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2016 Japan Thoughts

THE BIG PICTURE: If Lewis Hamilton loses this world championship, it will not be because of reliability, harebrained conspiracy theories, or even God. It will be for the one thing Hamilton himself has control over -- race starts. Five times, he's lost places at the start.

EVENT: No fans get more air time from the F1 TV production folks than those at the Japanese GP. We get that Japanese fans are passionate about F1. We get that Japanese fans always wave and smile at the camera. Now stop it!

TRACK: Still as wonderful as ever, even if it is difficult to pass on.

QUALIFYING: 13/1000 of a second, Haas gets both drivers in Q3 for the first time, and McLaren picks the wrong track to have their worst qualifying effort this year.

START: Just when you thought Hamilton couldn't blow a start worse than he has before, he blows a start to top all his blown starts.

RACE: Passing may be difficult here, but there were still some great dices.

ROSBERG: Nico controlled the whole weekend, and once again won at a track he's never won at before.

HAMILTON: Let's face it, Lewis has become the Mark Webber of starters.

MERCEDES: They clinch their third consecutive (inevitable) constructors' championship. Well earned.

VERSTAPPEN: It was more subtle, but he still moved under braking. Nonetheless, Hamilton would not have made the pass anyway and was right to call off his team's protest. Max fully deserved second place.

RICCIARDO: Bogged by Hamilton's start and poor strategy once again put his upstart teammate ahead of Daniel.

VETTEL: He should just drive around with a blue flag attached to a long pole on his car, so it reaches in front of any car he is trying to pass...

FERRARI: Overall, were they actually faster than Red Bull? Remember, both drivers, who qualified on the second row, had grid penalties which severely handicapped their race. We'll delay the verdict till COTA.

PEREZ: It appears Sergio could have gone to Renault...

HULKENBERG: ...so instead Nico will go to a worse car...

RENAULT: ...but why would Renault want the "lesser" Force India driver?

MASSA: Finally finished ahead of Bottas.

HAAS: Great qualifying effort, lousy race strategy.

PALMER: Is Jolyon the odd man out at Renault?

MAGNUSSEN: Or does Kevin get screwed by F1 again? Or, are both out?

MCLAREN: Honda needs to buy a different Japanese track, because Suzuka just does not show off their engine well enough for the home crowd.

SAINZ: Carlos drove like a nutcase the whole race. Quite uncharacteristic of him.

MANOR: When everybody finishes the race, it's not a shock Manor finishes in the last two positions.

WORD OF THE WEEKEND: Clutch.

STAT OF THE WEEKEND: 0 -- The number of winners at Suzuka who started on the second row.

HISTORICAL STAT OF THE WEEKEND: Honda has seen some success on their own track, winning twice, but way back in the 1980s. Both times, the engine was in a McLaren. Ayrton Senna won in 1988 after his car stalled on the grid. In 1991, Senna, after clinching the world championship when Mansell spun out of the race, let his teammate, Gerhard Berger, by on the last lap to take the win.

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: Christian Horner, who knows a thing or two about title fights, discussing the championship hopes of Lewis Hamilton, "I would be a foolish person to rule him out at this stage."

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND RUNNERUP: Romain Grosjean, after crashing in FP1 once again because the car wouldn't stop, explained the situation succinctly, "The brake doesn't brake."

SCHEDULE: Everybody in Texas is starting to do the anti-rain dance.

Copyright © 2016 by Deep Throttle. All Rights Reserved.



RACE RESULTS
  Driver Laps
1. Rosberg 53
2. Verstappen 53
3. Hamilton 53
4. Vettel 53
5. Raikkonen 53
6. Ricciardo 53
7. Perez 53
8. Hulkenberg 53
9. Massa 53
10. Bottas 53
11. Grosjean 53
12. Palmer(R) 52
13. Kvyat 52
14. Magnussen 52
15. Ericsson 52
16. Alonso 52
17. Sainz 52
18. Button 52
19. Nasr 52
20. Gutierrez 52
21. Ocon(R) 52
22. Wehrlein(R) 52

Time of Race
1:26:43.333

Margin of Victory
4.978 sec.

