On Sunday, October 7, 2018, at the Suzuka circuit, the Japanese Grand Prix will take place, the seventeenth round of the Formula 1 World Championship. Sebastian Vettel still hopes for a comeback. With 50 points to recover from Lewis Hamilton with five races to go, the German doesn't give up and promises a battle in preparation for the challenge in Japan.
"In a week, anything can happen, various things can be done; it's a circuit where we are a bit more favored, and we hope to do better than in Russia. We are trying to set up the car as best as possible to keep the pace and get closer to the Mercedes".
Vettel is determined to give it his all, even though time is running out.
"I don't like the approach of now or never; there are still five races. The secret is to try to attack and try to finish first. As I've said many times, we have a very strong and robust car. Maybe it may seem like it's not at its best, but it's not the case. We haven't been ahead in qualifying, but in the race, we have always been close to the Mercedes, even though in some races, we didn't have the pace we wanted. We have always defended ourselves and have always dueled with the Mercedes. Here it will be more or less the same; we hope to do well in qualifying and then play it better in the race because when you are behind and try to overtake, the tires suffer. But here in Suzuka, we have good chances".
The challenge with Hamilton is always exciting, a duel that has been going on for years and will continue in Suzuka.
"When we challenge each other on the track and try to overtake, it's always fun. He enjoyed it more in Russia because he passed me in turn 4. It's difficult to always be side by side, but in a race like this, you have more fun. I would have liked to stay close to him in the last laps, but I didn't have the chance to do it".
Much has been said about team strategies and team orders; for Vettel, what happened during the Italian Grand Prix cannot be compared to the one in Russia:
"I wouldn't say we were in the same position as Mercedes. The two races are not similar; then it's still a team matter".
The World Championship is about to end, and thoughts are already turning to the next one in terms of strategies.
"We have made progress, there is still a lot of work to do. Other teams have made bigger progress, and others less. We have told the engineers what we want to achieve, what kind of car we want; performance can always be improved".
Weather conditions don't worry Vettel.
"Even if it rains with a wet track, we will do our best, but it's not something that troubles me. I think we will have to find a different strategy and not push to the maximum on these straights. As I said, it's my favorite track; the sensations I have here are the best of the season. It's a circuit that electrifies you; it's very characteristic. I liked the old track, and I like the current one. It's an iconic track; maybe it's not as difficult and technical as before, but it remains a great track".
Final thoughts on qualifying and the possibility of rule changes.
"I think we have enough fun. I preferred it when you could do everything as you wanted before. Qualifying is even more fun than the race for some drivers. I might have preferred when you were free to manage them as you wanted, but I don't think there will be any changes".
On Friday, October 5, 2018, during the first practice session, Lewis Hamilton was the only driver to go below the 1'29"0 limit. The British driver, using Soft tires, was about 0.45s faster than Valtteri Bottas, who was on Medium tires. Hamilton also had a close call with Pierre Gasly, who was moving slowly on the track. Daniel Ricciardo used Supersoft tires but finished 0.6s behind Hamilton's time. The two Ferraris followed, trailing by a second. The cars from Maranello showed some nervousness, highlighted by several driving errors from both drivers. Fernando Alonso, who went off the track, managed to avoid hitting the barriers. Hamilton confirmed his status as the fastest driver in the second free practice session as well. The reigning World Champion was ahead of Valtteri Bottas by 0.4s and Sebastian Vettel by 0.8s. The two Mercedes were the only cars to go below the 1'29"0 limit, while the Ferraris showed a good race pace with Soft tires. Max Verstappen followed Vettel, ahead of the other Ferrari driver, Kimi Räikkönen. Due to a technical issue with the fuel supply, Pierre Gasly only participated in the final part of the session. The first day of free practice in Japan saw the dominance of the two Mercedes, especially Lewis Hamilton, who outpaced his teammate Valtteri Bottas by almost half a second. With a 50-point lead over Sebastian Vettel, who was 0.8s behind, it seems that Hamilton could race aggressively to further increase the gap at Suzuka. However, the expected rain on Saturday could shake up the qualifying, making it unpredictable and open to surprises. Meanwhile, Hamilton enjoys a Mercedes W09 that has returned to being by far the benchmark in the Circus:
"Suzuka is beautiful; they don't build circuits like this anymore, and it's wonderful to come back every year to race on such a challenging track. The first two sectors are exciting, and there's no room for error. If you make a small mistake, you risk putting the wheels on the grass and ending up against the wall. This year, I set out to improve in two or three corners, and I would say I succeeded in the task I gave myself. I've never enjoyed driving as much as I do now. I thank the team, which has worked very well and provided me with a fantastic car".
