Vettel on the move againpublished at 06:08 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
He's flying. Sergio Perez's Force India is the next car in his sights and the German duly blasts past down the start-finish straight.
Image source, Getty ImagesSummary
Rosberg wins, Verstappen 2nd, Hamilton 3rd
Mercedes win constructors' title
Hamilton fell back to 8th after terrible start
Vettel on the move againpublished at 06:08 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
Image source, Getty ImagesVettel passes at 130Rpublished at 06:07 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
Big brave move from Ferrari's Vettel there - he passes Ricciardo at the fearsome 130R and is up to fourth place, from sixth on the grid.
'Disastrous start for Hamilton'published at 06:06 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
Mark Gallagher
BBC Radio 5 live Formula 1 analystA disastrous start for Lewis Hamilton with lots of wheel spin. He angle was just wrong for a quick getaway.
A significant opportunity for Nico Rosberg. He can calmly and collectively just edge away and extend his lead.
Go! Go! Go!published at 06:05 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
The 53-lap 2016 Japanese Grand Prix begins and it's a horrific start for Lewis Hamilton!
The Mercedes driver bogs down massively off the line and he's swamped by the field.
Was it the damp patch on his side of the track?
Whatever, for now he's down to eighth. Team-mate Nico Rosberg leads.
Hamilton has to watch out for Verstappenpublished at 06:02 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
Mark Gallagher
BBC Radio 5 live Formula 1 analystThe start is all important. There's not doubt Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen of Red Bull will be delighted they have been elevated because of the penalties to Ferrari and they will be giving it everything.
Verstappen is on the dry side and Lewis Hamilton has to be careful Verstappen does not get past him at the start.
Starting grid - top 10published at 06:02 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
Image source, Formula 1Formation lap under waypublished at 06:00 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
Nico Rosberg leads the field away.
Not long now.
Andrew Benson's view on Hamiltonpublished at 05:59 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
Media caption, Andrew Benson believes Lewis Hamilton's 'behaviour isn't normal for a Formula 1 driver'.
Postpublished at 05:54 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
Postpublished at 05:52 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
Postpublished at 05:52 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has been speaking to BBC Radio 5 live about Lewis Hamilton grabbing the headlines this week with his battle with the press.
"He should do his talking on the track," says Wolff.
Asked is the team will rein Hamilton in, he adds: "No. We love him in the car and he is going to deliver."
Image source, Getty ImagesDry race expectedpublished at 05:51 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
Postpublished at 05:51 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
What's happening to Hamilton - votepublished at 05:48 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
Just to draw your attention to the vote we now have running on this page regarding the Lewis Hamilton story.
The choices are as follows.
- He’s cracking under the pressure
- He’s not getting the respect he deserves
- He’s playing mind games
- Nothing - what's all the fuss about?
Get voting!
Postpublished at 05:45 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at SuzukaFor the front-runners, this will probably be a two-stop race, with either two stints on the soft tyre and one on the hard, or vice-versa. The two-softs route is on the edge in terms of tyre life, with the soft good for less than 15 laps, and also potentially at risk from graining, and the race being 53 laps. For those outside the top 10, a one-stop is possible on the medium and hard tyres. It is a marginally slower strategy but is advantageous in terms of track position so may be appealing for teams towards the back such as Renault and McLaren.
'Hamilton will be the only loser'published at 05:43 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
Mark Gallagher
BBC Radio 5 live Formula 1 analystIt's most unfortunate (the Hamilton situation). It is great he uses social media to reach out with fans but unfortunate that he has had this dispute with the British press.
He will be the only loser.
It's a distraction when he doesn't need any distractions.
Image source, Getty ImagesOn this day (2011): Vettel wins second titlepublished at 05:42 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
The 2011 F1 season was all about one man.
A year earlier we had been treated to a stunning denoument, with four drivers - Vettel, Fernando Alonso, Mark Webber and Lewis Hamilton - in with a shot of the title at the final race.
Yet it could hardly have been more different in 2011. By the time of the Japanese GP on 9 October Vettel had won nine of 14 races to stand on the brink of his second world title.
He went on to finish in third place to wrap up the title with four races to spare.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesPostpublished at 05:40 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer at SuzukaRomain Grosjean gave the new Haas team their best-ever qualifying position with eighth here in Japan - on a track that is very demanding of a car’s all-round qualities. He will start seventh as a result of Kimi Raikkonen’s grid penalty for changing his gearbox. Grosjean felt he could have done even better. The Frenchman’s DRS overtaking aid failed and that, he said, cost him “three or four hundredths”, enough to put him ahead of Sergio Perez’s Force India, which set exactly the same time as Grosjean but earlier. “It’s a great performance again,” he said. “Behind the scenes there’s a lot of things we can improve and do better to go faster, but when we put the car together, and we have all the parts together and things working, it’s a great performance.”
Postpublished at 05:40 British Summer Time 9 October 2016
Postpublished at 05:38 British Summer Time 9 October 2016