until at least There had been suggestions the race could move to Sydney, but a new deal will keep the race in Albert Park for the foreseeable future. keeping it buttoned Jenson Button has remained tightlipped on his future despite growing between us to continue those discussions "I really hope that we have done enough speculation in the lead up to the with him and have the confidence to keep Japanese Grand Prix that he was set to him with us and that is what we would announce his retirement. like." A number of British newspapers Discussions between Button and claimed in the days following the the team are continuing, with reports Singapore Grand Prix that the 2009 world suggesting the current sticking point is champion would call time on his Formula finances. One career in Japan, a claim that was With the team's performances in 2015 ultimately proved baseless. below par, and suggestions it will lose Rumours of his impending retirement some of its current sponsors, the team is followed a number of downbeat likely to face a reduced budget next year comments made in Singapore, where in comparison to this. Button claimed there was no joy in racing Button's contract says the Brit will drive at the back of the pack. for the team in 2016 unless an option to Those rumours were given extra fuel release him is activated by September 30. by McLaren's acting CEO Jonathan Neale The contract is believed to also stipulate a during Friday's press conference. pay rise from $10m to $15m. "We are contracted with him, we want Speaking with the BBC, Niki Lauda him to stay and we like him very much, stoked the fire by encouraging Button to but if your driver doesn't really want to play hardball with Dennis over the renewal. be in the seat, we have to respect that," "I said to Jenson yesterday, fight your Neale said. fight with Ron Dennis over money, because it is always the same. But then stay, because if you go, one of the last quick guys has gone, the Austrian said. "What is the best combination to make the car go fast and develop the engine? It is those two guys. Put a young guy in the car and the engine does not go faster, he added. In the end, Jenson and Ron are clever enough to get it together. Jenson said to me yesterday he wants to drive there and he doesn t want to retire." McLaren boss Ron Dennis was less than pleased with Lauda's comments, taking the opportunity to clarify the situation after the Japanese Grand Prix. "Jenson has a two-year contract, Fernando has a three-year contract," Dennis confirmed to Sky Sports F1. They vent their frustration, and we're all disappointed and that leads to demotivation, but at the end of the day they have agreements in place," he added "In any relationship, if you feel that the other party is not particularly comfortable and you are doubting that other party's commitment, that is not a good way forward. "If that doubt is removed things change. Do you want me? Do you care? Do you believe in me? That is the kind of sentiment I believe was in Jenson's thinking. "We did have an option to terminate Jenson's contract, but he did have a two-year contract. "I told him earlier in the week that wasn't going to happen, and I think he was pleased, maybe I should have told him a bit sooner. "I don't take all the decisions in McLaren, some I do, some I don't. I wanted to check with the shareholders what their feelings were. The contract is intact and unchanged. "I've spoken to Jenson about it and he's happy. Money doesn't come into it."" PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 11

