2008 Japanese Grand Prix

The 2008 Japanese Grand Prix, formally known as the 2008 Formula 1 Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix (XXXIV フジテレビ日本グランプリ in Japanese), was the sixteenth race of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Fuji Speedway in Sunto District, Japan, on 12 October 2008.'16. Japan 2008', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)'Japan 2008: Alonso stuns for two in row.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 12/10/2008), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/63903/1/japan-2008-alonso-stuns-for-two-in-row, (Accessed 19/03/2020) The race would see Fernando Alonso sweep to victory for the second race in succession, after title protagonists Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa clashed.
Championship leader Hamilton was the man to beat in qualifying, the Brit sweeping to pole position ahead of Kimi Räikkönen of . Heikki Kovalainen and Alonso would share the second row, leaving Massa down in fifth ahead of Robert Kubica.
The start of the race saw Räikkönen get the jump on Hamilton, easing ahead of the #22 on the run to the first corner. Hamilton tucked in behind the Finn before sending a lunge inside the #1 Ferrari, which forced both wide and into the path of Kovalainen.
Kubica hence emerged from the first corner in the lead ahead of Alonso, while further down the field a series of collisions saw Giancarlo Fisichella smack into the back of Rubens Barrichello, while David Coulthard hit both Sébastien Bourdais and Nelson Piquet, Jr. Hamilton, meanwhile, would rejoin in sixth behind Massa, with Räikkönen on his tail, with Hamilton placed under investigation for his antics at turn one.
A lap later however and Massa was the man under scrutiny for a mistake at the turn ten chicane saw the Brazilian let Hamilton through, before smacking into the McLaren mid-corner. Hamilton was left to limp back to the pits for a new set of tyres, while Massa dropped to eighth before being slapped with a drive-through penalty. Hamilton was given the same penalty for his turn one incident.
Hamilton would serve his penalty instantly having climbed up to fifteenth, while Massa first took a pitstop before serving his punishment, dumping him down to fourteenth. Out front, meanwhile, Kubica would lead through until he made his stop on lap seventeen, joined by Räikkönen in the pitlane, while Alonso stayed out a lap longer and took on less fuel to grab the de facto lead.
Once those on longer first stints pitted the order read as Alonso leading from Kubica and Räikkönen, with the rest of the field spreading out as Massa and Hamilton inched back towards the top ten. Yet, there would be no major changes tot he order in the middle stint, with Alonso pitting and rejoining ahead of Kubica, who would himself retain second from Räikkönen.
Massa's challenge would be damaged during the second pit-phase, for the Brazilian collided with Bourdais as the Frenchman exited the pits sending the Brazilian into a spin, recovering to eighth, while Bourdais was slapped with a post-race time penalty. Hamilton, meanwhile, would fail to make an impact with the Brit carrying a fair amount of damage, and would never threaten the top ten.
Out front, meanwhile, Alonso held a commanding lead through to the chequered flag, securing his second straight victory. Behind, Kubica fended off a challenge from Räikkönen to secure second, while the Finn just kept Piquet at bay to retain third and complete the podium. They were followed by Jarno Trulli, Bourdais, Sebastian Vettel and Massa, although once Bourdais served his penalty Mark Webber would be promoted into eighth.
==Background==
Lewis Hamilton managed to increase his Championship lead as a result of the mid-race chaos in the Singapore Grand Prix, leaving the city-state seven points clear of his closest challenger. Indeed, Felipe Massa had lost ground in the title hunt after his team's pit-lane mistakes, although he was still a safety thirteen point clear of third placed Robert Kubica. Behind, Kimi Räikkönen was running out of time to make a title bid in fourth, while Nick Heidfeld had retained his top five status.