Valtteri Bottas also seems quite satisfied and is confident of further improvement over the weekend.
"It's always a lot of fun to drive here at Suzuka, an incredible track. In the first practice, I immediately had a good feeling with the car, although it went better for me in FP1 than in FP2. Now we have some time to make the final adjustments and find the definitive setup for qualifying and the race. Overall, we did well in all sectors; I just need to solve some balance issues that caused a bit too much understeer".
Weather forecasts indicate a high probability of rain for qualifying, and Valtteri Bottas wants to take revenge on the wet track after losing to Hamilton in Hungary:
"Probably the weather will change tomorrow, so it was positive to have a dry Friday ahead of Sunday. The forecasts tell us that it will be very hot during the race, so it will be very different from today, but we still have enough data to be ready. Even in dry conditions, it is very easy to make mistakes on this track; a small error can even put you out of the game. On a wet track, it is ten times more difficult. The track becomes much more unpredictable, especially when it rains heavily or if there is standing water. For this reason, the qualifying will be very interesting tomorrow".
On his part, Ferrari's team principal, Maurizio Arrivabene, does not hide the problems encountered on the SF71H:
"There are races like Suzuka, but also Russia and Singapore, which are high-downforce circuits, and we suffer more, especially on slow corners. You struggle and leave a lot of tenths. And I'm honest; I'm not hiding. The reasons are of various kinds, the downforce, the right tire window. With this type of complication in a very complex car like today's, it's hard to extract the maximum performance".
However, the team principal still encourages the team, despite the significant gap with only a few races to go:
"How does the World Championship end? I'm not the magician Ornella; for me, it ends with a winning Ferrari. We need to be realistic, we have 50 points to recover, this won't be an easy race. But giving up today is wrong. You still have to work in a dignified but focused manner. You should never give up, even if the numbers tell you that you are weaker than others, it doesn't matter. You have to put in something extra, because then in the morning when you wake up, you have to look at yourself in the mirror and say: Okay, I lost, but I gave it my all".
On Saturday, October 6, 2018, the third and final practice session is characterized by intermittent rain, leading to several interruptions as the track conditions are unsuitable for both intermediate and slick tires. In this session, Lewis Hamilton is once again the fastest, ahead of the two Ferraris. At the S curves, Nico Hülkenberg, perhaps due to the strong wind on the track, hits the barriers at the end of the escape road, damaging the rear of his Renault. The session is halted with the display of the red flag. Kimi Räikkönen and Charles Leclerc also have off-track excursions, but without consequences for their cars. A few hours later, the qualifying session begins with the fear that rain may return to the Japanese track. After the Haas drivers set the first valid times, the two Ferrari drivers secure the top two positions on the time chart. However, with the arrival of the Mercedes on the track, the times are significantly lowered. Lewis Hamilton is in first, while Bottas is third, behind Vettel but ahead of Max Verstappen. Sebastian Vettel spins, and Marcus Ericsson goes off the track, destroying the rear of his Sauber, forcing the race officials to interrupt the session with the display of the red flag. A few minutes before the end of Q1, rain starts to wet the track, although initially with low intensity. Charles Leclerc climbs to sixth place, while Carlos Sainz Jr. snatches a qualifying spot from his teammate, Nico Hülkenberg. In addition to the German and Marcus Ericsson, Sergey Sirotkin and the two McLarens are eliminated. In the second phase, where the tire choice for the time determines the compound for the start, the Mercedes drivers opt for Soft tires and again dominate the time chart. The Ferraris are third and fourth, while Daniel Ricciardo is forced to abandon the qualifying session due to a loss of engine power in his Red Bull Racing car. Five minutes before the end, rain returns to wet the track. Magnussen still tries to improve before abandoning the attempt prematurely, while Leclerc spins without consequences. In addition to these two drivers, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lance Stroll are also eliminated, along with Daniel Ricciardo, who is unable to set a valid time. In the decisive phase, at the beginning of Q3, the two Ferrari drivers opt for intermediate wet tires, unlike all other drivers who choose dry tires. Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen immediately realize that the track is too dry and must return to the pits immediately to switch to slick tires, risking that the rain might actually arrive and not allow them to set a competitive time. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton sets the fastest time, with Valtteri Bottas remaining 0.3s behind his teammate. Kimi Räikkönen is fourth, behind Max Verstappen, while Sebastian Vettel is only ninth. The intensity of the rain prevents any driver from improving the initial time. Thus, Lewis Hamilton secures his 80th pole position. Romain Grosjean and Brendon Hartley make up the third row.
