2011 Japanese Grand Prix

 2011 Japanese Grand Prix

Racing data
15th of 19 races in the 2011 Formula 1 World Championship
Surname:	XXXVII Japanese Grand Prix
Date:	October 9, 2011
Place:	Suzuka
Course:	Suzuka International Racing Course
Length:	307.573 km in 53 laps of 5.807 km
Pole position
Driver:	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault
Time:	1: 30.466 min
Fastest lap
Driver:	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes
Time:	1: 36.568 min (lap 52)
Podium
First:	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes
Second:	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari
Third:	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault

The 2011 Japanese Grand Prix took place on October 9th at the Suzuka International Racing Course in Suzuka and was the 15th race of the 2011 Formula 1 World Championship .

Reports

background

After the Singapore Grand Prix , Sebastian Vettel led the drivers' standings with 124 points from Jenson Button and 125 points from Fernando Alonso . Red Bull-Renault led the constructors' championship with 138 points ahead of McLaren-Mercedes and with 223 points ahead of Ferrari . Vettel only needed one point to win the drivers' championship.

At the Japanese Grand Prix, Pirelli provided the drivers with medium (white) and soft (yellow) tire compounds , as well as intermediates (light blue) and full wets (orange) for wet conditions .

With Michael Schumacher (six times), Alonso, Vettel (twice each), Rubens Barrichello , Lewis Hamilton (once each), five former winners competed in this Grand Prix.

training

In the first free practice, Button achieved the fastest lap ahead of Hamilton and Vettel. This training took over Nico Hülkenberg the Force India of Adrian Sutil , Karun Chandhok the Lotus of Heikki Kovalainen and Narain Karthikeyan the HRT of Vitantonio Liuzzi . In the second free practice, Button was the fastest driver ahead of Alonso and Vettel. In the third free practice, Button set the fastest time ahead of Hamilton and Vettel. The HRT pilots never managed to get within the 107 percent rule in any training session .

Qualifying

In the first section of qualifying, Kamui Kobayashi posted the fastest lap time. The HRT, Virgin and Lotus pilots and Nico Rosberg were eliminated. Rosberg and Liuzzi did not set any time and thus failed because of the 107 percent rule. Both were subsequently given permission to start the race. In the second segment, Hamilton was the fastest driver. The Toro Rosso , Williams and Force India pilots and Sergio Pérez were eliminated. In the final section, Vettel took the lead in front of Button and Hamilton.

run

The top of the field on the first round

At the start of the Japanese Grand Prix there was a duel for the lead. Vettel forced his opponent Button to almost leave the track and take off the gas. Hamilton took over the second position. The race stewards investigated this duel and decided not to impose a penalty. Local hero Kobayashi did not start well and dropped from seventh to twelfth place.

In the initial phase, Vettel managed to break away from the rest of the field. Hamilton ran into tire problems early on and pitted to change tires after being overtaken by Button. In the next laps all drivers from the leading group came to their pit stop. While the first two positions remained unchanged, Alonso drove past Hamilton. Further back, the first pit stop phase had a negative impact on Sébastien Buemi . His right front wheel was not properly attached and he parked his car in the gravel bed. It was the only retirement in this race.

Button managed to reduce the gap to Vettel in this section. At the second pit stops, when Vettel changed tires before Button, Button finally took the lead. Behind the three leading drivers, there was another duel between Hamilton and Massa. Hamilton left Massa little space, so the two touched. A part of Massa came loose and remained on the track. Both pilots drove on and the race stewards did not issue a penalty. A few laps later, Webber also lost part of his front wing in a duel with Schumacher, which also fell by the wayside. The race management therefore decided to carry out a safety car phase while cleaning the track. None of the leading drivers came to the pits.

The eventual winner Jenson Button during the race

At the restart, Button retained the lead and pulled away from Vettel in the following laps. Vettel pitted again earlier and switched to the harder tire compound. Since the drivers were closer together due to the previous safety car phase, Vettel fell behind Sutil and Nico Rosberg . Although he managed to overtake both of them, he also fell behind Alonso, who later pitted. In the phase of the last pit stops, Schumacher led the race for three laps. It was his first laps of leadership since the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix . After completing his pit stop, he came out on the track in sixth place, ahead of Massa, who also no longer overtook him.

Sebastian Vettel (front) celebrates winning his second world title; in the background is the seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher

While there was still some fights for position in midfield between the Force India pilots, Petrow and Rosberg, the drivers at the top also moved closer together. However, Red Bull told its drivers by radio not to take any unnecessary risks and to maintain their positions. Alonso came closer to Button at first, but he managed to achieve the fastest lap with one lap to go.

Button finally won ahead of Alonso and Vettel, for whom third place was enough to win the drivers' championship early. With the successful title defense, Vettel became the youngest double world champion in Formula 1 history at the age of 24 years and 98 days. Alonso last held the record.

