2007 Japanese Grand Prix: F1 Race, Qualifying & Winners

Lewis Hamilton won a rain-soaked Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji Speedway as Fernando Alonso crashed out of the championship battle. Heikki Kovalainen took his first podium in second, while Kimi Räikkönen recovered to third after Ferrari’s early tyre mistake.

Result	Driver / Time	Team
Pole position	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Pole time	1:25.368
Fastest lap	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Fastest-lap time	1:28.193 on lap 27
First	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren
Second	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault
Third	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari

Weekend Schedule

Date	Session	Local Time
28 September 2007	Practice 1	10:00
28 September 2007	Practice 2	14:00
29 September 2007	Practice 3	11:00
29 September 2007	Qualifying	14:00
30 September 2007	Race	13:30

All times are local. The race time is the scheduled start; weather delays and interruptions are described below.

Championship background

Lewis Hamilton arrived at round 15 leading the 2007 F1 World Championship on 97 points, with Fernando Alonso on 95. Ferrari headed the constructors’ standings after the preceding race with 161 points.

Race entries

The 11 teams kept the same race line-ups for the Japanese Grand Prix.

Free Practice

Ferrari led Friday morning as Formula 1 returned to Fuji for the first time since 1977. Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa adapted quickest, with Nico Rosberg prominent behind the championship contenders. Adrian Sutil put the updated Spyker ninth, while the unfamiliar venue gave every team valuable work to do on set-up and braking references before the weather changed.

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso put McLaren ahead in the afternoon, reversing the morning’s Ferrari advantage. Jarno Trulli ran strongly at Toyota’s own circuit, while both Renaults also featured near the front. Rubens Barrichello damaged his Honda over the kerbs, and BMW Sauber’s drivers were further down the order than usual as they continued learning the track.

Fog disrupted Saturday practice because the medical helicopter could not operate. After a delayed start, the cars ran for only four minutes before another red flag, and the session was abandoned. Only Alexander Wurz, Nico Rosberg and Jarno Trulli recorded times, leaving the field with almost no wet-weather preparation before qualifying and a severely compromised final practice classification.

Free Practice 1 Classification

2007 Japanese Grand Prix FP1, 28 September 2007

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:19.119	26
2	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.379s	27
3	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+0.548s	27
4	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	+0.688s	24
5	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+0.939s	26
6	10	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.178s	26
7	17	Alexander Wurz	Williams	+1.292s	24
8	12	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+1.364s	32
9	20	Adrian Sutil	Spyker	+1.397s	29
10	23	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	+1.482s	22
11	8	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+1.567s	24
12	4	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault	+1.599s	27
13	9	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.609s	26
14	18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	+1.689s	29
15	11	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+1.709s	28
16	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	+1.732s	23
17	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+2.067s	15
18	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+2.318s	18
19	7	Jenson Button	Honda	+2.422s	22
20	19	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+2.735s	18
21	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+3.317s	18
22	21	Sakon Yamamoto	Spyker	+3.783s	17

Free Practice 2 Classification

2007 Japanese Grand Prix FP2, 28 September 2007

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:18.734	38
2	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	+0.214s	34
3	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	+0.749s	36
4	12	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+0.977s	35
5	6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	+0.980s	29
6	4	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault	+1.055s	40
7	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	+1.192s	39
8	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	+1.215s	33
9	11	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	+1.235s	40
10	10	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	+1.335s	45
11	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	+1.335s	35
12	17	Alexander Wurz	Williams	+1.499s	37
13	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+1.536s	43
14	7	Jenson Button	Honda	+1.602s	44
15	9	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	+1.728s	36
16	20	Adrian Sutil	Spyker	+2.002s	37
17	8	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	+2.155s	33
18	18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	+2.251s	44
19	19	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	+2.263s	38
20	23	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	+2.273s	34
21	21	Sakon Yamamoto	Spyker	+2.571s	38
22	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	+2.618s	34

Free Practice 3 Classification

2007 Japanese Grand Prix FP3, 29 September 2007

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Time / Gap	Laps
1	17	Alexander Wurz	Williams	1:32.746	3
2	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	+2.012s	3
3	12	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	+3.404s	3
4	19	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	No time	1
5	20	Adrian Sutil	Spyker	No time	1
6	21	Sakon Yamamoto	Spyker	No time	1
7	18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	No time	1
8	10	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	No time	1
9	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	No time	1
10	4	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault	No time	1
11	11	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	No time	2
12	9	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	No time	1
13	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	No time	2
14	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	No time	1
15	23	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	No time	2
16	7	Jenson Button	Honda	No time	2
17	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	No time	1
18	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	No time	2
19	8	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	No time	2
20	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	No time	1
21	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	No time	1

Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton edged Fernando Alonso for pole on a wet track, with Kimi Räikkönen and Felipe Massa occupying the second row. Nick Heidfeld qualified fifth, while Nico Rosberg’s sixth-fastest time was undermined by a ten-place engine penalty. Jenson Button produced his best qualifying performance of the season, and Sebastian Vettel reached Q3 for Toro Rosso.