"The team has done an impressive job this weekend. Q3 was the most challenging; we had to quickly understand how to react to choose the right tire and secure this pole. Thanks to the team because the car has improved a lot in all areas, and we have also improved in the way we work together. It's an honor to race for this team and with these guys. It's always difficult to make the right choices, but as a team, we've always done it. You have to stay intelligent even under pressure; that's why we are the best in the world".
The qualifying session in Japan reflects a World Championship that Ferrari, with its drivers, has thrown away with its own hands.
And precisely at the moment of maximum fragility, the Maranello team disintegrates. The discontent that had evidently been brewing within the team for a while now bursts forth without reserve at Suzuka.
"It's a matter of choices, not strategy. I never intervene in technical choices, but today I'm angry. I'm a bit disappointed".
says Maurizio Arrivabene, the team principal of Ferrari, adding:
"As things were, I don't think pole position was within our reach, but what happened is unacceptable. I'm very angry; these mistakes have happened before, but unlike other occasions, today it was easy to understand what was happening. Sometimes it's more useful to take your eyes off the computers and look at the track, use common sense. We are a young team, and for this, we pay a price, but it took a little to understand what was happening. It's true that we are a young team, that we are all committed to doing our best, but sometimes a bit more experience and cunning are needed. Sometimes you have to seize opportunities when they arise, have that sixth sense and that racing spirit that we lack. There's no point in holding trials; certainly, something happened that is not good. We talked about it, we reasoned, and I invited everyone to reflect on certain things. Tomorrow there's a race to be run; you have to go on the track with determination and serenity. I'm not pointing the finger at anyone in particular; the accounts are made, if ever, at the end. But surely we will have to strengthen the team with someone who has experience, a track expert who can read situations correctly and quickly, a tactician, someone with intuition, cunning, and flair".
It seems that the team principal himself, when he realized that intermediate tires were being prepared, rushed to the radio to ask if the technicians, led by Mattia Binotto, were really sure of the choice.
Sebastian Vettel adds:
"We decide together; it's not one person who decides. I agreed to use the intermediate tire; it was obviously a wrong choice".
The German driver then explains why Ferrari opted for intermediates:
"There aren't many ways to interpret this decision: it was about to rain, we thought it would rain, but it didn't, and then it rained later. If it had started raining earlier, we would have looked like geniuses, but this way, we looked like idiots. These things obviously happen. The decision was made at the team level, and at the team level, we bear the consequences".
Of the two Ferrari drivers, Kimi Raikkonen was the one who paid the least for the wrong choice of starting Q3 with intermediate tires. The Finn, leaving the pits before Sebastian Vettel, managed to complete at least one decent timed lap, placing himself in fourth position behind Max Verstappen. Still, it is a disappointing result, which Raikkonen comments on, saying:
"I tried to avoid the wettest parts of the track. Obviously, with these tires, we lost the chance to qualify further ahead. The timing of the choice wasn't the best".
After setting the eighth time at the wheel of his RB14 in Q1, Daniel Ricciardo had to abandon the qualifying session due to a problem with the throttle actuator of the Renault power unit.
