2010 Japanese Grand Prix

The 2010 Japanese Grand Prix, formally known as the 2010 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix (alternately 2010 F1日本グランプリ or the 2010 F1 nipponguranpuri in Japanese) was the sixteenth race of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture, Japan, on 10 October 2010.'14. Japan 2010', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/japon.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)Robert Wilkins, 'Vettel wins at Suzuka as Red Bull dominate', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 10/10/2010), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/164160/1/vettel-wins-in-japan-as-red-bull-dominate, (Accessed 29/03/2020) The race would see Sebastian Vettel claim victory to enhance his bid for the Championship, as weather compacted the race weekend.
Indeed, a huge storm on Saturday would see qualifying postponed until Sunday (ie raceday) morning, the first time that this had happened since the 2004 Japanese Grand Prix. The otherwise unchanged but partially damp session would see Vettel beat teammate Mark Webber to pole position, while Lewis Hamilton initially claimed third before serving a five place grid penalty.
Four hours later the field assembled on the grid for the start, minus Lucas di Grassi who had crashed heavily on his way out of the pits and would hence be unable to start. Conditions were otherwise good and there was little to no chance of rain, with the entire top ten starting on the softer Bridgestone compounds.
The start itself would see Vettel sprint away to secure the lead, while the factory of Robert Kubica pulled past Webber to secure second. The sister Renault of Vitaly Petrov also aced its getaway and vaulted past two entire rows, before getting caught out by a slow starting of Nico Hülkenberg.
Indeed, having jinked to avoid another car, Petrov would clip the accelerating Williams, resulting in the Renault getting spun across the circuit and into the outside wall. Felipe Massa, meanwhile, would drop towards the back having had to avoid the collision ahead, before collecting Vitantonio Liuzzi at the first corner and sending both himself and the into the gravel.
Four broken cars on the circuit ensured that the Safety Car was required to clear the circuit, with Vettel suddenly appearing with a huge gap behind him. Indeed, Kubica had suffered a wheel failure and stopped at the hairpin midway through the first lap, and hence meant that all five of the title pretenders would restart nose-to-tail.
At the restart Vettel would keep teammate Webber at bay to secure the lead, while Fernando Alonso fended off the attentions of both of the for third. Indeed, the two s would scamper clear in the early laps after the restart, while Alonso, Button and Hamilton exchanged blows through to the first round of stops.
The stops would see status quo at the head of the field, although Alonso would escape from the two McLarens and get closer to the Red Bulls. Hamilton tried to go with him but lost third gear, hampering his pace, while Jenson Button was the last to stop and dropped to the back of the quintet, although he would quickly catch and pass the wounded Hamilton.
Elsewhere, Kamui Kobayashi made a succession of pounces to pass five drivers at the hairpin, and drew the ire of Jaime Alguersuari who hit the side of the trying a late move to block. Adrian Sutil, meanwhile, would suffer an engine failure and dump oil at 130R, while Nico Rosberg pulled off at the Esses after a rear wheel came loose.
With that the race was run, with Vettel able to just keep Webber at bay to the chequered flag to claim victory, and a one-two for Red Bull. Alonso completed the podium having repulsed Button late on, while Hamilton was a distant fifth ahead of Michael Schumacher. A bruised Kobayashi was next ahead of teammate Nick Heidfeld, while Rubens Barrichello and Sébastien Buemi secured the remaining points.
==Background==
Mark Webber had retained his lead in the Championship as a result of the Singapore Grand Prix, and would become the first driver to surpass 200 points in a single season courtesy of the new-for- points system. His closest challenger appeared in the form of Fernando Alonso, eleven behind, while Lewis Hamilton was a further nine behind after slipping to third. Sebastian Vettel was next, a point behind the Brit, while Jenson Button was a further four behind in fifth.
In the Constructors Championship had moved onto 383 points after a strong result, extending their lead to 24 points with four rounds to go. were their closest challengers, leaving Singapore on 359 points, while had once again closed in, leaving on 319 points. Behind, were out of the fight in fourth, and were hence in a fight for fourth with for the rest of the season.