Webber, Hamilton, Schumacher, Massa, Pérez, Petrow and Rosberg finished on the other points.

In the constructors' championship, McLaren-Mercedes narrowed the gap to Red Bull-Renault, but they could win the title early at the next Grand Prix.

Registration list

team	No.	driver	chassis	engine	tires
Red Bull Racing	01	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull RB7	Renault 2.4 V8	P
	02	Mark Webber
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes	03	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren MP4-26	Mercedes-Benz 2.4 V8	P
	04th	Jenson Button
Scuderia Ferrari	05	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari 150 ° Italia	Ferrari 2.4 V8	P
	06th	Felipe Massa
Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team	07th	Michael sSchumacher	Mercedes MGP W02	Mercedes-Benz 2.4 V8	P
	08th	Nico Rosberg
Lotus Renault GP	09	Bruno Senna	Renault R31	Renault 2.4 V8	P
	10	Vitaly Petrov
AT&T Williams	11	Rubens Barrichello	Williams FW33	Cosworth 2.4 V8	P
	12	Pastor Maldonado
Force India F1 Team	14th	Nico Hulkenberg	Force India VJM04	Mercedes-Benz 2.4 V8	P
		Adrian Sutil
	15th	Paul di Resta
Sauber F1 Team	16	Kamui Kobayashi	Clean C30	Ferrari 2.4 V8	P
	17th	Sergio Perez
Scuderia Toro Rosso	18th	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso STR6	Ferrari 2.4 V8	P
	19th	Jaime Alguersuari
Team Lotus	20th	Karun Chandhok	Lotus T128	Renault 2.4 V8	P
		Heikki Kovalainen
	21st	Jarno Trulli
HRT F1 team	22nd	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT F111	Cosworth 2.4 V8	P
	23	Narain Karthikeyan
		Vitantonio Liuzzi
Marussia Virgin Racing	24	Timo Glock	Virgin MVR-02	Cosworth 2.4 V8	P
	25th	Jérôme D'Ambrosio

Remarks

1. ↑ ^{a b} Hulkenberg drove the Force India with the number 14 in the first free practice. Sutil then took over the vehicle for the rest of the race weekend.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Chandhok drove the Lotus with the number 20 in the first free practice. Kovalainen then took over the vehicle for the rest of the race weekend.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Karthikeyan drove the HRT with the number 23 in the first free practice. Liuzzi then took over the vehicle for the rest of the race weekend.

Classifications

Qualifying

Item	driver	constructor	Q1	Q2	Q3	begin
01	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault	1: 33.051	1: 31.424	1: 30.466	01
02	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes	1: 32.947	1: 31.434	1: 30.475	02
03	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	1: 32.843	1: 31.139	1: 30.617	03
04th	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1: 33.235	1: 31.909	1: 30.804	04th
05	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	1: 32.817	1: 31.612	1: 30.886	05
06th	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	1: 33.135	1: 31.576	1: 31.156	06th
07th	Michael sSchumacher	Mercedes	1: 33.748	1: 32.116	no time	08th
08th	Bruno Senna	Renault	1: 33.359	1: 32.297	no time	09
09	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	1: 32.877	1: 32.245	no time	10
10	Kamui Kobayashi	Clean Ferrari	1: 32.626	1: 32.380	no time	07th
11	Adrian Sutil	Force India-Mercedes	1: 32.761	1: 32.463	-	11
12	Paul di Resta	Force India-Mercedes	1: 33.499	1: 32.746	-	12
13	Rubens Barrichello	Williams-Cosworth	1: 33.921	1: 33.079	-	13
14th	Pastor Maldonado	Williams-Cosworth	1: 33.781	1: 33.224	-	14th
15th	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	1: 33.064	1: 33.227	-	15th
16	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	1: 35.111	1: 33.427	-	16
17th	Sergio Perez	Clean Ferrari	1: 34.704	no time	-	17th
18th	Heikki Kovalainen	Lotus Renault	1: 35.454	-	-	18th
19th	Jarno Trulli	Lotus Renault	1: 35.514	-	-	19th
20th	Jérôme D'Ambrosio	Virgin Cosworth	1: 36.439	-	-	20th
21st	Timo Glock	Virgin Cosworth	1: 36.507	-	-	21st
22nd	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT-Cosworth	1: 37.846	-	-	22nd
107 percent time : 1: 39.109 min (based on Q1 best time of 1: 32.626 min)
DNQ	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	no time	-	-	23
DNQ	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT-Cosworth	no time	-	-	24