There was a change in the Constructors Championship as hit the top of the title hunt, leaving Singapore with 135 points. With failing to score the British squad had established a one point lead over the Scuderia, with those two still the main protagonists for the title. were still in contention in third but were fifteen points off the lead, while had moved into fourth ahead of as a result of Fernando Alonso's controversial triumph.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
2 	Felipe Massa 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2008 	 	056 2008 2.4 V8 	
3 	Nick Heidfeld 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
4 	Robert Kubica 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.08 	 	P86/8 2.4 V8 	
5 	Fernando Alonso 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R28 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
7 	Nico Rosberg 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW30 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
9 	David Coulthard 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
10 	Mark Webber 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB4 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
11 	Jarno Trulli 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
12 	Timo Glock 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF108 	 	RVX-08 2.4 V8 	
14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR3 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
15 	Sebastian Vettel 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR3 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
16 	Jenson Button 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
17 	Rubens Barrichello 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA108 	 	RA808E 2.4 V8 	
20 	Adrian Sutil 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM01 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
22 	Lewis Hamilton 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-23 	 	FO 108V 2.4 V8 	
Source:'Japan 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2008: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)
==Practice Overview==
==Qualifying==
===Q1===
===Q2===
===Q3===
===Qualifying Results===
The full qualifying results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Q1 	Q1 	 	Q2 	Q2 	 	Q3 	Q3 	Grid
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Team 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	 	Pos. 	Time 	Grid
1 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	2 	1:18.071 	 	3 	1:17.462 	 	1 	1:18.404 	1
2 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	4 	1:18.160 	 	7 	1:17.733 	 	2 	1:18.644 	2
3 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	 	5 	1:18.220 	 	2 	1:17.360 	 	3 	1:18.821 	3
4 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	6 	1:18.290 	 	8 	1:17.871 	 	4 	1:18.852 	4
5 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	3 	1:18.110 	 	1 	1:17.287 	 	5 	1:18.874 	5
6 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	 	14 	1:18.684 	 	9 	1:17.931 	 	6 	1:18.979 	6
7 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	10 	1:18.501 	 	4 	1:17.541 	 	7 	1:19.026 	7
8 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	 	1 	1:17.945 	 	5 	1:17.670 	 	8 	1:19.118 	8
9 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	11 	1:18.559 	 	6 	1:17.714 	 	9 	1:19.638 	9
10 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	 	12 	1:18.593 	 	10 	1:18.102 	 	10 	1:20.167 	10
11 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	 	8 	1:18.303 	 	11 	1:18.187 	 	 	 	11
12 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	 	7 	1:18.300 	 	12 	1:18.274 	 	 	 	12
13 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	 	9 	1:18.372 	 	13 	1:18.354 	 	 	 	13
14 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	 	13 	1:18.640 	 	14 	1:18.594 	 	 	 	14
15 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	15 	1:18.740 	 	15 	1:18.672 	 	 	 	15
16 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	16 	1:18.835 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
17 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	17 	1:18.882 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
18 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	 	18 	1:19.100 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
19 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	 	19 	1:19.163 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
20 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	20 	1:19.910 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/840/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/840/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/840/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/840/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/840/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/840/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/840/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/840/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/840/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/840/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/840/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/840/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/840/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'2008 FORMULA 1 FUJI TELEVISION JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2008/races/840/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/03/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session.
*Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	5 	Fernando Alonso 	 	67 	1:30:21.892 	4 	10
2 	4 	Robert Kubica 	 	67 	+5.283s 	6 	8
3 	1 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	67 	+6.400s 	2 	6
4 	6 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	 	67 	+20.570s 	12 	5
5 	11 	Jarno Trulli 	 	67 	+23.767s 	7 	4
6 	15 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	67 	+39.207s 	9 	3
7 	2 	Felipe Massa 	 	67 	+46.158s 	5 	2
8 	10 	Mark Webber 	 	67 	+50.811s 	13 	1
9 	3 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	67 	+54.120s 	16 	
10* 	14 	Sébastien Bourdais 	 	67 	+59.085s 	10 	
11 	7 	Nico Rosberg 	 	67 	+1:02.096 	15 	
12 	22 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	67 	+1:18.900 	1 	
13 	17 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	66 	+1 Lap 	17 	
14 	16 	Jenson Button 	 	66 	+1 Lap 	18 	
15 	8 	Kazuki Nakajima 	 	66 	+1 Lap 	14 	
Ret 	21 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	21 	Gearbox 	20 	
Ret 	23 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	16 	Engine 	3 	
Ret 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	8 	Puncture 	19 	
Ret 	12 	Timo Glock 	 	6 	Damage 	8 	
Ret 	9 	David Coulthard 	 	0 	Accident 	11 	
Source:'Japan 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2008: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2008/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/03/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Bourdais was handed a 25 second time penalty for causing a collision.
