2007 Japanese Grand Prix

The 2007 Japanese Grand Prix, formally known as the XXXIII Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix (XXXIII フジテレビ日本グランプリ in Japanese) was the fifteenth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan.'15. Stats 2007', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)'Japan 2007: Fuji opens floodgates for Lewis.', crash.net, (Crash Media Group, 19/02/2020), https://www.crash.net/f1/race-report/60107/1/japan-2007-fuji-opens-floodgates-for-lewis, (Accessed 19/02/2020) The race, which was the first Grands Prix to be held at the owned facility since 1977, would see Lewis Hamilton claim victory for .
Qualifying had been staged on a soaked but drying circuit, and would see Hamilton edge out teammate and rival Fernando Alonso for pole position by 0.070s. Fellow title protagonists Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa would share the second row for , while Nico Rosberg was the best placed Toyota engined driver in sixth.
The rain returned with a vengeance on raceday, with the race having to be started behind the Safety Car if it was going to start at all. Indeed, there was so much water on track that everyone bar the Ferraris would start on extreme wet Bridgestone tyres, the Scuderia having gambled that the rain would ease off early on.
That gamble backfired spectacularly, as both Räikkönen and Massa had to pit for extremes, with Räikkönen even spinning while catching the field, while Massa stopped a second time. Vitantonio Liuzzi, meanwhile, would lose a lap after an issue on the grid put him in the pitlane, resulting in him being given permission to unlap himself by the FIA as a means of testing the conditions.
Ultimately, Bernd Mayländer would remain out on track until the end of lap nineteen, finally releasing the field to finally race in earnest. Hamilton duly eased away from teammate Alonso as the field slithered into the first corner, while Sebastian Vettel danced his way past Nick Heidfeld for third.
Heidfeld was left to collide with a lunging Jenson Button a few moments later, allowing Mark Webber to slot into fourth despite the fact that he was battling food poisoning. Massa, meanwhile, would find himself whacking a spinning Alexander Wurz at the back of the field, although the Brazilian was able to continue.
The race soon settled down with Alonso chasing Hamilton but unable to match the Brit's pace through to the first round of stops. The Spaniard was the first to stop with McLaren switching him to a one-stop strategy, although that would dump him back down to seventh behind a battling quartet of Giancarlo Fisichella, Heikki Kovalainen, Robert Kubica and David Coulthard.
Hamilton pitted on the following tour and managed to get out of the pits ahead of the group, briefly handing the lead to Vettel, who became the youngest ever driver to lead a race aged 20 years, 89 days). Alonso's bid for victory was ended with that one-stopping queue ahead, with the #1 McLaren soon falling behind Heidfeld and Vettel after the German rookie's stop.
Moments later and Alonso's race was over, the McLaren spinning into the barriers to bring out the Safety Car. This allowed those yet to stop to dive into the pits once the pits opened, although not before Kubica had given Hamilton a scare with a penalty earning whack for the lead.
In the midst of the SC Webber, running in second, would be removed from the race by Vettel, who smashed into the back of the having been blinded by the spray. Once their debris was cleared the race resumed, with the race quickly sprinting past the crucial 75% distance mark that meant that those that finished could earn full points.
Late changes to the field saw Räikkönen charge through to third to complete the podium behind Kovalainen, as Hamilton swept across the line to secure victory. Fourth went to Coulthard ahead of Fisichella, Massa rose as high as third before making a fourth trip to the pits late on and hence finished fifth, while Kubica and Adrian Sutil secured the remaining points.
The results of the race meant that Hamilton established a twelve point lead over Alonso with two races to go, while Räikkönen would slip seventeen off the lead. Elsewhere, Sutil secured his and 's maiden points finish, while Kovalainen picked up his maiden podium finish.