12 Jean Boulle Group US$250m + Abbott Laboratories Acquisition of Tendyne Holdings Jean Boulle Medtech Ltd, a Jean Boulle Group medical technology company and founding investor of Tendyne Holdings, Inc, is pleased to announce that Abbott Laboratories has closed its acquisition of Tendyne. Abbott thereby acquires the remaining shares of Tendyne that it does not already own for US$250 million plus potential future payments tied to regulatory milestones. This acquisition culminates a relationship that began when Jean Boulle Medtech welcomed Abbott as an early strategic investor in Tendyne. Jean Boulle Medtech worked with Tendyne's most recent investor, Apple Tree Partners, in helping to complete the transaction. Tendyne has developed a heart valve specifically designed to address the complex mitral anatomy of functional, degenerative and mixed etiology mitral regurgitation a disorder in which the mitral valve on the left side of the heart does not close properly. Left untreated, mitral regurgitation can lead to heart failure and death. Many millions of people, in the United States alone, will benefit from mitral valve replacement. The Tendyne mitral valve is literally placed inside a beating heart via a transcatheter and does not require open-heart surgery. There is therefore no need to stop the heart beating, as has been the case up till now. A catheter enters the bottom of the heart through a small tube inserted in a small incision in the patient s chest. The physician uses the tube to deploy the valve and positions it so that it rests over the heart's existing mitral valve. It is then anchored securely in place by an adjustable tether. The valve is fully retrievable, totally repositionable and is sewn onto a Nitinol frame. Nitinol is a PARTNERS: superelastic nickel and titanium "shape memory alloy" whose flexibility eases implantation, but regains its original shape when it returns to a patient s normal body temperature. The Tendyne valve s nickel/titanium alloy composition is derived from a corporate history of making major discoveries which Tendyne has in common with three other Jean Boulle Group Companies. The first founded Diamond Fields Resources, Inc, and discovered one of the world's largest and richest nickel deposits in Voisey's Bay, Canada. The second founded Titanium Resources Group Ltd and restarted and rediscovered one the world's largest and richest titanium mines in Sierra Leone. The third, World Titanium Resources discovered and is developing one of the world s largest and highestgrade titanium deposits, in South Western Madagascar. The Tendyne valve is currently undergoing clinical trials in the United States, Great Britain and Australia as part of a multicentre global feasibility study on the safety and performance of the Tendyne valve in patients with symptomatic mitral regurgitation of degenerative or functional etiology, some of whose medical conditions would otherwise make them inoperable. Initial patient results have been positive with most, if not all, patients having no mitral valve regurgitation after being discharged from hospital within a few days of surgery. The Tendyne valve has been successfully implanted in patients at such internationally renowned medical institutions as the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, England; St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, Australia; and The Minneapolis Heart Center at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Other prestigious medical institutions in the expanding universe of Tendyne clinical trials include Baylor Heart and Vascular Center, Dallas, Texas; Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio; St. Francis Hospital, Roslyn, New York; and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway. Members of Tendyne's Medical Advisory team include : Mark Gillinov MD, The Cleveland Clinic Heart Center; Paul Grayburn MD, Baylor Jack and Jane Hamilton Heart and Vascular Hospital; Lucian Lozonschi MD, Associate Professor of Cardiac Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; Georg Lutter MD, University of Kiel, Eduardo de Marchena MD, Professor of Medicine and Surgery and Associate Dean for International Medicine, University of Miami Health System; Mark Reisman MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of Washington; Murat Tuzcu MD, The Cleveland Clinic; and Horst Sievert MD. Jean Boulle Medtech is a subsidiary of the medical division of the Jean Boulle Group of Companies. This division invests in medical technology and includes companies such as Jean Boulle Medtech (Ocudyne) Ltd., which is the founding investor in a project exploring the cause of, and a cure for, aged-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness around the world. MORE INFORMATION: Jean Boulle Group Ms Audrey Richardson audrey@jeanboullegroup.com WEB: jeanboullegroup.com or Wayne Malouf, in Dallas, Texas Ph: wmalouf@jeanboullegroup.com F1 >>> news calendar reshuffle? The 2016 calendar looks set to under go another shuffle before being ratified by the World Motor Sport Council next week. A draft calendar was released in April, revealing a compressed season starting in Australia on April before running until the last weekend of November. It also saw the Malaysian Grand Prix moved from the beginning of the season, pairing it with the Singapore Grand Prix in late September. Officials in Singapore however were unhappy with the change. With the two races geographically close it made sense from a logistical perspective but organisers feared running the two races back-to-back would detract for both. Teams also raised concerns over the compressed calendar which reduced their options surrouding the mid-season break, leaving just three weeks between the Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix. In response, F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone has been looking for alternatives, including having the Malaysian Grand Prix as the final race of the year in place of Abu Dhabi. In Japan speculation claimed Eccelstone was now looking at other options, including moving the Australian Grand Prix forward to March 27 or even March 20 along with and moving some of the European rounds closer together to create a triple-header mid-season. Moving the Australian Grand Prix forward a week would see the race fall on Easter Sunday. Whilt that in itself is unlikely to cause major issues moving the event to March 20 would set up a clash with V8 Supercars, who are scheduled to race in Tasmania that weekend. An important support category, V8 Supercars has already dug its heels in over a clash with the Australian MotoGP in October next year, stating it is unwilling to change its calendar. A date change for the Australian race also has knock-on effects for teams in terms of development and testing, with the opening pre-season test currently scheduled for March 1. GPWEEK.com // 12

