| 13.00 | Welcome to F1-Live.com and live coverage of the 67-lap Japanese Grand Prix. The race is scheduled to start in 30 minutes time and we have a very wet race ahead. |
| 13.02 | Qualifying was a thoroughly damp affair on Saturday with all of the runners using either wet tyres. Lewis Hamilton claimed the pole position on his very last lap of the session, his fifth pole of the season, from McLaren Mercedes team-mate Fernando Alonso. With just two points between them in the title race, we should hopefully have a good on track battle today. |
| 13.04 | Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa line up third and fourth on the grid for Ferrari. Raikkonen is still in the title race, albeit 13 points adrift with three races remaining, but he needs to win today to have any realistic chance to go for the championship. Given the conditions, anything can happen. |
| 13.06 | Ferrari has been the dominant team in recent (non-stop-start) events, so a win for Raikkonen is not out of the question. Felipe Massa may well have to play the team role in the final three events of the season. |
| 13.08 | Nick Heidfeld starts fifth in the leading BMW Sauber. Team-mate Robert Kubica starts ninth after a poor run in qualifying and will be looking to join Heidfeld in the best-of-the-rest category. |
| 13.10 | The rain certainly helped Jenson Button in qualifying as he lines up in sixth position, by far his best result of the season. With just two championship points on the board, this is the team’s big chance to try end the season on a slightly more positive note. The RA107 is still a poor package, it is just that in the wet the aero package does not make such a difference as mechanical grip is the name of the game. |
| 13.10 | Raikkonen just went off track on his way to the grid showing how wet it is. He resumed without a major problem. |
| 13.12 | Mark Webber starts in seventh position and will be looking to add points to Red Bull’s tally for the season. The team are currently fifth in the standings but ten points adrift of Williams and clear of Toyota behind. Team-mate David Coulthard starts 12th. |
| 13.14 | Sebastian Vettel made best use of a full wet setup on his Toro Rosso Ferrari to qualify an excellent eighth ahead of Kubica. It is by far his best performance in his short Formula One career to date. Realistically, it is unlikely to get much better than it is now given the quality of those lined up right behind him. Tonio Liuzzi starts 13th in the second STR. |
| 13.16 | The Renault press release made quite a big deal about the fact that by not making it into the top ten-shoot out, Giancarlo Fisichella and Heikki Kovalainen are free to change the setting on the cars. This is true, but it was a disappointing showing with the duo lining up tenth and 11th respectively. Kovalainen is chasing his seventh straight points finish, while Fisichella is chasing his first since the British Grand Prix. |
| 13.18 | This circuit is owned by Toyota and they have invested a great deal of money to bring Formula One back to Fuji. Their team did not shine in qualifying with Jarno Trulli starting 13th and Ralf Schumacher 15th. It is hard to see where this team really is going as it has been another awful season with just 12 points scored so far. Points are possible, but it is unlikely on pure pace. |
| 13.20 | Nico Rosberg set the sixth fastest time in qualifying, but an engine change penalty drops him down to 16th on the grid. It is going to be tough from that far back on the grid, but a good start and an aggressive strategy could well work out in his favour. Team-mate Alex Wurz starts 18th after another troubled qualifying session. |
| 13.21 | The race will start behind the safety car due to the rain and surface water. |
| 13.22 | Of the rest, Rubens Barrichello was very disappointing in qualifying as he is known as something of a rain specialist. The Honda driver was not so hot on Saturday and starts 17th ahead of Wurz and the Anthony Davidson, Adrian Sutil, Takuma Sato and Sakon Yamamoto. The home crowd will be hoping better from the Japanese racers today. |