Remarks

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r} racing cars with KERS

run

Item	driver	constructor	Round	Stops	time	begin	Fastest lap
01	Jenson Button	McLaren-Mercedes	53	3	1: 30: 53.427	02	1: 36,568 (52nd)
02	Fernando Alonso	Ferrari	53	3	+ 1.160	05	1: 36.682 (50.)
03	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull-Renault	53	3	+ 2.006	01	1: 36.916 (52nd)
04th	Mark Webber	Red Bull-Renault	53	3	+ 8.071	06th	1: 36.828 (47.)
05	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes	53	3	+ 24,268	03	1: 37.645 (49.)
06th	Michael sSchumacher	Mercedes	53	3	+ 27,120	08th	1: 37.916 (53.)
07th	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	53	3	+ 28.240	04th	1: 37,800 (50th)
08th	Sergio Perez	Clean Ferrari	53	2	+ 39.377	17th	1: 36,569 (39.)
09	Vitaly Petrov	Renault	53	2	+ 42.607	10	1: 37.053 (47th)
10	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	53	3	+ 44.322	23	1: 36.614 (50.)
11	Adrian Sutil	Force India-Mercedes	53	3	+ 54.447	11	1: 38.133 (43.)
12	Paul di Resta	Force India-Mercedes	53	3	+1: 02.326	12	1: 37.970 (43.)
13	Kamui Kobayashi	Clean Ferrari	53	2	+1: 03.705	07th	1: 39.724 (44th)
14th	Pastor Maldonado	Williams-Cosworth	53	3	+1: 04.194	14th	1: 37.645 (50th)
15th	Jaime Alguersuari	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	53	2	+1: 06.623	16	1: 37.411 (41st)
16	Bruno Senna	Renault	53	2	+1: 12.628	09	1: 38,407 (42nd)
17th	Rubens Barrichello	Williams-Cosworth	53	3	+1: 14.191	13	1: 39.080 (53rd)
18th	Heikki Kovalainen	Lotus Renault	53	3	+1: 27.824	18th	1: 39.297 (50.)
19th	Jarno Trulli	Lotus Renault	53	3	+1: 36.140	19th	1: 39,561 (49.)
20th	Timo Glock	Virgin Cosworth	51	3	+ 2 rounds	21st	1: 41.704 (46.)
21st	Jérôme D'Ambrosio	Virgin Cosworth	51	3	+ 2 rounds	20th	1: 41.794 (45th)
22nd	Daniel Ricciardo	HRT-Cosworth	51	3	+ 2 rounds	22nd	1: 41.437 (49.)
23	Vitantonio Liuzzi	HRT-Cosworth	50	3	+ 3 rounds	24	1: 42,409 (37.)
-	Sébastien Buemi	Toro Rosso-Ferrari	11	1	DNF	15th	1: 42.107 ( 06.)

Remarks

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r} racing cars with KERS

World Cup stands after the race

The first ten of the race got 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 point (s) respectively.

Driver ranking

Item driver constructor Points 01  Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 324 02  Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 210 03  Fernando Alonso Ferrari 202 04th  Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 194 05  Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 178 06th  Felipe Massa Ferrari 90 07th  Nico Rosberg Mercedes 63 08th  Michael sSchumacher Mercedes 60 09  Vitaly Petrov Renault 36 10  Nick Heidfeld Renault 34 11  Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 28 12  Kamui Kobayashi Clean Ferrari 27 13  Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 20th 14th  Jaime Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 16

Item driver constructor Points 15th  Sergio Perez Clean Ferrari 13 16  Sébastien Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 13 17th  Rubens Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 4th 18th  Bruno Senna Renault 2 19th  Pastor Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 1 20th  Pedro de la Rosa Clean Ferrari 0 21st  Jarno Trulli Lotus Renault 0 22nd  Heikki Kovalainen Lotus Renault 0 23  Vitantonio Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 0 24  Jérôme D'Ambrosio Virgin Cosworth 0 25th  Timo Glock Virgin Cosworth 0 26th  Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 0 27  Daniel Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 0 28  Karun Chandhok Lotus Renault 0

Constructors' championship

Item constructor Points 01  Red Bull-Renault 518 02  McLaren-Mercedes 388 03  Ferrari 292 04th  Mercedes 123 05  Renault 72 06th  Force India-Mercedes 48

Item constructor Points 07th  Clean Ferrari 40 08th  Toro Rosso-Ferrari 29 09  Williams-Cosworth 5 10  Lotus Renault 0 11  HRT-Cosworth 0 12  Virgin Cosworth 0

Individual evidence

1. ↑ "Pirelli specifies tire variants for Japan and South Korea" (Motorsport-Total.com on September 16, 2011)
2. ^ "GP Japan in Suzuka / 1st free practice" (Motorsport-Total.com on October 7, 2011)
3. ^ "GP Japan in Suzuka / 2nd free practice" (Motorsport-Total.com on October 7, 2011)
4. ^ "GP Japan in Suzuka / 3rd free practice" (Motorsport-Total.com on October 8, 2011)
5. ↑ "107 percent: Rosberg and Liuzzi are allowed to start" (Motorsport-Total.com on October 8, 2011)

Web links

Commons : Japanese Grand Prix 2011  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Weekend statistics at Motorsport-Total.com