From Behind the Glasses
Overall, the Japanese Grand Prix was an enjoyable event, much as you would expect. Suzuka always delivers, even if there is no championship fight going on. A fantastic, classic circuit filled with everything drivers and fans love like sweeping high-speed curves and the need for perfection. It is a far cry from any modern circuit Herman Tilke would or has designed, which seems to consist of corners that are either 90 degrees or 180 degrees, with massive straights. It was sad to see Webber dropped to second behind Vettel again. Grosjean did a great job and made it interesting for Webber come the end, so it was great for him to show how he can race and get fired up to go and hunt down second. But it will surely not just be me that thinks it a touch convenient that he had to swap onto a three-stop strategy, compromising his race and handing it to Vettel. Whilst we know Vettel is better with managing the Pirelli tyres since they've changed, it still seems rather typical that it would end up Vettel leading home a Red Bull 1-2 finish after Mark had lead a lot of the race. The suggestion that Webber simply ran out of laps to chase down Vettel is, when coming from Christian Horner, laughable. I wouldn't possibly believe he would be allowed to race for the win even if he had cleared Grosjean immediately and then closed at three seconds a lap. Of course, at this stage, Webber may not have cared about that, and it would have been nice to see. It's still great to see him up on the podium though. At least there was something happening at the front to take any notice of for the first time in a few races, which made a change. Behind them, the race for fourth between Hulkenberg, Alonso and Raikkonen had its moments, though not quite as intensely as in Korea. It was great to see Hulkenberg delivering another strong drive to underline his real speed. Hamilton's early retirement was a disappointment, as he'd made a great start and looked to have the pace to race the Red Bull's today, and if that had happened as they were slowed by Grosjean it might well have made for an interesting outcome. Sadly though the little touch to the tyre was enough to do the damage and put Hamilton out. It wasn't the only incident, as Rosberg touched Perez in a similar manner and instantly deflated his tyre as well, which seems ridiculous. Yes, Formula 1 cars are not meant to touch, but inevitably they will and drivers can't really see exactly where the front wing or rear wheel is due to their restricted position. The way these tyres burst by the tiniest touch to the sidewall is surely a huge safety risk, as if that were to happen in a high speed corner then the car would be instantly off, on its way to a huge accident. The midfield battle rather failed to ignite, and people in it seemed to catch a rash of penalties, with Massa, Rosberg and Ricciardo all being penalised, while Button struggled with tyre problems, Perez had problems and then a puncture and others behind failed to really break into it such as Force India. It was a disappointment as the midfield battle has been so intense in recent races, though the wheel to wheel racing to the line between Felipe Massa and Jenson Button was great. It was a shame that Chilton couldn't score the "win" for Marussia over Caterham after a great qualifying, but he still had a good weekend overall.