==Background==
Victory for Kimi Räikkönen moved the Finn back into title contention leaving Belgium, although Räikkönen still faced a thirteen point deficit with three races to go. That made him the "dark horse" for the title, as Lewis Hamilton continued to lead the charge ahead of his teammate Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard had, however, managed to close the Brit's advantage to just two points as the European season came to an end, with fourth placed Felipe Massa set to fall out of the fight if he failed to outscore Hamilton in Fuji.
With having been excluded had a clean shot at claiming the Constructors Championship in Spa, and they duly took it, a one-two leaving them on 161 points. hence had to settle for second in the Championship with three rounds to go, leaving most of the intrigue in the fight for third. That was to be contest by and , with and realistically too far back to challenge.
===Entry list===
The full entry list for the is outlined below:
No. 	Driver 	Entrant 	Constructor 	Chassis 	Engine 	Model 	Tyre
1 	Fernando Alonso 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-22 	 	FO 108T 2.4 V8 	
2 	Lewis Hamilton 	Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 	 	MP4-22 	 	FO 108T 2.4 V8 	
3 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R27 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
4 	Heikki Kovalainen 	ING Renault F1 Team 	 	R27 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
5 	Felipe Massa 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2007 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro 	 	F2007 	 	056 2007 2.4 V8 	
7 	Jenson Button 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA107 	 	RA807E 2.4 V8 	
8 	Rubens Barrichello 	Honda Racing F1 Team 	 	RA107 	 	RA807E 2.4 V8 	
9 	Nick Heidfeld 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.07 	 	P86/7 2.4 V8 	
10 	Robert Kubica 	BMW Sauber F1 Team 	 	F1.07 	 	P86/7 2.4 V8 	
11 	Ralf Schumacher 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF107 	 	RVX-07 2.4 V8 	
12 	Jarno Trulli 	Panasonic Toyota Racing 	 	TF107 	 	RVX-07 2.4 V8 	
14 	David Coulthard 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB3 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
15 	Mark Webber 	Red Bull Racing 	 	RB3 	 	RS27 2.4 V8 	
16 	Nico Rosberg 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW29 	 	RVX-07 2.4 V8 	
17 	Alexander Wurz 	AT&T Williams 	 	FW29 	 	RVX-07 2.4 V8 	
18 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR2 	 	056 2006 2.4 V8 	
19 	Sebastian Vettel 	Scuderia Toro Rosso 	 	STR2 	 	056 2006 2.4 V8 	
20 	Adrian Sutil 	Etihad Alder Spyker F1 Team 	 	F8-VII-B 	 	056 2006 2.4 V8 	
21 	Sakon Yamamoto 	Etihad Alder Spyker F1 Team 	 	F8-VII-B 	 	056 2006 2.4 V8 	
22 	Takuma Sato 	Super Aguri F1 Team 	 	SA07 	 	RA807E 2.4 V8 	
23 	Anthony Davidson 	Super Aguri F1 Team 	 	SA07 	 	RA807E 2.4 V8 	
Source:'Japan 2007: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'Japan 2007: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'Japan 2007: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'Japan 2007: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'Japan 2007: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'Japan 2007: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'Japan 2007: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'Japan 2007: Entrants', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon/engages.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)
==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 	2 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	 	4 	1:25.489 	 	1 	1:24.753 	 	1 	1:25.368 	1
2 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	 	2 	1:25.379 	 	2 	1:24.806 	 	2 	1:25.438 	2
3 	6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	 	3 	1:25.390 	 	3 	1:24.988 	 	3 	1:25.516 	3
4 	5 	Felipe Massa 	 	 	1 	1:25.359 	 	4 	1:25.049 	 	4 	1:25.765 	4
5 	9 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	 	6 	1:25.971 	 	5 	1:25.248 	 	5 	1:26.505 	5
6* 	16 	Nico Rosberg 	 	 	8 	1:26.579 	 	9 	1:25.816 	 	6 	1:26.728 	15
7 	7 	Jenson Button 	 	 	9 	1:26.614 	 	6 	1:25.454 	 	7 	1:26.913 	6
8 	15 	Mark Webber 	 	 	5 	1:25.970 	 	8 	1:25.535 	 	8 	1:26.914 	7
9 	19 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	 	7 	1:26.025 	 	10 	1:25.909 	 	9 	1:26.973 	8