===Entry List===
The full entry list for the is shown below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Jenson Button 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-25 	 	FO 108X 2.4 V8 	
2 	Lewis Hamilton 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-25 	 	FO 108X 2.4 V8 	
3 	Michael Schumacher 	Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team 	 	MGP W01 	 	FO 108X 2.4 V8 	
4 	Nico Rosberg 	Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team 	 	MGP W01 	 	FO 108X 2.4 V8 	
5 	Sebastian Vettel 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB6 	 	RS27-2010 2.4 V8 	
6 	Mark Webber 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB6 	 	RS27-2010 2.4 V8 	
7 	Felipe Massa 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F10 	 	056 2010 2.4 V8 	
8 	Fernando Alonso 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F10 	 	056 2010 2.4 V8 	
9 	Rubens Barrichello 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW32 	 	CA2010 2.4 V8 	
10 	Nico Hülkenberg 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW32 	 	CA2010 2.4 V8 	
11 	Robert Kubica 	Renault F1 Team 	 	R30 	 	RS27-2010 2.4 V8 	
12 	Vitaly Petrov 	Renault F1 Team 	 	R30 	 	RS27-2010 2.4 V8 	
14 	Adrian Sutil 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM03 	 	FO 108X 2.4 V8 	
15 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	Force India F1 Team 	 	VJM03 	 	FO 108X 2.4 V8 	
16 	Sébastien Buemi 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR5 	 	056 2010 2.4 V8 	
17 	Jaime Alguersuari 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR5 	 	056 2010 2.4 V8 	
18 	Jarno Trulli 	Lotus Racing 	 	T127 	 	CA2010 2.4 V8 	
19 	Heikki Kovalainen 	Lotus Racing 	 	T127 	 	CA2010 2.4 V8 	
20 	Sakon Yamamoto 	Hispania Racing F1 Team 	 	F110 	 	CA2010 2.4 V8 	
21 	Bruno Senna 	Hispania Racing F1 Team 	 	F110 	 	CA2010 2.4 V8 	
22 	Nick Heidfeld 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	C29 	 	056 2010 2.4 V8 	
23 	Kamui Kobayashi 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	C29 	 	056 2010 2.4 V8 	
24 	Timo Glock 	Virgin Racing 	 	VR-01 	 	CA2010 2.4 V8 	
25 	Lucas di Grassi 	Virgin Racing 	 	VR-01 	 	CA2010 2.4 V8 	
Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only 	Test Drivers for Practice Sessions Only
25 	Jérôme d'Ambrosio 	Virgin Racing 	 	VR-01 	 	CA2010 2.4 V8 	
Source:'Singapore 2010: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/singapour/engages.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'Singapore 2010: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/singapour/engages.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'Singapore 2010: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/singapour/engages.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'Singapore 2010: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/singapour/engages.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'Singapore 2010: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/singapour/engages.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'Singapore 2010: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/singapour/engages.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'Singapore 2010: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/singapour/engages.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'Singapore 2010: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2015), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/singapour/engages.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)
==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 	5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	1 	1:32.035 	 	1 	1:31.184 	 	1 	1:30.785 	1
2 	6 	Mark Webber 	 	 	5 	1:32.476 	 	2 	1:31.241 	 	2 	1:30.853 	2
3* 	2 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	12 	1:32.809 	 	3 	1:31.523 	 	3 	1:31.169 	8*
4 	11 	Robert Kubica 	 	 	11 	1:32.808 	 	9 	1:32.042 	 	4 	1:31.231 	4
5 	8 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	7 	1:32.555 	 	5 	1:31.819 	 	5 	1:31.352 	4
6 	1 	Jenson Button 	 	 	8 	1:32.636 	 	4 	1:31.763 	 	6 	1:31.378 	5
7 	4 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	3 	1:32.238 	 	7 	1:31.886 	 	7 	1:31.494 	6
8 	9 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	4 	1:32.361 	 	6 	1:31.874 	 	8 	1:31.535 	7
9 	10 	Nico Hülkenberg 	 	 	2 	1:32.211 	 	8 	1:31.926 	 	9 	1:31.559 	9
10 	3 	Michael Schumacher 	 	 	6 	1:32.513 	 	10 	1:32.073 	 	10 	1:31.846 	10
11 	22 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	14 	1:33.011 	 	11 	1:32.187 	 	 	 	11
12 	7 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	9 	1:32.721 	 	12 	1:32.321 	 	 	 	12
13 	12 	Vitaly Petrov 	 	 	13 	1:32.849 	 	13 	1:32.422 	 	 	 	13
14 	23 	Kamui Kobayashi 	 	 	10 	1:32.783 	 	14 	1:32.427 	 	 	 	14
15 	14 	Adrian Sutil 	 	 	15 	1:33.186 	 	15 	1:32.659 	 	 	 	15
16 	17 	Jaime Alguersuari 	 	 	17 	1:33.216 	 	16 	1:33.071 	 	 	 	16
17 	15 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	 	16 	1:33.216 	 	17 	1:33.154 	 	 	 	17
18 	16 	Sébastien Buemi 	 	 	18 	1:33.568 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
19 	18 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	19 	1:35.346 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
20 	19 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	 	20 	1:35.464 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
21 	25 	Lucas di Grassi 	 	 	21 	1:36.265 	 	 	 	 	 	 	21
22 	24 	Timo Glock 	 	 	22 	1:36.332 	 	 	 	 	 	 	22
23 	21 	Bruno Senna 	 	 	23 	1:37.270 	 	 	 	 	 	 	23
24 	20 	Sakon Yamamoto 	 	 	24 	1:37.365 	 	 	 	 	 	 	24
Source:'2010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2010), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2010/races/875/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'2010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2010), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2010/races/875/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'2010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2010), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2010/races/875/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'2010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2010), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2010/races/875/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'2010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2010), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2010/races/875/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'2010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2010), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2010/races/875/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'2010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2010), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2010/races/875/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'2010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2010), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2010/races/875/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'2010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2010), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2010/races/875/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'2010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2010), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2010/races/875/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'2010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2010), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2010/races/875/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'2010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2010), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2010/races/875/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'2010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2010), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2010/races/875/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'2010 FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2010), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2010/races/875/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 29/03/2020)
*Bold indicates the fastest driver's time in each session.