The problem, which prevented him from continuing to run, will force him to start from 15th place on the grid and consequently face a comeback race. The frustration of the Australian for yet another technical failure was evident on the world stage with that scream muffled by the still-worn helmet, but captured by the omnipresent pit-lane cameras. According to Christian Horner, his team principal, Ricciardo has every reason to despair, not only because overtaking in Suzuka is quite challenging. Christian Horner says:
"I'm really sorry for Daniel. It seems that what happened is due to a throttle actuator. Undoubtedly, he is disappointed and bitter because it's something that shouldn't happen at this level".
Renault defends itself by stating that the component has not undergone changes since the beginning of the season and has remained the same despite the updates received throughout the year by the hybrid V6 engine produced in Viry-Chatillon. Cyril Abiteboul, the team principal of Renault, says:
"In the past, we have not encountered major problems. It is a part outside the parameters, so we can change it without having to start from the pit lane or without having to pay a penalty, and it is not related to the specific specification C".
Meanwhile, Daniel Ricciardo comments on what happened, saying:
"I'm angry about everything. I have no luck, and I don't know why I'm angry for today, of course, but also looking ahead to tomorrow. Here, to manage to overtake is a bit like in Singapore, and I'll have to start fifteenth or worse if the problem is more serious. I felt there was no power, and the turbo wasn't working well; it went silent just as I exited the last corner before I launched into the fast lap. I knew something serious had happened, maybe even irreparable. We tried to turn off the car and restart it, but everything was off".
At the end of the qualifying session, Esteban Ocon is penalized with a three-position grid penalty for not slowing down sufficiently during the red flag period in the third free practice session. On the following day, Sunday, October 7, 2018, at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton maintains the lead, followed by Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen, Kimi Räikkönen, Romain Grosjean, and Sebastian Vettel, quickly ready to pass the two Scuderia Toro Rosso drivers. The German Ferrari driver overtakes the French Haas driver at the Spoon curves. As they approach the chicane before the final corner, Max Verstappen goes wide, rejoining the track and hitting Kimi Räikkönen's car. Sebastian Vettel takes advantage, passing his teammate. Also, at the end of the first lap, Charles Leclerc collides with Kevin Magnussen, with the Danish driver forced to pit due to a puncture. Debris on the track from the Haas car prompts the race director to deploy the Safety Car. Max Verstappen is penalized by 5 seconds for the contact with Kimi Raikkonen's car during the first lap. The race resumes competitively on lap 8. Sebastian Vettel attacks Max Verstappen at the Spoon curves. The two drivers make contact: the Dutchman continues his race, while the Ferrari driver spins and is passed by the entire group. The race continues with the two Mercedes drivers leading, followed by Max Verstappen, Kimi Räikkönen, Romain Grosjean, Pierre Gasly, and the two Force Indias. Between laps 8 and 13, Daniel Ricciardo overtakes both Force India cars, then Gasly, and finally Grosjean, moving up to fifth place. On lap 17, Kimi Räikkönen pits for a tire change, switching to Medium tires. In the following laps, the leading drivers make their pit stops. On lap 20, Max Verstappen opts for Soft tires, managing to rejoin the track still ahead of Kimi Räikkönen. On lap 23, Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo also pit, with the Australian rejoining the track ahead of Kimi Räikkönen. Lewis Hamilton makes his stop on lap 29, easily retaining the lead of the Grand Prix. Behind him, after Bottas, there are now the two Red Bull Racing cars, followed by Räikkönen, Grosjean, and Gasly. On lap 26, Esteban Ocon and Sebastian Vettel pit, with the Frenchman using Medium tires and the German opting for Soft tires.