13 OPINION OPINION MIKE DOODSON In the days before the racing started at Suzuka last week, it must have been hard for people at the circuit not to think about Jules Bianchi. One year after the crash which would eventually take the 25 year-old's life, he was on everyone's mind. Even from the other side of the world, anyone watching on TV could feel the genuine affection for the fallen Frenchman both from his paddock colleagues and from race-goers who could not possibly have known him personally. Despite being a hard-bitten racing family with track bereavements behind them over three generations, the Bianchis are not inured to misery. In a private ceremony at Suzuka on Thursday, the Manor team paid their tributes to their much-loved driver, but Jules' father, Philippe, was not there. He says he can't bear to watch F1 any more: the only race he attended this year was the Hungarian GP, only a few days after Jules had succumbed to his injuries, nine months after the Suzuka crash. Philippe only went because the drivers had planned a commemorative tribute, and they invited him to be there. The official reaction to Bianchi's accident was quick and effective. A report was commissioned by the FIA to investigate how it came about that his Marussia had run off the road under double yellow flags and crashed into a mobile crane which was helping to recover a car that had crashed only a few is f1 safer since bianchi's crash? minutes earlier. While the 396-page report was being prepared, the FIA devised and implemented the Virtual Safety Car procedure, which employs in-cockpit electronic signals to slow the field and neutralise the race without bunching up the cars. On the three or four occasions this year when it has been invoked, the VSC appears to have worked both fairly and efficiently. We cannot be sure whether it would have coped with the extreme conditions (falling darkness and deep puddles) that obtained at Suzuka last year, but the experts are confident that it would have mitigated the circumstances which led to Bianchi going off the road. The FIA study even examined the feasibility of requiring F1 cars to be fitted with protective canopies. The leader of the FIA safety commission is Peter Wright, a vastly experienced engineer who once worked at Lotus under Colin Chapman. Wright has made no recommendation about canopies (which remain the subject of debate) but suggested that the use of one would not have saved Bianchi. "The car would have been stopped by the roof," said Wright, "and although the head would not have hit the crane, it would have hit the roof with the same result." It goes without saying that safety should be paramount in motor racing. Over the last 40 years, improvements in the construction of cars and the design of circuits have reduced the severity of accidents and improved a driver's chance of surviving. But the uncomfortable fact remains that the danger of the sport is one of the elements which makes it so attractive. Someone with a deeper understanding of the subject than most is Max Mosley, who was in charge of international motor racing from 1991 to 2009, latterly as President of the FIA. Although he brushes off any suggestion that he was anything other than a rank amateur, it is worth noting that Mosley had some successes in British club racing and went on to compete at the international level in Formula 2. In April 1968 he was competing at the wheel of his privatelyentered Brabham in the F2 race at Hockenheim which took the life of Jim Clark. Speaking to the London Daily Telegraph last week, Mosley acknowledged the contradictory nature of his position during his years with the federation. "It's difficult to find a balance between [being safe and] making the thing look purged of all excitement," said Mosley. He illustrated the dilemma by recounting the apocryphal story of the racing driver who is offered the choice of two cars, one of them built to be a safe (and therefore heavy) and the other to be ultra-light and dangerous, resulting in it being two seconds a lap faster. "That's how you are when you want to race," Mosley reflected: "you are prepared to take the risk. It's up to the governing body [to set a high standard of safety]. Racing drivers tend not to think about safety. And when they do think about safety, that's the time to retire." There are drivers who do not hesitate to express, strongly, their opposition to attempts to make racing even safer. This year, both Gerhard Berger and David Coulthard have condemned the FIA for some fussy new rules on driver etiquette. Some of those rules were subsequently relaxed, but you don't need me to remind you that Berger and Coulthard can afford to pontificate on safety because they both retired long ago and don't have to expose themselves to danger anymore. For this reason, I was intrigued to see that Lewis Hamilton, who is as brave as they come, actually has some reservations about the Suzuka circuit. Narrow, fast and bordered in places by worryingly narrow run-off areas, Suzuka is nominated by most drivers as 'challenging.' If pressed, Lewis would probably choose to use a word like 'dangerous' instead. Although Hamilton has two pole positions to his credit in Japan, they were recorded (2007 and 2008) at the Fuji track. Since Suzuka was reinstated as the home of the Japanese GP in 2009, he has failed in seven attempts to get on pole there. "It's been a bad track for me," he told Autosport. "Why? I don't know it's never been a comfortable circuit for me. I come focused and prepared but it's just not a track I feel comfortable on it's a weird sensation." Whatever it is at Suzuka that gives Hamilton the heebie-jeebies in qualifying, he seems to have overcome any reservations under race conditions, as he proved by winning there last year and again on Sunday. Last year, because it suited Bernie Ecclestone's TV schedules, the organisers at Suzuka allowed themselves to be bamboozled into starting their race so late in the afternoon that before the chequers came out it was already getting ominously dark. The FIA's report did not directly attribute Bianchi's accident to any difficulty the driver may have had in seeing the yellow flags being waved at the corner where he crashed. Nevertheless, following a recommendation from Paris, this year's race was started one hour earlier. These steps will, we hope, serve to reduce and perhaps even eliminate the most obvious risks of racing at Suzuka and elsewhere. It is still possible, though, that the circuit will be the scene of another tragedy like last year's. As Max Mosley says, "the truth of the matter is, unfortunately, that Bianchi didn't slow down... much." Tough, uncompromising words, those. But surely we must come to terms with the fact that motor racing will never be entirely safe. If it were not so, it would lose much of the magic which draws us to it in our millions. Lest we forget, one of those who took his enthusiasm to a higher level was Jules Bianchi. PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 13

14 OPINION carnival games OPINION mat Coch Editor If Formula One was a carnival, and let's be honest it practically is, sideshow alley would currently have two stalls. On one side you've got the whacka-mole that is the Red Bull/ Renault divorce and on the other you've got the pivoting clown heads that is the Lotus/ Renault buyout. One suspects that if you looked closely at the person running the game they'd be French. At the moment, Renault is treating Formula One like a game. It's come out and said publicly that there is no value in being an engine manufacturer in the sport - and having had as many hits on the head as it has from Red Bull who can really blame it. But at the same time it's um-ing and ah-ing over whether or not to buy Lotus, leading to the ridiculous state of affairs we saw in Suzuka where Bernie Ecclestone had to feed the Lotus mechanics. Given that, I for one wouldn't be too unhappy to see the French mob leave the sport because nothing Renault is doing at the moment is positive. It's dragging Enstone through the mud and throwing stones at the sport, all the while holding its hand out to Ecclestone and telling him to fork over some cash. In Bernie's shoes I'd say 'bugger you,' and let Lotus fall over. As terrible as it seems, and as much as I feel for those who work for the team, I see no value in bending over for Renault. The sport doesn't need it. Next season they'll provide engines to just a single team, if it buys Enstone, else it'll be out of the sport anyway. Meanwhile you've got Haas about to pull its truck up in the paddock. We'll gain and team and lose a team. But let's not just throw Renault on the hot coals here, let's not forget that Lotus' management are not innocent victims in this mess. The current financial mess the team finds itself in is a direct result of their management. They claim there are contractual issues with the Renault deal but I just don't buy it. If I'm selling my car and I get a speeding fine it's my responsibility to pay it. Equally, I can't fill it with petrol and put new tyres on it not pay for any of it because I'm in the process of selling the car. Sure, that's an overly simplistic view of things but the simple fact of the matter is that until any deal is concluded the Lotus management team has an obligation to run the business - and part of that is paying the bills. Plus, I must admit to having issues with the fact the team currently calls itself Lotus. One thing that has always grated me about is the team trying to associate itself with the history written by Colin Chapman and Peter Warr but at the same time hanging onto the fact it won world championships with Michael Schumacher. It's a mismatch of marketing garbage. You don't see Force India claiming Jordan's heritage, or Tyrrell's accomplishments on Mercedes' garage wall. For mine, the sooner that black and gold monstrosity is off the grid the better. If that means it's not there at all or gets repainted and renamed I don't particularly care, so long as the sport isn't compromising itself to accommodate it. So perhaps, alongside the whack-a-mole and clown heads in sideshow alley there should be a shooting gallery too, but instead of ducks we could have silhouettes of the black and gold cars from Enstone. PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 14