10 	10 	Robert Kubica 	 	 	8 	1:26.300 	 	7 	1:25.530 	 	10 	1:27.225 	9
11 	3 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	 	13 	1:26.909 	 	11 	1:26.033 	 	 	 	10
12 	4 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	 	15 	1:27.223 	 	12 	1:26.232 	 	 	 	11
13 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	 	12 	1:26.904 	 	13 	1:26.247 	 	 	 	12
14 	12 	Jarno Trulli 	 	 	11 	1:26.711 	 	14 	1:26.711 	 	 	 	13
15 	18 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	 	16 	1:27.234 	 	15 	1:26.948 	 	 	 	PL
16† 	11 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	 	14 	1:27.191 	 	16 	— 	 	 	 	14
17 	8 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	 	17 	1:27.323 	 	 	 	 	 	 	16
18 	17 	Alexander Wurz 	 	 	18 	1:27.454 	 	 	 	 	 	 	17
19 	23 	Anthony Davidson 	 	 	19 	1:27.564 	 	 	 	 	 	 	18
20 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	 	20 	1:28.628 	 	 	 	 	 	 	19
21 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	 	21 	1:28.762 	 	 	 	 	 	 	20
22 	21 	Sakon Yamamoto 	 	 	22 	1:29.668 	 	 	 	 	 	 	21
Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/822/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/822/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/822/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/822/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/822/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/822/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/822/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/822/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/822/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/822/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/822/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/822/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/822/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'2007 FORMULA 1™ Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix - QUALIFYING', formula1.com, (Formula One World Championship Limited, 2006), https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2007/races/822/japan/qualifying.html, (Accessed 19/02/2020)
*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.
** During Friday morning practice changed Nico Rosberg's engine, resulting in a 10 place grid penalty.
*† Ralf Schumacher didn't set a time in Q2 due to a collision with Sakon Yamamoto at the end of Q1.
===Grid===
** Vitantonio Liuzzi opted for a dry set-up for the race which meant he started the race from the pit-lane.
==Race==
===Report===
===Results===
The full results for the are outlined below:
Pos. 	No. 	Driver 	Constructor 	Laps 	Time/Retired 	Grid 	Points
1 	2 	Lewis Hamilton 	 	67 	2:00:34.579 	1 	10
2 	4 	Heikki Kovalainen 	 	67 	+8.377s 	11 	8
3 	6 	Kimi Räikkönen 	 	67 	+9.478s 	3 	6
4 	14 	David Coulthard 	 	67 	+20.297s 	12 	5
5 	3 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	 	67 	+38.864s 	10 	4
6 	5 	Felipe Massa 	 	67 	+49.042s 	4 	3
7 	10 	Robert Kubica 	 	67 	+49.285s 	9 	2
8 	20 	Adrian Sutil 	 	67 	+1:00.129 	19 	1
9* 	18 	Vitantonio Liuzzi 	 	67 	+1:20.622 	PL 	
10 	8 	Rubens Barrichello 	 	67 	+ 1:28.342 	16 	
11† 	7 	Jenson Button 	 	66 	Suspension 	6 	
12 	21 	Sakon Yamamoto 	 	66 	+1 Lap 	21 	
13 	12 	Jarno Trulli 	 	66 	+1 Lap 	13 	
14† 	9 	Nick Heidfeld 	 	65 	Wheel 	5 	
15* 	22 	Takuma Sato 	 	65 	Accident 	20 	
Ret 	11 	Ralf Schumacher 	 	55 	Tyre 	14 	
Ret 	23 	Anthony Davidson 	 	54 	Hydraulics 	18 	
Ret 	16 	Nico Rosberg 	 	49 	Gearbox 	15 	
Ret‡ 	19 	Sebastian Vettel 	 	46 	Collision 	8 	
Ret 	15 	Mark Webber 	 	45 	Collision 	7 	
Ret 	1 	Fernando Alonso 	 	41 	Accident 	2 	
Ret 	17 	Alexander Wurz 	 	19 	Collision 	17 	
Source:'Japan 2007: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'Japan 2007: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'Japan 2007: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'Japan 2007: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'Japan 2007: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'Japan 2007: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'Japan 2007: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)	Source:'Japan 2007: Result', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2016), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2007/japon/classement.aspx, (Accessed 19/02/2020)
*T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car.