Safety Car
None

Lead Changes
2 among 2 drivers

Lap Leaders
Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel

Fastest Race Lap
Sebastian Vettel

Pole Position
Nico Rosberg

CURRENT STANDINGS
  Driver Pts.
1. Rosberg 313
2. Hamilton 280
3. Ricciardo 212
4. Raikkonen 170
5. Verstappen 165
  Vettel 165
7. Bottas 81
8. Perez 80
9. Hulkenberg 54
10. Massa 43
11. Alonso 42
12. Sainz 30
13. Grosjean 28
14. Kvyat 25
15. Button 19
16. Magnussen 7
17. Vandoorne(R) 1
  Wehrlein(R) 1
  Palmer(R) 1

  Team Pts.
1. Mercedes 593
2. Red Bull 385
3. Ferrari 335
4. Force India 134
5. Williams 124
6. McLaren 62
7. Toro Rosso 47
8. Haas 28
9. Renault 8
10. Manor 1
 
 

2024 Thoughts
Bahrain Saudi Arabia Australia Japan
China Miami Emilia Romagna Monaco
Canada Spain Austria Great Britain
Hungary Belgium Holland Italy
Azerbaijan Singapore United States Mexico City
Sao Paulo Las Vegas Qatar Abu Dhabi

2023 Thoughts
Bahrain Saudi Arabia Australia Azerbaijan
Miami Emilia Romagna Monaco Spain
Canada Austria Great Britain Hungary
Belgium Holland Italy Singapore
Japan Qatar United States Mexico City
Sao Paulo Las Vegas Abu Dhabi

2022 Thoughts
Bahrain Saudi Arabia Australia Emilia Romagna
Miami Spain Monaco Azerbaijan
Canada Great Britain Austria France
Hungary Belgium Holland Italy
Singapore Japan United States
Mexico City Sao Paulo Abu Dhabi

2021 Thoughts
Bahrain Emilia Romagna Portugal Spain Monaco
Azerbaijan France Steiermark Austria Great Britain
Hungary Belgium Holland Italy
Russia Turkey United States Mexico City
Sao Paulo Qatar Saudi Arabia Abu Dhabi

2020 Thoughts
Austria Steiermark Hungary Great Britain Anniversary
Spain Belgium Italy Tuscany
Russia Eifel Portugal Emilia Romagna
Turkey Bahrain Sakhir Abu Dhabi

2019 Thoughts
Australia Bahrain China Azerbaijan Spain
Monaco Canada France Austria
Great Britain Germany Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Russia Japan
Mexico United States Brazil Abu Dhabi

2018 Thoughts
Australia Bahrain China Azerbaijan Spain
Monaco Canada France Austria
Great Britain Germany Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Russia Japan
United States Mexico Brazil Abu Dhabi

2017 Thoughts
Australia China Bahrain Russia
Spain Monaco Canada Azerbaijan
Austria Great Britain Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Malaysia Japan
United States Mexico Brazil Abu Dhabi

2016 Thoughts
Australia Bahrain China Russia Spain
Monaco Canada Europe Austria
Great Britain Hungary Germany Belgium
Italy Singapore Malaysia Japan
United States Mexico Brazil Abu Dhabi

2015 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia China Bahrain
Spain Monaco Canada Austria
Great Britain Hungary Belgium Italy
Singapore Japan Russia United States
Mexico Brazil Abu Dhabi

2014 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia Bahrain China
Spain Monaco Canada Austria
Great Britain Germany Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Japan Russia
United States Brazil Abu Dhabi

2013 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia China Bahrain
Spain Monaco Canada Great Britain
Germany Hungary Belgium Italy
Singapore South Korea Japan India
Abu Dhabi United States Brazil

2012 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia China Bahrain
Spain Monaco Canada Europe
Great Britain Germany Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Japan South Korea
India Abu Dhabi United States Brazil

2011 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia China Turkey
Spain Monaco Canada Europe
Great Britain Germany Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Japan South Korea
India Abu Dhabi Brazil

2010 Thoughts
Bahrain Australia Malaysia China
Spain Monaco Turkey Canada
Europe Great Britain Germany Hungary
Belgium Italy Singapore Japan
South Korea Brazil Abu Dhabi

2009 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia China Bahrain
Spain Monaco Turkey Great Britain
Germany Hungary Europe
Belgium Italy Singapore
Japan Brazil Abu Dhabi


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