On lap 29, Grosjean and Gasly also pit; leaving the pit lane, the Haas driver resists Perez's comeback, who has just passed Leclerc. In the following laps, Sebastian Vettel begins his comeback, re-entering the track in P16 but climbing to seventh place by the end of lap 33. On lap 34, the German also overtakes Grosjean, moving up to sixth place. Behind the Haas driver, there are the two Force Indias, preceding Gasly. On lap 40, Charles Leclerc is forced to retire after going off the track due to a technical problem. The virtual safety car is imposed on the track to allow the marshals to move the Monegasque driver's car. At the restart, Grosjean complains about the overtaking maneuver by Perez, claiming that he did not respect the distance under VSC. In the last laps, a battle ensues between Bottas and Verstappen for the second position. The Finn makes a mistake at the final chicane, but the Dutchman is unable to challenge him. Lewis Hamilton wins the Japanese Grand Prix, followed at the finish line by Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo, Kimi Raikkonen, Sebastian Vettel, Sergio Perez, Romain Grosjean, Esteban Ocon, and Carlos Sainz Jr..
"It was fantastic; I'm really, really happy. The whole weekend has been incredible, very intense. It was a spectacle; we worked as a team and this track, I think, is the best in the world. Every second of the race was really exhilarating. The car was working well; I managed both the tire and the pace. It's strange because, in the end, I raced alone, but I have great joy inside that I can't describe. I heard the team, they told me the tires were performing well. The guys work really hard to reach this level; I am proud and grateful for this opportunity. Champion in Austin? Let's take one thing at a time; let's see what we will do. Let's not sing victory too soon; I hope to do well in Austin".
Sebastian Vettel has experienced a significant downturn in the past month and a half, going from a strong contender for the championship with his Ferrari to facing a crisis and media criticism for his on-track behavior. Even the Ferrari team is not exempt from blame. Surprisingly, it's his rival Lewis Hamilton who comes to Vettel's defense.
"I believe that the media should show a bit more respect for Sebastian. You can't imagine how difficult it is to do what we do at our level, and that goes for any top athlete".
Through an Instagram story, Lewis Hamilton defends his rival, especially after the criticisms Vettel received for the incident with Max Verstappen in the Japanese Grand Prix, which essentially handed the world championship to the Englishman, pending an official confirmation if he wins in Texas.
"It's possible for humans to make mistakes, but it's how we deal with them that matters".
The contact with Max Verstappen was the missing classic element in Sebastian Vettel's recent struggles. The collision happened at Suzuka, on the Sunday that essentially ended Vettel's championship hopes.
"For me, it was the right place to overtake Max, otherwise, I wouldn't have tried. I saw that his battery was running out early in that section, and I pushed to the maximum. There was space, and I tried, but then he didn't leave any room, and we couldn't make the turn together. Then it was a disaster. I was last, and without the Safety Car, sixth place was the best we could achieve".
Vettel managed to climb back to sixth place, making several overtakes and even setting the fastest lap despite damage to his SF71H. These performances only increase regret for what happened in qualifying. The German driver expresses his frustration:
"In races like this, Mercedes was slow, in the sense that they never pushed to the maximum. Our car had some issues after the contact with Max, but it was still strong. In the race, we are closer to Mercedes, it's true, but I think they never push to the maximum".
Ferrari leaves Suzuka after another forgettable weekend, continuing a negative streak that started at Monza:
"With results like these, it's not easy for all of us. We work hard, and the last races have been difficult for everyone, for us on the track and for the team here and at home. Sometimes I don't know what to say: it's not fair, but it is what it is. Sometimes life is tough for us on the track, but now we'll go to Austin, push like crazy, and then we'll see. We can still gather important information for this year and the next".
The outcome of the Japanese Grand Prix has practically ended Ferrari's hopes of catching up with Mercedes in both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championship. With four races to go, Hamilton has extended his lead over Vettel to 67 points, while Mercedes has increased its advantage to 78 points over Ferrari. The contacts with Max Verstappen undeniably played a significant role in shaping the Ferrari drivers' races, and for this reason, Maurizio Arrivabene praises the team's efforts at Suzuka.
"After yesterday's issue, both the team and the drivers reacted very well. Without certain incidents that damaged the cars, the podium would have been within our reach. In some cases, anger is understandable; having said that, discussions do not necessarily mean fractures or other problems. Today, things were done well".