15 THE MOMENT... Beginning the final lap of the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix, McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen lines up race leader Giancarlo Fisichella. Going around the outside into turn one, Raikkonen snatched the lead to win his final race for McLaren. (Sutton Images archive Over 900,000 images available online for search and print order)

16 THE MOMENT... Suzuka, 1990: The wreckage of Alain Prost's Ferrari sits in the gravel at turn one following his first corner collision with Ayrton Senna. The incident decided the championship in Senna's favour, payback in the Brazilian's mind for the pair's 1989 tangle at the same circuit. (Sutton Images archive Over 900,000 images available online for search and print order)

17 F1 >>> JAPAN Equalling Ayrton PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 17

18 When the television director, who has access to coverage of all aspects of the race, opts to focus on a battle for 12th place, it is painfully clear the race is somewhat less than stellar. All the action that mattered happened within a few hundred metres of the start, with the remaining 300 kilometres simply a painful necessity before the chequered fell and confirmed what we'd known for some time. The race win was more or less decided in the run to the first corner, but in case it wasn't Lewis Hamilton made sure of it at turn two. Inside teammate Nico Rosberg, Hamilton had the racing line and was well within his rights to ease his car over to the left hand side of the circuit and edge Rosberg off the road. It was hard but absolutely fair, and proved to be the moment that decided the race. It was just a shame it happened within the first thirty seconds. Rosberg's start hadn't been particularly bad, Hamilton just made a better one - which is saying something given he started on the dirty side of the track. The moment Hamilton drew alongside the game was up. After the race Hamilton claimed he'd understeered towards the outside of the circuit, crowding Rosberg out, but that's the polite way of saying he ran the man he is fighting for the championship off the track. Perhaps Rosberg could have eased off the throttle a little sooner, or braked a metre or two earlier to fall in behind Hamilton rather than allow himself to be run off the road, but in the heat of battle he refused to give and in and, as a result, lost a mile. Rosberg fell to fourth as a result and found his progress forward hampered by a feisty Valtteri Bottas in the opening stint. It was only in the pit cycle that the Mercedes was able to use its pace advantage to get ahead, despite Williams for once trying to be F1 >>> JAPAN PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 18

19 F1 >>> JAPAN aggressive rather than reacting as events unfold around them. Rosberg then used his car speed to leapfrog Sebastian Vettel for second place at the next round of stops, but with Hamilton controlling the pace out front that was as far as he was ever going to get. There was a kerfuffle further back, with Felipe Massa slow to get away before making contact with Daniel Ricciardo. It wasn't a particularly hefty touch but it was enough to damage Massa's rim and give both drivers a puncture, deflating their hopes of a solid result. Ricciardo limped back to the pits with a flat left rear and damage to his floor while Massa limped around with a punctured right front and broken wing, losing a lap in the process. Neither would play any real part in proceedings. Nor would Sergio Perez, who was boxed in behind Massa at the first corner with Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz inside him. When the three turned into the corner there was contact, lifting Perez's car off the road and firing it off across the gravel where he too collected a puncture. All this was good news for Fernando Alonso, who moved forward well in the early laps as others fell off the track in front of him, but the lack of power from the Honda engine became painfully apparent. Both Alonso and teammate Jenson Button were sitting ducks in a straight line, Button being passed on both sides heading down the front straight by Felipe Nasr and Max Verstappen. A very frustrated Alonso made his feelings more than clear over the radio, branding the Honda power unit a "GP2 engine." There was little action towards the front of the race, a mixture of tyre strategies just outside the top ten creating the most entertaining racing. Looking to protect track position, Sauber had pitted Marcus Ericsson out of sequence, leaving the Swede a long run to the finish. A train formed behind him but even then there was little in the way of real action, simply cars driving in procession - one after the other for the most part. The Red Bull's of Daniil Kvyat and the recovering Ricciardo were at no point a feature, nor was Perez - despite all three driving cars capable of qualifying inside the top ten. In short, the Japanese Grand Prix was one of the most uneventful of the season. Lewis Hamilton won't mind though, nor will Mercedes, as they chalked up another 1-2 result. For Hamilton it meant moving the championship lead back out to 48 points over Rosberg with Vettel another 11 points further back. Though there are 125 points still available, Hamilton can afford to trail his Mercedes teammate home for the rest of the season and still claim his third world title. It also saw Hamilton claim his 41st career victory, equalling his idol, Ayrton Senna. PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 19

