Welcome back ladies and gentlemen; I hope you all had a fantastic weekend.  To kick things off this morning we have a recap of the F1 race that transpired in Fuji over the weekend.  As usual, if you have it TIVO'd but plan on catching it later, read no further; otherwise, keep reading for the full details of how the team fared.

In qualifying, things started out for the McLaren Mercedes team as they have in four prior qualifying sessions, with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso both holding the race's top two starting positions.  After heavy rain forced the safety car to be deployed from the onset of the race, on lap 19 the drivers finally had their chance to shine, with Lewis managing to maintain his lead over Alonso.  On lap 27, Alonso entered the pits for his first stop of the day, while at the same time Lewis set the fastest lap of the race at 1:28.193 Min.  A lap later, Lewis made his first stop, with both McLaren Mercedes drivers now holding enough fuel to complete the race. Following both drivers' pit stops, Lewis was now racing in third, while Alonso held the eight position. 

On lap 32, race leader Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso Ferrari) entered the pits, moving Lewis and Alonso up into second and seventh, respectively.  On lap 34, Alonso was passed by BMW Sauber's Nick Heidfeld, dropping the Spaniard to eighth; while a lap later, Lewis was pushed into a spin by Robert Kubica, giving the BMW Sauber driver a drive-through penalty. On lap 35, Fernando too was involved in a minor collision, being spun by Ferrari's Vettel; both Lewis and Hamilton managed to recover from their spins in prompt fashion, however, and both continued to race.

On lap 41, all drivers had completed their pit stops, with Lewis now leading the race and Alonso holding fourth. One lap later, Fernando spun again - this time from heavy braking while approaching a hairpin turn - the result of which was an unfortunate meeting with the wall and subsequent retirement from the race. Following several laps led by the safety car, the race again commenced on lap 48, and after 67 laps Lewis maintained his lead in the 67 lap race and took home his fourth GP victory of the season.

To learn more, keep reading for photos from the race as well as the official press release detailing the weekend's wet and wild festivities, complete with both driver and team interviews.

Enjoy.










OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


F1 Fuji: Championship Leader Lewis Hamilton Wins in the Rain

Fuji, Sep 30, 2007

The start: For the fifth time this year, Lewis and Fernando started from an all Vodafone McLaren Mercedes front row. Due to heavy rain, the race began behind the Safety Car.

The race: The Safety Car was withdrawn at the end of lap 19. Lewis maintained his lead ahead of Fernando.
Fernando pitted on lap 27 (11.9sec) whilst at the same time Lewis posted the fastest lap of the race (1:28.193 Min.). He came in one lap later (11.6sec). Both got enough fuel to finish without further pit stops. Lewis resumed in third position whilst Fernando was eighth; Sebastian Vettel (Toro Rosso Ferrari) was in the lead.

Following Vettel’s pit stop on lap 32, Lewis was second and Fernando seventh. The Spaniard was passed by Nick Heidfeld (BMW Sauber) at the beginning of lap 34. One lap later, Lewis was pushed into a spin by Robert Kubica (BMW Sauber), who consequently received a drive-through penalty. On lap 35, Fernando spun after being hit by Vettel.

On lap 41, all drivers had completed their pit stops and Lewis was back in the lead. One lap later, Fernando who was fourth now spun under braking for the hairpin due to aquaplaning and heavily hit the barrier. He retired with a damaged car, the first retirement of a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver this season. Again the Safety Car was deployed. The race was re-started at the end of lap 48.
After 67 laps, still in torrential rain, Lewis drove to his fourth GP victory.

Comments

Lewis Hamilton
“A very eventful race and I am so happy to have won here at Fuji. There were moments when I thought it would have been better to stop the race; however, when the rain faded a little, conditions improved a bit. I didn’t feel too much pressure and think I would have been able to push a bit harder if necessary. I was lucky that nothing serious happened to my car when Robert Kubica hit me. I didn’t see him come so the impact caught me by surprise, and I spun. Afterwards I stayed concentrated and focused on keeping the car on the track. I want to say thank you to everybody in the team who have done a great job throughout the weekend. This was an important victory for the championship, but I do not want to think too much about it and will focus hard on the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai next weekend.”

Fernando Alonso
“A difficult race in difficult conditions. After my pit stop I came out into traffic and was fighting for positions in the field. It was very difficult to see anything because of the spray especially when you were coming down the straight. As a result I did not see Vettel in my mirrors and was surprised when he hit me. I think the car was damaged quite a bit by that, but I was able to continue. However when I was braking for Turn Five I just aquaplaned and spun. Unfortunately the walls at that corner are very close to the track, so I hit the barrier heavily, and that was it. Of course, it is a difficult situation for me now in the championship; however, I will keep fighting until the end – as last year’s Championship battle showed anything can happen.”

Ron Dennis
“The weather conditions here at Fuji created their own challenges for all the teams throughout the weekend but by staying focused we made sure that both Lewis and Fernando had a chance for victory today. However, unfortunately for Fernando he aquaplaned off the circuit after driving a controlled race in very tricky conditions – particularly after his car was damaged due to a collision with Vettel. Lewis’s performance was masterful, and he was in control throughout. The team is now going to focus on the last two races where both Lewis and Fernando have a chance of claiming the title. We will make sure that they both have the opportunity to do so and look forward to an exciting end to the Championship.”

Norbert Haug
“An extremely difficult race in challenging conditions. Lewis showed a first class performance and did not put a foot wrong. He had a handicap and lacked downforce after his car had been hit by Robert Kubica and had been damaged at the rear. Fernando was in a difficult situation fighting in the field after his pit stop, he had aquaplaning, spun and hit the wall – that is a shame but this can happen in conditions like these, and it was not Fernando’s fault. The entire team worked really hard throughout the weekend achieving double pole, race win and fastest lap. We now look forward to the remaining races in China and Brazil and stay focused to maintain our 1-2 lead until after the final of the season."

Copyright © 2007, DaimlerChrysler AG