Arrivabene is satisfied with the performance of the SF71H:
"The car was fast despite the damage suffered by both Kimi and Sebastian. Due to those damages, we couldn't reach a podium that was within our reach. The guys did well; the team and the drivers worked effectively. Everyone showed a proud reaction; the pit stops were excellent, and it was evident that both Seb's and Kimi's cars had missing parts. Setting the fastest lap may be a small consolation, but doing it in those conditions demonstrates their strong performance. In Austin, we will go with the spirit of not giving up. Even when the numbers are not in your favor, you should never give up. If discussions among us lead to achieving this goal, that's fine. Discussions generate solutions; it's silence that is worrisome".
The Ferrari team principal seems a bit annoyed by questions from British journalists about the collision between Verstappen and Vettel, saying:
"Why do we always have to talk about mistakes? We received the penalty communication very late, and Sebastian was doing his job. If you want to talk about a race incident, I accept that, but it's clear that we were not able to exploit our full potential. On Saturday, we had the problem that everyone knows, and I expressed all my disappointment. But we win and lose together. We had some non-optimal circumstances during the race, and it was clear that the podium was not within our reach. For the next races, I know the situation seems impossible, but our challenge is to achieve the impossible".
On the other hand, the Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, expresses his satisfaction with the result achieved in Suzuka:
"A very positive day for us; both drivers performed well. Daniel, in particular, made a comeback from the fifteenth position, and it's excellent to see both cars in third and fourth. We were competitive in race conditions. We lost some aerodynamic load due to the incident with Kimi, and Max eventually put pressure on Bottas. We did everything possible; there was only one DRS zone here, and Max was close to Valtteri despite the penalty".
Horner also gives his opinion on the contacts involving Verstappen with the two Ferraris, first with Raikkonen and then with Sebastian Vettel. The incident between Max and Kimi cost the young Dutch driver a five-second penalty:
"Max made a mistake with Kimi, not giving him space, but how could he get out of the way? He was lucky not to suffer too much damage, served the penalty, and stayed ahead after the pit stop".
Regarding the second incident, Horner comments humorously:
"The contact between Verstappen and Vettel, for me, was a racing incident, so the stewards made the right decision. I think it was a late attack. Max doesn't give an inch, and that cost Seb dearly. Unfortunately, that incident marked the end of his championship, and I don't think Max will be very popular in Italy today".
But what does Max Verstappen think about what happened? Regarding the first contact with Kimi Raikkonen, the Dutch driver says:
"Next time, I'll cut the chicane, as Bottas did. I don't understand what more I could have done at that moment; I don't think I deserved the penalty because I did everything possible to avoid Raikkonen".
After a tumultuous start, Verstappen even managed to challenge Valtteri Bottas with an exciting second part of the race:
"I had a damaged car, but the strategy was perfect, and the tires performed very well. The pit stop could have been a bit faster, but I don't think the final result would have changed. I didn't lose second place due to the five-second penalty. We managed to put pressure on a Mercedes; otherwise, Bottas wouldn't have made mistakes. The next races will depend on qualifying".
Max Verstappen, heavily criticized after what happened in Shanghai with Vettel, intensifies his stance by asserting that in Suzuka, the German would have made a similar mistake to his in China. This viewpoint doesn't find agreement with Charlie Whiting, who judges the matter differently.
"He entered the inside of the corner, hitting and spinning Seb's car. I don't think there's any resemblance between the two events. My memory of that incident is that it was a very clear case of wanting to provoke a collision, and I think what Sebastian tried to do here is a genuine overtaking attempt. He got halfway, and Max closed slightly. A bit of a classic, really. On the contrary, Max's in China, I consider more opportunistic".
According to Whiting, the Ferrari driver made a reasonable move, adding that no one was penalized because, in the opinion of the stewards, it was a normal racing incident:
"As you know, stewards usually don't give a penalty if they are not sure that a driver has full responsibility for what happened. In this case, we felt that there was no particular fault".
With only three races left in the World Championship, the outcome of the racing season seems well defined, with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes on the verge of winning both World Championships. An unimaginable situation a few months earlier, as both Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari, despite mistakes, had still opposed the advance of the British driver and the reigning World Champion team. On Sunday, October 21, 2018, in Texas, the challenge for the world title could end well in advance. A victory for Lewis Hamilton would be sufficient to conclude hostilities prematurely.