20 QUALIFYING F1 >>> JAPAN FORMULA 1 Round 13 JAPANESE GP Qualifying Pos Driver team Q1 Q2 Q3 LAPS 1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1: : : Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1: : : Valtteri Bottas Williams 1: : : Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1: : : Felipe Massa Williams 1: : : Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari 1: : : Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull 1: : : Romain Grosjean Lotus 1: : : Sergio Perez Force India 1: : DNF Daniil Kvyat Red Bull 1: : DNF Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1: : Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso 1: : Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1: : Fernando Alonso McLaren 1: : Max Verstappen Toro Rosso 1: Jenson Button McLaren 1: Marcus Ericsson Sauber 1: Felipe Nasr Sauber 1: Will Stevens Manor 1: Alexander Rossi Manor 1: Q1 107% Time 1: Throwing caution to the wind Three separate incidents interrupted the smooth running of the qualifying hour, and in doing so shaped the grid. Two yellow flags in the opening phase of the session hampered a number of drivers while a dramatic red flag in Q3 drew an early end to the session and confirmed the grid as a result. Daniil Kvyat's error in the final moments of qualifying was, as he admitted himself, a rookie error. He touched the grass, unsettled the car and had an almighty shunt as a result. Thankfully he was unhurt, the car doing its job by absorbing and dissipating much of the impact, but it was a silly lapse in judgement that shouldn't be made by a driver at Formula One level. The design of the circuit made it look worse than it was, because a lack of run off meant there was little room between the circuit and the barrier Kvyat collided with. That is no criticism of the circuit, more one on Kvyat since it's not an especially difficult corner - nor one where accidents are especially common. With that said, it didn't come as a surprise. The young Russian had looked wild in final practice, frequently missing apexes and running wide - especially at Degner 2. There was another incident at the same corner at which he later crashed, this time grabbing the inside kerb before locking his brake and sliding well wide of the apex. It was a day Kvyat will want to forget in a hurry. The resultant red flag meant most drivers didn't get a second stab at a flying lap in the final minutes, and the grid was therefore decided on their initial attempt. That saw Nico Rosberg holding a narrow pole over Lewis Hamilton, who had time up his sleeve if he'd been able to complete his second attempt. There was a mistake at the exit of Degner 2 and another where he slid wide at the hairpin which cost him a couple of tenths. But for that the championship leader would have been on top spot. Similarly disappointed were those at McLaren, who'd held genuine hopes of a top ten appearance with at least one of its cars. An electrical problem for Max Verstappen quickly extinguished those however as the stricken Toro Rosso sat on the racing line at the exit of the hairpin. Verstappen would be handed a grid penalty as a result, but the knock on was the likes of Jenson Button and the two Sauber's had not opportunity to extricate themselves from the bottom five. Alexander Rossi failed to set a representative lap at all thanks to Verstappen and Marcus Ericsson, who'd spun at Spoon earlier in the session. The yellow flags forced Rossi to back off, ruining that lap while on his only other attempt Verstappen parked up, leaving the American some eight seconds outside of the 107% time and four seconds adrift of PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 20

21 QUALIFYING F1 >>> JAPAN what could be considered a passing grade. Kvyat's late session crash also caught out Sergio Perez, who made it through to the top ten but was unable to set a time. He'd have likely ended the day in eighth, ahead of Romain Grosjean, instead of ninth. Meanwhile Kvyat's whoopsie resulted in him getting an entirely new car and a pitlane starting spot. The two Williams' showed promising pace with Valtteri Bottas in third ahead of Sebastian Vettel, while rather predictably Daniel Ricciardo struggled in the Red Bull. Marginally down in the first two sectors, where downforce counts, the Australian bled four tenths of a second to Rosberg in the short final sector, which is dominated by power and just a single braking zone. For Mercedes the session was reassuring. The opening day in Suzuka had been all but rained out leaving final practice difficult to deduce as teams ran varied programmes in a bid to make up for lost time. To therefore have both silver cars at the head of the pack was the restoration of the natural order, and proof that Singapore was a blip on the radar and not the signal of a new world order as some more excitable observers had predicted. QUALIFYING CLASSIFICATION PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 21

22 Japanese Grand Prix September Photographer: Mirko Stange, Sutton Images Camera: Nikon D4 Shot at 50mm, 1/5 sec f/13 OPENING SHOT

23 Japanese Grand Prix September 26, 2015 Photographer: Mirko Stange, Sutton Images Camera: Nikon D4 Shot at 300mm, 1/50 sec f/16 PASSING SHOT

24 Japanese Grand Prix September Photographer: Mirko Stange, Sutton Images Camera: Nikon D4 Shot at 500mm, 1/500 sec f/11 PASSING SHOT

25 Japanese Grand Prix September 26, 2015 Photographer: Mark Sutton, Sutton Images Camera: Nikon D4 Shot at 200mm, 1/320 sec f/5.6 PASSING SHOT

26 Japanese Grand Prix September 26, 2015 Photographer: Mirko Stange, Sutton Images Camera: Nikon D4 Shot at 28mm, 1/1250 sec f/16 PASSING SHOT

27 Japanese Grand Prix September 26, 2015 Photographer: Mark Sutton, Sutton Images Camera: Nikon D4 Shot at 500mm, 1/15 sec f/22 PASSING SHOT