Ralf Schumacher collided with Sakon Yamamoto in Q1 and could not participate in Q2 despite having set a time good enough to advance. Both Renaults missed the final shootout, along with David Coulthard and Vitantonio Liuzzi. The session went ahead after the morning fog disruption, but the conditions ensured a difficult test of visibility and grip.

Qualifying Classification

2007 Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying, 29 September 2007

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Laps
1	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	1:25.489	1:24.753	1:25.368	30
2	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	1:25.379	1:24.806	1:25.438	27
3	6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	1:25.390	1:24.988	1:25.516	29
4	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:25.359	1:25.049	1:25.765	29
5	9	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	1:25.971	1:25.248	1:26.505	30
6	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	1:26.579	1:25.816	1:26.728	33
7	7	Jenson Button	Honda	1:26.614	1:25.454	1:26.913	31
8	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	1:25.970	1:25.535	1:26.914	29
9	19	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	1:26.025	1:25.909	1:26.973	33
10	10	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	1:26.300	1:25.530	1:27.225	33
11	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	1:26.909	1:26.033	—	17
12	4	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault	1:27.223	1:26.232	—	17
13	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	1:26.904	1:26.247	—	21
14	12	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	1:26.711	1:26.253	—	21
15	18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	1:27.234	1:26.948	—	22
16	11	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	1:27.191	No time	—	10
17	8	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	1:27.323	—	—	10
18	17	Alexander Wurz	Williams	1:27.454	—	—	10
19	23	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	1:27.564	—	—	10
20	20	Adrian Sutil	Spyker	1:28.628	—	—	10
21	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	1:28.792	—	—	10
22	21	Sakon Yamamoto	Spyker	1:29.668	—	—	10

Ralf Schumacher had no car during the second session of qualifying as he crashed into the back of Sakon Yamamoto at the end of the first session.

During Friday morning practice, Williams decided to change Nico Rosberg ‘s engine, giving him a 10-place grid penalty for the race.

What happened in the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix?

The race began behind the safety car, which stayed out for 19 laps in torrential rain. Ferrari had started on the less suitable wet tyres and had to change to the required extreme wets, dropping both cars back. When racing began, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso led, while Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber moved into strong positions behind them.

Fernando Alonso crashed out and brought the safety car back into action. During that period Sebastian Vettel hit the rear of Mark Webber, eliminating both from podium contention. Lewis Hamilton survived his own contact with Robert Kubica, for which the BMW Sauber driver received a drive-through penalty, and kept control at the front.

Heikki Kovalainen resisted Kimi Räikkönen to claim second, with David Coulthard fourth and Giancarlo Fisichella fifth. Felipe Massa beat Robert Kubica in a fierce final-lap contest for sixth. Vitantonio Liuzzi’s subsequent penalty for passing under yellow flags promoted Adrian Sutil to eighth, earning Spyker its first point. Lewis Hamilton’s win left him 12 points ahead of Fernando Alonso with two races remaining.

After the race, Lewis Hamilton headed the drivers’ standings with 107 points, followed by Fernando Alonso on 95. Ferrari led the constructors’ table on 170, with BMW Sauber on 92.

2007 Japanese Grand Prix race results

The 2007 Japanese Grand Prix was held on 30 September 2007, with a scheduled start of 13:30 local time.

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Laps	Time / Retired	Pts.
1	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	67	2:00:34.579	10
2	4	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault	67	+8.377	8
3	6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	67	+9.478	6
4	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	67	+20.297	5
5	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	67	+38.864	4
6	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	67	+49.042	3
7	10	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	67	+49.285	2
8	20	Adrian Sutil	Spyker	67	+1:00.129	1
9	18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	67	+1:20.622	0
10	8	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	67	+1:28.342	0
11	7	Jenson Button	Honda	66	Suspension	0
12	21	Sakon Yamamoto	Spyker	66	+1 lap	0
13	12	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	66	+1 lap	0
14	9	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	65	Technical	0
15	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	65	Collision	0
Ret	11	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	55	Puncture	0
Ret	23	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	54	Throttle	0
Ret	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	49	Electronics	0
Ret	19	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	46	Collision damage	0
Ret	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	45	Collision	0
Ret	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	41	Accident	0
Ret	17	Alexander Wurz	Williams	19	Collision	0

Vitantonio Liuzzi started from the pit lane after opting for a dry weather setup.

Vitantonio Liuzzi finished eighth, but was handed a 25 second penalty after overtaking under yellow-flags.