** Liuzzi was given a 25 second time penalty for overtaking under yellow flags.
*† Button, Heidfeld and Sato were still classified despite retiring as they had completed 90% of the race distance.
*‡ Vettel was initially handed a ten place grid penalty for the 2007 Chinese Grand Prix but this was retroactively reduced to a reprimand.
==Milestones==
* First Grand Prix to be held at the Fuji Speedway since the 1977 Japanese Grand Prix.
* Fourth career victory for Lewis Hamilton.
** Hamilton also secured his maiden Hattrick.
* secured their 156th win as a constructor.
** registered their 61st win as an engine supplier.
* Maiden podium finish for Heikki Kovalainen.
** This was also the 90th podium finish for a chassis.
* Maiden points finish for Adrian Sutil.
** Also the first and only points finish for as a constructor.
* Hamilton recorded the 75th fastest lap for a driver issued with #2 as their race number.[Archived] '2007 Japanese GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2014), https://web.archive.org/web/20190410162902/http://chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=2007&gp=Japanese%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 19/02/2020) - Original
==Standings==
Victory for Lewis Hamilton moved the Brit a significant twelve points clear in the Championship hunt leaving Japan, meaning he could potentially claim the title in China. Indeed, should the Brit outscore Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen in Shanghai, then Hamilton would become the first rookie to win the F1 Championship since the inaugural Championship. However, it was still a three-horse race for the crown, with Alonso having the experience of winning two World Championships, while Räikkönen was the dark horse in third.
In the Constructors Championship had enhanced their title winning advantage, leaving Fuji with 78 points in hand over second placed . The excluded would have been a clear first on 202 points had they not been thrown out of the Championship, and so could have claimed the crown in China. Elsewhere, had all but secured third ahead of , leaving them to fend off and in a fight for fourth.
World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers	World Championship for Drivers
Pos. 	Driver 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	Lewis Hamilton 	107 	
2 	Fernando Alonso 	95 	
3 	Kimi Räikkönen 	90 	
4 	Felipe Massa 	80 	
5 	Nick Heidfeld 	56 	
6 	Robert Kubica 	35 	
7 	Heikki Kovalainen 	30 	
8 	Giancarlo Fisichella 	21 	
9 	Nico Rosberg 	15 	
10 	Alexander Wurz 	13 	
11 	David Coulthard 	13 	1
12 	Mark Webber 	10 	1
13 	Jarno Trulli 	7 	
14 	Ralf Schumacher 	5 	
15 	Takuma Sato 	4 	
16 	Jenson Button 	2 	
17 	Adrian Sutil 	1 	5
18 	Sebastian Vettel 	1 	
World Championship for Constructors*	World Championship for Constructors*	World Championship for Constructors*	World Championship for Constructors*
Pos. 	Team 	Pts. 	+/-
1 	 	170 	
2 	 	92 	
3 	 	51 	
4 	 	28 	
5 	 	23 	
6 	 	12 	
7 	 	4 	
8 	 	2 	
9 	 	1 	1
EXC 	 	166 	
Only points scoring drivers and constructors are shown.
** Includes points scored by before their exclusion prior to the 2007 Belgian Grand Prix.
==References==
Images and Videos:
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References:
Category:Grand Prix articles
Category:Japanese Grand Prix
Category:2007 Grands Prix
Category:Formula One races in Japan