| 13.24 | With qualifying being wet, it is not as clear cut as to who is running light and heavy on fuel load. Normally there is a fairly clear distinction, certainly within the top ten runners, as to who has gambled a little. Most will probably have opted for a little more fuel than normal in order to give themselves more options in the race itself. Survival will be the main key in these conditions. |
| 13.26 | It is a gloomy afternoon in Japan, the circuit is fully wet but thankfully the cloud cover is relatively high, so there should be no delays. They will all be starting on the extreme wet tyres and behind the safety car. |
| 13.27 | Tonio Liuzzi, who was on dry settings yesterday for qualifying, is starting from the pit lane. He had qualified 14th. |
| 13.28 | The drivers are all in the cars as the countdown sequence continues. |
| 13.29 | The engines fire up and the grid is being cleared. The front runners will be on a two stop strategy, those behind one stop. |
| 13.30 | The parade lap is now underway as Lewis Hamilton leads the field away from the dummy grid. |
| 13.30 | Some will be gambling and starting on the intermediate tyres. |
| 13.31 | There's a lot of spray as they follow the safety car. |
| Lap 2 | They start another lap. We do not know how long the safety car will be on track. |
| Lap 2 | Massa has gone for a spin. It seems the Ferrari team have gone for the intermediate tyres. |
| Lap 2 | Massa rejoined behind Heidfeld who for some reason has let him back ahead. |
| Lap 3 | The safety car remains on track. |
| Lap 3 | Massa is pitting. He will be taking the full wet tyres. |
| Lap 3 | A silly move from Massa. That's the end of his championship. It is far too wet for the intermediate tyres. |
| Lap 4 | The safety car is still on track as now Raikkonen pits, presumabley for the full wets. Ferrari have really messed this one up. |
| Lap 4 | Liuzzi is a lap down. He must have started late from the pit lane. |
| Lap 4 | Massa and Raikkonen are now at the back of the field. |
| Lap 5 | It is still very wet as the safety car remains on track. |
| Lap 5 | It is now raining harder. |
| Lap 6 | No sign of the safety car pulling in at all. |
| Lap 6 | A spin for Raikkonen. |
| Lap 7 | It seems Ferrari have a major problem, not only with starting on the wrong tyres, but setup too. |
| Lap 8 | This is not a lot of fun for the fans or drivers right now. It is too wet to race. |
| Lap 8 | Visibility is the issue because of the spray. |
| Lap 9 | The safety car remains on track. Those on two stops will be worried now. |
| Lap 10 | Another lap behind the safety car. |
| Lap 10 | Ferrari took fuel when they changed tyres. They may well be on a one stop now. That is assuming they ever start racing. It is too wet right now to start. |
| Lap 11 | No sign of anything changing. Really, they should have delayed the start rather than this. 75% of the laps must be completed for full points. Less than that and half points are awarded. |
| Lap 12 | The spray seems to be worse than before as Liuzzi pits. He has nothing to lose. |
| Lap 13 | A spin for Jarno Trulli. |
| Lap 14 | The safety car remains on track. The crews are showing the pit boards, but no one will be able to see them. |
| Lap 14 | Sakon Yamamoto pits his Spyker. |
| Lap 15 | Raikkonen is pitting for fuel. He will be aiming not to stop again. |
| Lap 16 | Now Massa pits as well. Key for the race win as there seems to be no racing on track. |
| Lap 17 | The race should really be halted as now Wurz pits his Williams. |
| Lap 17 | Massa is under investigation for passing Heidfeld after spinnig early on. |
| Lap 18 | A drive through penalty for Massa. It makes no difference really. The safety car remains on track. |
| Lap 18 | Liuzzi has unlapped himself anf puts in a 96s lap. So the circuit is not bad at all, it is just visibility. |