** Hamilton served a five place grid penalty for a gearbox change.
===Grid===
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	5 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	53 	1:30:27.323 	1 	25
2 	6 	Mark Webber 	 	53 	+0.905s 	2 	18
3 	8 	Fernando Alonso 	 	53 	+2.721s 	4 	15
4 	1 	Jenson Button 	 	53 	+13.522s 	5 	12
5 	2 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	53 	+39.595s 	8 	10
6 	3 	Michael Schumacher 	 	53 	+59.933s 	10 	8
7 	23 	Kamui Kobayashi 	 	53 	+1:04.038 	14 	6
8 	22 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	53 	+1:09.648 	11 	4
9 	9 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	53 	+1:10.846 	7 	2
10 	16 	Sébastien Buemi 	 	53 	+1:12.806 	18 	1
11 	17 	Jaime Alguersuari 	 	52 	+1 Lap 	16 	
12 	19 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	52 	+1 Lap 	20 	
13 	18 	Jarno Trulli 	 	51 	+2 Laps 	19 	
14 	24 	Timo Glock 	 	51 	+2 Laps 	22 	
15 	21 	Bruno Senna 	 	51 	+2 Laps 	23 	
16 	20 	Sakon Yamamoto 	 	50 	+3 Laps 	24 	
17* 	4 	Nico Rosberg 	 	47 	Wheel 	6 	
Ret 	14 	Adrian Sutil 	 	44 	Oil leak 	15 	
Ret 	11 	Robert Kubica 	 	2 	Wheel 	3 	
Ret 	10 	Nico Hülkenberg 	 	0 	Collision 	9 	
Ret 	7 	Felipe Massa 	 	0 	Collision 	12 	
Ret 	12 	Vitaly Petrov 	 	0 	Collision 	13 	
Ret 	15 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	0 	Collision 	17 	
DNS† 	25 	Lucas di Grassi 	 	 	 	 	
Source:'Japan 2010: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2010: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2010: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2010: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2010: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2010: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2010: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)	Source:'Japan 2010: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2010/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 29/03/2020)
** Rosberg was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance.
*† di Grassi crashed before the start of the race and was unable to start.
==Milestones==
* Sebastian Vettel claimed his eighth career victory.
* secured their thirteenth win as a constructor.
** 128th win for as an engine supplier.
* Vettel recorded the 130th fastest lap for an engine supplier.
==Standings==
There had been another shuffle to the Championship as the season rapidly drew towards its conclusion, although Mark Webber had established a small lead at the head of the field. The Australian racer would leave Japan with a fourteen point advantage over Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel, with Alonso deemed to be ahead courtesy of four wins to Vettel's three. Lewis Hamilton was next having slipped 28 points off the lead, while Jenson Button was a dark horse for the crown in fifth on 189.
In the Constructors Championship had again managed to extend their lead at the head of the hunt, opening out a 45 point lead with three rounds to go. were next as their main challengers, while would need a strong race in Korea to remain in the hunt in third. were next ahead of , with nine of the twelve constructors having scored.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Mark Webber 	220 	
2 	Fernando Alonso 	206 	
3 	Sebastian Vettel 	206 	1
4 	Lewis Hamilton 	192 	1
5 	Jenson Button 	189 	
6 	Felipe Massa 	128 	
7 	Nico Rosberg 	122 	
8 	Robert Kubica 	114 	
9 	Michael Schumacher 	54 	1
10 	Adrian Sutil 	47 	1
11 	Rubens Barrichello 	41 	
12 	Kamui Kobayashi 	27 	
13 	Vitaly Petrov 	19 	
14 	Nico Hülkenberg 	17 	
15 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	13 	
16 	Sébastien Buemi 	8 	
17 	Pedro de la Rosa 	6 	
18 	Nick Heidfeld 	4 	8
19 	Jaime Alguersuari 	3 	1
World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors	World Championship for Constructors
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	426 	
2 	 	381 	
3 	 	334 	
4 	 	176 	
5 	 	133 	
6 	 	60 	
7 	 	58 	
8 	 	37 	
9 	 	11 	
Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
==References==
Images and Videos:
*
References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:2010 Grands Prix
Category:Japanese Grand Prix
Category:Formula One races in Japan