28 F1 >>> JAPAN Alonso blows up McLaren's Fernando Alonso wasn't shy in letting his team know exactly how he felt during the Japanese Grand Prix. Having endured arguably the toughest season of his career to date, Alonso found himself falling through the field from the early part of the race, and took to the radio to vent his frustrations. The Spaniard branded the experience "embarrassing," and labelled his Honda power unit a "GP2 engine." When you re being overtaken like we are on the straight it s very frustrating, Alonso attempted to clarify post-race. "When you see the other guys in the corners, maybe they have more difficulties with the car, they are out of the racing line, they are braking late, they are doing mistakes, and even with that they keep overtaking you in the middle of the straight, not even the braking point," he continued. So it s frustrating and when we are in a group it s even more. When we are alone, more or less, we enjoy driving, but when we are in a group it s frustrating right now. Days like today you feel embarrassed a little bit because it s not possible that some of the guys overtake us like this." Despite that, and despite growing rumours that the two-time world champion is looking to move on from the team for next season, Alonso reaffirmed his commitment to the team. "This is the only thing that will challenge Mercedes in the near future," he asserted. "Right now is tough times because we don t have the toys to fight with them but I think everyone is working very hard. This is a very positive thing, everyone is making sure that we know the problems, we go deep into the solutions that we will find for next year and we are working on that process. His comments though didn't go passed team boss Ron Dennis, who confirmed he'd be having words with Alonso. He s a racing driver that needs to have the adrenalin and the passion and he vents his frustration," Dennis told Sky Sports F1. "I wouldn t say it s constructive but at the end of the day I m not going to get too angry about it. I don t condone it but I m not going to criticise our drivers because they are pretty frustrated. I ll sort it behind closed doors. PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 28

29 F1 >>> JAPAN Two from two Having made his grand prix debut in Singapore, Alexander Rossi had something to prove in Suzuka. While he'd beaten his Manor teammate Will Stevens around the streets of the Marina Bay circuit he'd been less than convincing, but in Suzuka he managed to put that right. The American failed to set a time inside 107% during qualifying, and the team was forced to ask for permission to have its newest driver start the race, but that was the result of bad luck than any reflection on Rossi's ability. He'd been impeded by Marcus Ericsson's spin mid-way through Q1 before Max Verstappen parked up on the exit of the hairpin and ruined his only other opportunity to set a lap. During the race, and despite his inexperience, Rossi was able to stick with Will Stevens and ultimately crossed the line ahead of his teammate. What's more he was responsible for the team having both cars at the finish, after doing well to avoid Stevens' wild slide on the exit of 130R. But for another foot and the two would have been involved in an almighty shunt. "Thankfully, I was able to get out of the way," Rossi said post-race. "It was a real heart-in-mouth moment that I'm sure looked every bit as dramatic from outside the cockpit as it did from where I was sitting!" Stevens spun after being lapped, his car losing downforce and understeering off the circuit. The Brit then lost control but managed to keep the car out of the wall, leaving Rossi to deftly move by into 18th. "Credit to them both for their impressive reactions," said team boss John Booth. "Will did well to collect the car without leaving the asphalt, while Alex's lightning response ensured there was no contact. "There were sharp intakes of breath all round up on the pit wall, but all's well that ends well and we are pleased to achieve our tenth two-car finish of the season." Along with the spin, Stevens also suffered the ignominy of a time penalty added to his race after he was caught speeding in pit lane. It saw him finish in 19th and last on the road, beaten for the second race in a row by Rossi. PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 29

30 F1 >>> JAPAN The race to the first corner In essence, the Japanese Grand Prix was over by the time the field reach turn three. Out front Lewis Hamilton had moved into a lead, wrong-footing the only driver who could have posed a challenge to him, while the fortunes of Felipe Massa, Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez had also been written. A slow start saw Massa get swamped as the field accelerated to the first corner. Realising his predicament he moved to defend as best he could, catching Daniel Ricciardo and giving both cars punctures in the process. It was a racing incident, but one which destroyed their races as they fell to the back of the field on the opening lap - in Massa's case a lap down. "It took me a long time to get back to the pits," explained Massa. "From there it was the end of the race barring any miracle." "I saw the gap between Kimi and Felipe and I knew it was close, but I thought they would make a bit of room," added Ricciardo. "We'll call it a racing incident for now. "It's a shame for the team, I think we could have gained some positions off the line and then the race would have been completely different. But we had the puncture, and that damaged the floor so we lost some downforce. I tried to do what I could, we started to catch some cars towards the end but by then I didn't have the grip to do anything." Elsewhere, Perez came off worst when he tried to go around the outside into the first turn. With Nico Hulkenberg on the inside and Carlos Sainz sandwiched in between the two Force India's, there simply wasn't enough room. "I saw Massa going slowly in the centre of the track and had to avoid him, and that's when I got the hit," the Mexican recalled. "We tried to recover and I did all I could to get back into the points, but even our best was not enough." Further up the road the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Rosberg were squabbling over the race lead. With Hamilton on the inside, he edged Rosberg off the road at turn two, taking the racing line and gaining the advantage which would ultimately hand him victory. For Rosberg it meant his pole position was quickly transformed into fourth place, forcing him to fight his way back to second spot. "On the exit I had to go off the track to avoid a collision, which cost me speed and pushed me back to fourth place," said Rosberg. "After that, I was fighting for P2 today rather than the win. "Second place is damage limitation for me, as I had to win here in Japan to close the gap to Lewis." PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 30