| Lap 19 | Barrichello, Sato and Trulli all pit. |
| Lap 19 | The safety car is going to pull in at the end of this lap. |
| Lap 20 | The race is now underway. |
| Lap 20 | Hamilton leads Alonso |
| Lap 20 | Heidfeld has a problem and drops back. |
| Lap 20 | Massa and Wurz make contact. Front right damage for Wurz's Williams. |
| Lap 20 | Wurz just spun under braking and then spun back onto the track. |
| Lap 20 | Heidfeld has dropped from third to tenth. |
| Lap 21 | Massa pits. He must have damage to the right rear. |
| Lap 21 | Massa is actually back out, it was his drive through penalty. He now runs off at turn one and rejoins. Oh dear. |
| Lap 22 | Vettel is now third from Webber! |
| Lap 22 | The question now is how long McLaren can remain on track before pitting for fuel. |
| Lap 22 | Sutil is now tenth ahead of Heidfeld who has lost another position. |
| Lap 23 | Button (5th) has lost his front wing but remains on track. |
| Lap 23 | Sato also has a broken front wing and and pits from 17th. |
| Lap 24 | Sato has a fire as he exits the pit lane. |
| Lap 24 | The fuel burns off and the fire seems to be out. |
| Lap 24 | Button pits from fifth position. |
| Lap 24 | Button takes a new front wing. It seems he and Heidfeld got together at the start. |
| Lap 25 | Hamilton leads Alonso by three seconds with Vettel ten seconds further back. |
| Lap 25 | Raikkonen is now 12th and chasing Schumacher. |
| Lap 26 | Raikkonen wastes no time and passes Schumacher. |
| Lap 27 | The McLaren duo are lapping on the same pace with Vettel losing a second a lap in third. |
| Lap 28 | Alonso (2nd) is pitting for fuel. |
| Lap 28 | A clean stop. He exits behind Coulthard. |
| Lap 29 | Hamilton now pits for fuel. |
| Lap 29 | Hamilton exits ahead of Fisichella. That is a bif deal as he has a buffer now over Alonso. |
| Lap 29 | Alonso runs off track at turn three. He rejoins. |
| Lap 29 | Vettel leads the Grand Prix! |
| Lap 30 | A pit stop for Ralf Schumacher. |
| Lap 30 | Hamilton's three second advanatge has resulted in him now running third and Alonso in eighth. |
| Lap 30 | Massa is off the track again. |
| Lap 31 | Raikkonen is now in tenth position and closing in on Nick Heidfeld. |
| Lap 32 | Vettel leads and is lapping on the pace. Sadly for him, he will need to pit for fuel soon as will those behind him. |
| Lap 32 | Kubica passes Kovalainen for fourth position. |
| Lap 33 | Vettel pits his STR from the lead. |
| Lap 33 | Vettel exits just in front of Raikkonen. |
| Lap 33 | Webber now leads for Red Bull. |
| Lap 34 | Heidfeld is all over the back of Alonso. |
| Lap 34 | Heidfeld passes Alonso into turn one. |
| Lap 34 | Alonso is off the pace on this set of tyres. |
| Lap 35 | A spin for Hamilton. |
| Lap 35 | Kubica is now ahead of Hamilton. |
| Lap 35 | Kubica ran wide and pushed Hamilton into that spin. |
| Lap 36 | Alonso and Vettel get together at turn one and spins. |
| Lap 36 | Heidfeld now pitting. |
| Lap 36 | Hamilton is slowing.. |
| Lap 37 | Hamilton was in fourth. Webber pits from the lead. |
| Lap 37 | Kubica pits from third. |
| Lap 37 | I don't know why Hamilton slowed, but he has lost two places. |
| Lap 37 | Button passes Trulli into turn one. A late lunge. |
| Lap 38 | Hamilton is now fourth and is the first of those who has pitted. Davidson now pits. |
| Lap 38 | Kovalainen leads but need to pit. |
| Lap 39 | The rain is coming down still and the surface water is begining to build up again. |
| Lap 39 | Kubica is under investigation. That's a bit strange as it was a clear mistake. |
| Lap 40 | Kovalainen and Coulthard pit. |
| Lap 40 | Raikkonen now has Alosno closing in fast. |
| Lap 40 | It is certainly wetter now than before. Raikkonen pits from eighth position. |
| Lap 41 | Rosberg also pits. Kubica is in the pits, perhaps a drive through penalty - that is not a good decision. |
| Lap 41 | A spin for Sakon Yamamoto. |
| Lap 42 | Fisichella pits from the lead. |