==Milestones==
* 200th Grand Prix entry for Jarno Trulli.[Archived] '2008 Japanese GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), https://web.archive.org/web/20190409225546/http://chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2008&gp=Japanese%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 19/03/2020) - Original
* Lewis Hamilton claimed the 140th pole position for as a constructor.
* Fernando Alonso secured his 21st victory.
* claimed their 35th win as a constructor.
** 115th win for Renault as an engine supplier.
* Felipe Massa recorded his tenth career fastest lap.
* Nelson Piquet, Jr's last points.
==Standings==
Lewis Hamilton saw his Championship lead cut by two points as a result of the Japanese Grand Prix, and hence left the Fuji Speedway with a five point advantage. Felipe Massa had hence closed in on the Brit at the head of the field, and was one of only two drivers who could deny Hamilton the crown. Indeed, Robert Kubica still entertained hopes of becoming the World Champion, although he would have to outscore Hamilton by three points in China just to stay in the hunt.
In the Constructors Championship had moved back to the top of the pack, largely due to the fact that had failed to score. Indeed, the Brit squad had gone from holding a one point lead to trailing the Scuderia by seven points, with those two still the main protagonists with two rounds to go. were still in the hunt in third, fourteen off the lead, but had long since acknowledged that their focus was on the season. 
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Lewis Hamilton 	84 	
2 	Felipe Massa 	79 	
3 	Robert Kubica 	72 	
4 	Kimi Räikkönen 	63 	
5 	Nick Heidfeld 	56 	
6 	Heikki Kovalainen 	51 	
7 	Fernando Alonso 	48 	
8 	Sebastian Vettel 	30 	
9 	Jarno Trulli 	30 	
10 	Mark Webber 	21 	1
11 	Timo Glock 	20 	1
12 	Nelson Piquet, Jr. 	18 	1
13 	Nico Rosberg 	17 	1
14 	Rubens Barrichello 	11 	
15 	Kazuki Nakajima 	9 	
16 	David Coulthard 	8 	
17 	Sébastien Bourdais 	4 	
18 	Jenson Button 	3 	
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	142 	1
2 	 	135 	1
3 	 	128 	
4 	 	66 	
5 	 	50 	
6 	 	34 	
7 	 	29 	
8 	 	26 	
9 	 	14 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
* Morio, 'File:Kazuki Nakajima 2008 Japan free practice.jpg', wikimedia.commons.org, (WikiMedia: Commons, 10/10/2008), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kazuki_Nakajima_2008_Japan_free_practice.jpg, (Accessed 19/03/2020)
* Morio, 'File:Sebastien Bourdais and Felipe Massa 2008 Japan.jpg', commons.wikimedia.org, (WikiMedia: Commons, 12/10/2008), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sebastien_Bourdais_and_Felipe_Massa_2008_Japan.jpg, (Accessed 19/03/2020)
* Morio, 'File:Kimi Raikkonen and Nelsinho Piquet 2008 Japan.jpg', wikimedia.commons.org, (WikiMedia: Commons, 12/10/2008), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kimi_Raikkonen_and_Nelsinho_Piquet_2008_Japan.jpg, (Accessed 19/03/2020)
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2008 Grands Prix
Category:Japanese Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in Japan