31 Stat Wrap with Sean Kelly»» HAMILTON HAS TIED AYRTON SENNA'S 41 CAREER WINS ON THE CIRCUIT ON WHICH SENNA CLINCHED ALL THREE OF HIS WORLD TITLES IN 1988, 1990 AND 1991»» IT IS THE 21ST TIME IN THE LAST 23 SUZUKA F1 RACES THAT SUZUKA HAS BEEN WON FROM THE FRONT ROW OF THE GRID»» ROSBERG'S SECOND PLACE MEANS AN EIGHTH 1-2 FINISH FOR MERCEDES THIS YEAR»» VETTEL KEEPS HIS RECORD OF FINISHING ON THE PODIUM ON EVERY VISIT TO SUZUKA (THIS WAS HIS SEVENTH RACE HERE HE'S EITHER FINISHED FIRST OR THIRD EVERY TIME)»» FOURTH FOR RAIKKONEN IS HIS BEST SUZUKA RESULT SINCE 2009»» BOTTAS FINISHES IN THE TOP FIVE FOR THE NINTH TIME THIS SEASON, AS HE FINISHES HIS 26TH RACE IN A ROW»» THE TOP FIVE IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP FINISH IN THE TOP FIVE IN THE RACE, IN THE SAME ORDER»» HULKENBERG MATCHES HIS BEST FINISH OF THE SEASON (AUSTRIA), AND HAS A FOURTH CONSECUTIVE TOP EIGHT FINISH AT SUZUKA IT IS FORCE INDIA'S BEST EVER FINISH ON THIS TRACK»» GROSJEAN IS SEVENTH FOR THE FOURTH TIME THIS YEAR SINCE 2013 LOTUS HAVE ONLY FINISHED HIGHER THAN SEVENTH ONCE (GROSJEAN'S PODIUM IN BELGIUM) Some facts you may have thought of, and most you certainly didn t know about the JAPANESE GP!»» MALDONADO'S EIGHTH PLACE MEANS BOTH LOTUSES ARE IN THE TOP EIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE 2013 INDIAN GP»» MALDONADO TIES HIS BEST EVER SUZUKA FINISH, EIGHTH, IN 2012 FOR WILLIAMS»» VERSTAPPEN SCORES FOR THE FOURTH TIME IN THE LAST FIVE RACES»» SAINZ BEATS ALONSO TO THE FINAL POINT IT MEANS SAINZ MOVES AHEAD OF ALONSO AND IS NOW THE TOP SPANIARD IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP»» ALONSO FINISHES 11TH, ON THE WEEKEND WHICH MARKED THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY OF HIS FIRST WORLD TITLE»» PEREZ IS OUT OF THE POINTS FOR ONLY THE SECOND TIME IN THE LAST SEVEN RACES»» KVYAT IS 13TH, THE TOP RED BULL IT ENDS A 31-RACE POINTS STREAK FOR RED BULL GOING BACK TO WHEN RICCIARDO WAS DISQUALIFIED FROM THE 2014 AUSTRALIAN GP»» THE LAST TIME RED BULL DIDN'T HAVE A CAR FINISH IN THE POINTS ON THE ROAD WAS THE 2012 ITALIAN GP»» BUTTON LOSES HIS 100% RECORD OF TOP 10 FINISHES IN ALL OF HIS 13 PREVIOUS SUZUKA STARTS»» ROSSI BEATS STEVENS FOR THE SECOND TIME IN TWO RACE WEEKENDS FORMULA 1 Round 13 JAPANESE GP F1 >>> JAPAN Pos Driver COUNTRY Team TIME/LapS PTS 1 LEWIS HAMILTON GBR MERCEDES 1:28: NICO ROSBERG GER MERCEDES s 18 3 SEBASTIAN VETTEL GER FERRARI s 15 4 KIMI RAIKKONEN FIN FERRARI s 12 5 VALTTERI BOTTAS FIN WILLIAMS s 10 6 NICO HULKENBERG GER FORCE INDIA s 8 7 ROMAIN GROSJEAN FRA LOTUS +1: PASTOR MALDONADO VEN LOTUS +1: MAX VERSTAPPEN DUT TORO ROSSO +1: CARLOS SAINZ ESP TORO ROSSO +1 lap 1 11 FERNANDO ALONSO ESP MCLAREN +1 lap 0 12 SERGIO PEREZ MEX FORCE INDIA +1 lap 0 13 DANIIL KVYAT RUS RED BULL +1 lap 0 14 MARCUS ERICSSON SWE SAUBER +1 lap 0 15 DANIEL RICCIARDO AUS RED BULL +1 lap 0 16 JENSON BUTTON GBR MCLAREN +1 lap 0 17 FELIPE MASSA BRA WILLIAMS +2 laps 0 18 ALEXANDER ROSSI USA MANOR +2 laps 0 19 WILL STEVENS GBR MANOR +3 laps 0 20 FELIPE NASR BRA SAUBER DNF 0 Points Drivers: Hamilton 277, Rosberg 229, Vettel 218, Raikkonen 119, Bottas 111, Massa 97, Ricciardo 73, Kvyat 66, Grosjean 44, Perez 39, Hulkenberg 38, Verstappen 32, Nasr 17, Maldonado 16, Sainz 12, Alonso 11, Ericsson 9, Button 6 Constructors: Mercedes 506, Ferrari 337, Williams 208, Red Bull 139, Force India 77, Lotus 60, Toro Rosso 44, Sauber 26, McLaren 17 PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 31