| Lap 42 | They should all be able to run to the end now. Hamilton leads Webber by just two seconds. |
| Lap 42 | Alonso is off! He was fifth. |
| Lap 42 | He has hit the wall hard exiting turn five. |
| Lap 43 | Alonso is out of the car and the safety car is out. The McLaren is stranded on track. He was fifth. |
| Lap 43 | Awful for Alonso as he was just two points behind Hamilton and could head to China 12 down. |
| Lap 44 | The safety car remains on track |
| Lap 44 | Sutil is ninth and has yet to pit. |
| Lap 45 | Liuzzi pits from fourth position. |
| Lap 45 | Sutil and Sato also pit. |
| Lap 45 | This is a great day for the Red Bull company as Webber runs second ahead of Vettel. |
| Lap 46 | The lapped cars, Davidson and Sato, are being allowed to pass the safety car. |
| Lap 46 | Alonso's McLaren has been cleared away now. |
| Lap 46 | Webber has gone off! |
| Lap 46 | Webber has gone off whilst second behind the safety car. Vettel is also in trouble. They made contact! |
| Lap 47 | Oh dear. Vettel is out as well. How silly. They got together while warming brakes and tyres. |
| Lap 47 | Vettel will be horrified with that error. He was the one who hit Webber and second and third positions are gone. |
| Lap 48 | Vettel is in the pit and the safety car is going in at the end of this lap. |
| Lap 49 | The race is back underway as Hamilton leads Kovalainen and Massa. |
| Lap 49 | Massa all over Kovalainen. |
| Lap 49 | Schumacher in the pits... |
| Lap 49 | Rosberg (11th) is off the track. He rejoins but is going very slowly. |
| Lap 50 | It will be close to the two hour limit or 67 laps. 27 minutes remain. |
| Lap 50 | Sutil passes Yamamoto for 11th. Rosberg pits and heads back out. |
| Lap 51 | Hamilton has pulled four seconds on Kovalainen. Raikkonen is a second behind Coulthard and looking for fourth position. |
| Lap 52 | Liuzzi has a spin and rejoins. He was tenth. |
| Lap 53 | Massa remains third, two seconds behind Kovalainen. |
| Lap 54 | Rosberg is out of the race. He never made it back around after his pit stop. |
| Lap 54 | Schumacher pits again. He retires. |
| Lap 55 | Massa is putting the pressure back on Kovalainen. |
| Lap 55 | Davidson is off and out of the race. A poor weekend for Super Aguri Honda. |
| Lap 56 | Raikkonen is now pushing to find a way ahead of Coulthard. |
| Lap 57 | Raikkonen gets around the outside of Coulthard at turn five. |
| Lap 57 | Raikkonen now fourth. Massa may well slow a little for hsi team-mate as the championship is not yet over. |
| Lap 58 | Raikkonen runs wide and gets back on. He is pushing hard. He did not lose a position. |
| Lap 58 | Yamamoto pits. |
| Lap 59 | Massa pits for fuel and tyres. 13 minutes remain. |
| Lap 59 | Raikkonen is now therefore third. |
| Lap 59 | Raikkonen is now closing in on Kovalainen. |
| Lap 60 | Massa now runs ninth and is looking to pass Kubica. |
| Lap 61 | Barrichello pits from seventh. A shame for him. |
| Lap 61 | Another wide moment for Raikkonen who remains third. |
| Lap 62 | Trulli pits from 13th. A nightmare weekend for Toyota. |
| Lap 63 | Hamilton has a comfortable lead while Kovalainen remains under pressure from Raikkonen. |
| Lap 64 | Toyota have sent Ralf Schumacher back out for some reason. There is no point but it is their home track. |
| Lap 65 | The circuit is getting so wet. Anyone could still make an error in these conditions. |
| Lap 66 | Heidfeld is slowing on track. |
| Lap 66 | Heidfeld has a problem as he is being passed. |
| Lap 66 | Heidfeld pulls off and retires on the last lap. Schumacher pits again. |
| Lap 67 | Hamilton wins the Japanese Grand Prix. |
| Lap 67 | Kubica and Massa in a massive battle! |
| Lap 67 | An incredible last lap from Massa and Kubica. Wheel to wheel and both off track, but Massa gets the sixth position. |
| Lap 67 | Hamilton has won from Kovalainen, Raikkonen, Coulthard, Fisichella, Massa, Kubica and Liuzzi. |
| Lap 67 | Hamilton now has 107 points from Alonso on 95 and Raikkonen 90. |
