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Sebastian Vettel (1st)
“This circuit is very special - the fans are incredible here and to get my second win in Suzuka is fantastic. It was a nice Sunday; to have qualifying and the race in one day is a unique experience and to finish top in both is great. Thanks to the team, to those here and also back in the UK - they all work very, very hard. We had some small upgrades here and they were a step forward. Our car loves this type of circuit and I’m very happy and very proud of today’s result. Mark was running in second and was trying to put me under pressure, but having track position helps and the race was basically about managing the car and the tyres until the first stop. It wasn’t certain when the soft tyres would go off, but the timing of the pit stop was right. We were then behind Jenson at the start of the second stint. I wasn’t pushing as I trying to control the gap while waiting for him to make his stop. It wasn’t easy today, but it was a nice and controlled race.”
Mark Webber (2nd)
“Sebastian had an extra half tenth this morning and pole position is a nice thing to have on the chess board going into this race. Ultimately qualifying was important, but I’m happy with how I drove today - I couldn’t have got a great deal more out of the car. I wasn’t that happy with the set-up on Friday, but the guys did a good job to get it back to a place where I was happier. I pushed Sebastian in the race - we pulled away on the soft tyre in the first stint and I was comfortable on the hard tyre after my stop. It was a formation finish and a one-two for the team; it’s a great result for us in the constructors’ championship and a good result for me in the drivers’. Sebastian deserved the victory today, I’m happy.”
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Formula 1: Pole Sitter Sebastian Vettel Wins Japanese Grand Prix
Formula 1: Japanese Grand Prix - Race Results
F1 Standings Ahead of Japanese Grand Prix
Fernando Alonso (3rd)
“All things considered this was a positive day for us. On a circuit that seemed purpose built to show off the strengths of the Red Bull, we managed to get on the podium, losing just three points to the championship leader. We had a bit of luck because Kubica’s retirement meant a potentially very strong rival was out of the reckoning. I did not make an ideal start, partly because of a problem with the clutch, but then I soon made up a place over Button. In the first part, we ran a defensive race, trying to keep the McLarens at a distance, especially Jenson, who was on a very different strategy to ours. Then when we realised they were no longer a threat we tried to put the Red Bulls under a bit of pressure, but there was nothing to be done. Here they were perfect and when that happens they are really hard to beat. However, experience tells us that it is not always like this, or they would have already won the championship. So we must try and make the most of every opportunity. We are trying to improve the F10 with every passing race: here for example we had a new oil from Shell and other minor aerodynamic updates. We will have further new parts in the next few races: maybe not so big but put together they could give us a few tenths which is always useful. We come out of this weekend with our heads held high, knowing that we must try and beat Webber in the coming races to close down the gap to the top.”
Jenson Button (4th)
“At the start of the race, the drivers in front weren’t struggling on the option tyre as much as we’d expected. So we were a little bit compromised, and I think we stayed out too long for our first stint. As soon as we saw the others were quick on the option, and I wasn’t able to pull a gap, or pressure anyone in front, maybe it would have been sensible to pit at that point and fit the option. We’ll go away and look at the data, and the reasons for it. It was a tough race on such old tyres, but it was fun once we’d fitted the option; the car felt great - I had a lot of grip, and the car was very fast. Still, we weren’t quick enough today to beat the Red Bulls and possibly the Ferrari. And I don’t think we’d have finished any further up. I’m in the same championship position as I was before this race, so the title’s getting more difficult. We came here with a lot of different new parts - some of them worked really well, while others need a bit of work. We’ve just got to hope that when we put the new package on the car in Korea, we get the best out of it. For the next race, we’ll hopefully have the performance we’d expected to have here.”
Lewis Hamilton (5th)
“This wasn’t a great weekend for me. I made a mistake on Friday, then we changed the gearbox yesterday and I got a grid penalty, and then I had another gearbox problem in the race. That’s an unfortunate amount of collective bad luck, but the team and I will bounce back.With the gearbox, I was running normally, then downshifted into third, accelerated and lost the gear. After that, I had to rely on just fourth gear and above. I didn’t think the car would make it - it was making a lot of strange noises, but I kept my fingers crossed, tried not to shift too much and looked after it to the flag. I’m thankful and so happy that I least saw the end of the race - it’s my first finish for a long time. The championship doesn’t look great at the moment. But there are still three races to go and 75 points available, so we’ll remain optimistic and keep doing the best job we can. I’ll keep fighting.”
Michael Schumacher (6th)
“I am quite happy with the race today and the car felt really good. The opportunity to make up places was just what I hoped for and sixth place was the maximum that we could have achieved. It was good racing and it must have been very entertaining for the crowd. It was fun to be racing Nico so it is a shame what happened to him. We are now heading to South Korea and although I don’t really know what to expect, if our car is as good as it was here, then I hope for another encouraging race.”
Kamui Kobayashi (7th)
“I tried my best and I am very happy. It was a great race for our team, and I’m very pleased for the Japanese fans who have watched an exciting race. It is the second time we have got both cars in the points, and for me it was really something to come back here and race for the first time after seven years in front of my home crowd. Nevertheless it was a very tough race today. Qualifying and the race in the space of only a few hours made it quite a busy and unusual Sunday. After the start I saw the accidents in front of me, and I was really lucky not to be hit. Later it was not too easy to overtake and I had some contact. The car was damaged, but it was not too severe and I was able to finish the race. I really want to thank the team for the great job and the fans for their fantastic support.”
Nick Heidfeld (8th)
“I’m quite happy - it is the best result for the team this season. In the end I could have finished one place higher, but I was on a different tyre strategy to Kamui and he was obviously faster with his fresh option tyres. I started on the option tyres. Obviously I was meant to push really hard in the early laps, but then the safety car came out and later I got stuck behind Rubens (Barrichello). The team did a very good job by calling me in early for the change to the prime tyres. Compared to Singapore, we made good progress in race performance. For qualifying, I think, there is more to come. I’m looking forward to the three remaining races.”
Rubens Barrichello (9th)
“My car was skating all over the track this afternoon. I don’t know why and, to make matters worse, I had quite a lot of vibration. We managed to salvage some points today, but I really thought we were going to finish higher up.”
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