32 F1 >>> JAPAN THE NUMBERS 0 Number of race retirements (Nasr was a classified finisher, despite not crossing the line) for only the fifth time in F1 history the others were Netherlands 1961, USA 2005, Italy 2005 and Europe Russia will be the first Grand Prix in world championship history to feature two drivers (Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton) with 41 41or more wins in the same race Seconds The difference between Nico Rosberg s 2014 pole time and Nico Rosberg s pole time 2Of Lewis Hamilton s 8 wins this year, only two of them (Italy and Japan) have been led from start-to-finish He may have said it was like having a GP2 engine, but in reality Fernando Alonso s McLaren-Honda was surprisingly close to the fastest trap speed in the 6.7Km/h Japanese GP. The gap in qualifying was 16.1km/h Japanese Both the top three on the grid and the top three in the race were identical to the 2014 Grand Prix Carlos Sainz has the edge over Max Verstappen in qualifying this year, despite Verstappen having 8-5nearly three times as many points was Seconds Lewis Hamilton s fastest lap at Suzuka over a full second clear of all other drivers #JB17 Tu nous manques PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 32

33 TECHNICAL F1 >>> JAPAN spa revisted for suzuka speed TECHNICAL PAOLO FILISETTI Technical Editor The Japanese GP at Suzuka, just one week after Singapore, obviously couldn t carry over too much by way of development bits on the cars, due to the completely different layout of the Japanese track, compared to the previous one. Inevitably teams reverted to a different aero configuration, characterised by a slightly lighter downforce level. The teams tried to optimise the setup in terms of finding an adequate top speed performance in the fast sector of the circuit, but on the other hand needed to consider the particular layout of Sector 1, which includes the famous Esses, and Sector 2 that include the iconic Degner 1 and Degner 2 corners, which required a high downforce level to provide sharpness at the front end of the cars negotiating the corners. It was not an easy task indeed, as this time the increased tyres pressures imposed by Pirelli (by 2psi at the front and 1.5psi at the rear), created a headache for the engineers to guarantee grip with a downforce load not too much incisive in terms of tyre wear. There was in fact some concern expressed by the drivers, in particular Jenson Button, about a possible ballooning of the tyres due to the increased pressure, that could cause a swift increase of tyre temperature and an increased wear rate. That said, Mercedes also had to find answers to the many questions that arose from their poor performance in Singapore. Of course this track, as aforesaid, is totally different. Furthermore, the tyres adopted here were in the Medium and Hard compounds, so dramatically different to those used one week earlier. As already mentioned, the aero configuration adopted by the teams differed somewhat from the previous race. Mercedes adopted almost the same configuration as sported in Spa one month ago. The main difference from that configuration is represented by the addition of the rear flap featuring side cuts, close to the endplates, to reduce the drag generated in that section of the wing. As well, Mercedes slightly revised the slits between the various flap of the front wing by reducing their section. Another team that brought some minor but still visible changes on the car was McLaren. The Woking based team, even if is experiencing a dramatically tough season, in front of Honda s home crowd, wanted to find any possible minimal improvement in every area of the car. This led to a series of minor add-ons, and in particular a small revision of the front wing, in order to increase the downforce at the front without generating too much drag. In particular a small horizontal, slightly upwards curved winglet was placed on the outer side of the endplates to improve the sharpness of the front end and, marginally improve efficiency under braking. Of course this small addition could not change the over-all state of uncompetitiveness of the car well known as mainly due to poor power output provided by the power unit. We can at least consider it symbolic of the fact that this team never surrender to difficult times PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 33

34 Seen at Suzuka F1 >>> JAPAN PARTNERS: GPWEEK.com // 34

35 Felipe Massa and Daniel Ricciardo are already wounded as the field reaches turn one as Lewis Hamilton shapes up for a move inside Nico Rosberg at turn two. PASSING SHOT

36 A slow start and contact with Daniel Ricciardo saw Felipe Massa a lap down in last place after the opening lap. PASSING SHOT

37 Daniel Ricciardo was forced into the pits with a puncture on the opening lap, setting the Red Bull driver up for a long day in the office. PASSING SHOT

38 Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso found themselves sitting duck in a straight line with the Honda engine found embarrassingly wanting. PASSING SHOT

39 A double points finish for Lotus was a welcome distraction from the team's off-track problems. PASSING SHOT

40 Marcus Ericsson drove a combative race, though a spin and early final stop ultimately dropped him down the order. PASSING SHOT

41 Lewis Hamilton congratulates the team as they pose for a team photo following another Mercedes 1-2 finish. PASSING SHOT

42 NEXT: Russia! Last time, Nico Rosberg flatspotted both front tyres on the opening lap, forcing him to pit and handing the inaugural Russian Grand Prix to teammate Lewis Hamilton. PARTING SHOT