2007 Japanese Grand Prix Fastest Laps

Pos.	No.	Driver	Team	Lap	Time	Avg. Speed
1	2	Lewis Hamilton	McLaren	27	1:28.193	186.259
2	1	Fernando Alonso	McLaren	25	1:28.511	185.590
3	15	Mark Webber	Red Bull Racing	30	1:28.940	184.695
4	10	Robert Kubica	BMW Sauber	32	1:29.021	184.527
5	19	Sebastian Vettel	Toro Rosso	31	1:29.057	184.452
6	9	Nick Heidfeld	BMW Sauber	28	1:29.084	184.396
7	5	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	32	1:29.588	183.359
8	6	Kimi Räikkönen	Ferrari	29	1:29.619	183.295
9	4	Heikki Kovalainen	Renault	34	1:29.655	183.222
10	16	Nico Rosberg	Williams	27	1:29.926	182.670
11	14	David Coulthard	Red Bull Racing	56	1:30.086	182.345
12	3	Giancarlo Fisichella	Renault	33	1:30.387	181.738
13	18	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Toro Rosso	35	1:30.653	181.205
14	11	Ralf Schumacher	Toyota	33	1:30.865	180.782
15	8	Rubens Barrichello	Honda	57	1:31.060	180.395
16	22	Takuma Sato	Super Aguri	54	1:31.507	179.514
17	23	Anthony Davidson	Super Aguri	27	1:31.803	178.935
18	20	Adrian Sutil	Spyker	54	1:31.891	178.763
19	7	Jenson Button	Honda	58	1:31.951	178.647
20	21	Sakon Yamamoto	Spyker	33	1:32.130	178.300
21	12	Jarno Trulli	Toyota	55	1:32.414	177.752
22	17	Alexander Wurz	Williams	19	2:05.636	130.749

Only drivers with a recorded lap time appear. Average speeds are in km/h. No fastest-lap bonus point was awarded.

2007 Post-Race F1 Championship Standings

Championship standings after the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix.

2007 Post-Race F1 Drivers' Championship Standings

POS	Driver	Nationality	Car	PTS
1	Lewis Hamilton	British	McLaren	107
2	Fernando Alonso	Spanish	McLaren	95
3	Kimi Räikkönen	Finnish	Ferrari	90
4	Felipe Massa	Brazilian	Ferrari	80
5	Nick Heidfeld	German	BMW Sauber	56
6	Robert Kubica	Polish	BMW Sauber	35
7	Heikki Kovalainen	Finnish	Renault	30
8	Giancarlo Fisichella	Italian	Renault	21
9	Nico Rosberg	German	Williams	15
10	Alexander Wurz	Austrian	Williams	13
11	David Coulthard	British	Red Bull Racing	13
12	Mark Webber	Australian	Red Bull Racing	10
13	Jarno Trulli	Italian	Toyota	7
14	Ralf Schumacher	German	Toyota	5
15	Takuma Sato	Japanese	Super Aguri	4
16	Jenson Button	British	Honda	2
17	Adrian Sutil	German	Spyker	1
18	Sebastian Vettel	German	BMW Sauber / Toro Rosso	1
19	Rubens Barrichello	Brazilian	Honda	0
20	Vitantonio Liuzzi	Italian	Toro Rosso	0
21	Scott Speed	American	Toro Rosso	0
22	Anthony Davidson	British	Super Aguri	0
23	Sakon Yamamoto	Japanese	Spyker	0
24	Christijan Albers	Dutch	Spyker	0
–	Markus Winkelhock	German	Spyker	0

2007 Post-Race F1 Constructors' Championship Standings

POS	Car	PTS
1	Ferrari	170
2	BMW Sauber	92
3	Renault	51
4	Williams	28
5	Red Bull Racing	23
6	Toyota	12
7	Super Aguri	4
8	Honda	2
9	Spyker	1
10	Toro Rosso	0
E	McLaren	0

2007 Formula 1 Race Calendar

Round	Grand Prix	Circuit	Date
1	2007 Australian Grand Prix	Albert Park Circuit, Melbourne	18 March
2	2007 Malaysian Grand Prix	Sepang International Circuit, Sepang	8 April
3	2007 Bahrain Grand Prix	Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir	15 April
4	2007 Spanish Grand Prix	Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló	13 May
5	2007 Monaco Grand Prix	Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo	27 May
6	2007 Canadian Grand Prix	Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, Montréal	10 June
7	2007 United States Grand Prix	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis	17 June
8	2007 French Grand Prix	Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, Magny-Cours	1 July
9	2007 British Grand Prix	Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone	8 July
10	2007 European Grand Prix	Nürburgring, Nürburg	22 July
11	2007 Hungarian Grand Prix	Hungaroring, Mogyoród	5 August
12	2007 Turkish Grand Prix	Istanbul Park, Istanbul	26 August
13	2007 Italian Grand Prix	Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza	9 September
14	2007 Belgian Grand Prix	Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot	16 September
15	2007 Japanese Grand Prix	Fuji Speedway, Oyama	30 September
16	2007 Chinese Grand Prix	Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai	7 October
17	2007 Brazilian Grand Prix	Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo	21 October