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Telly Talk Supreme
Japanese Grand Prix: Sebastian Vettel edges out Lewis Hamilton in first practice
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
Second practice is live on 5 live Sports Extra and online from 06:00 BST
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel headed Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes in first practice as their title battle resumed at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The German was 0.211 seconds quicker than Hamilton, who leads Vettel by 34 points with five races remaining.
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was third quickest, 0.375secs off the pace.
The session was stopped for 16 minutes after a big crash for Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz, who lost control and smashed into the wall. He was unhurt.
The accident, coming out of the Hairpin, added to an already a bad day for the Spaniard, who will have a 20-place grid penalty for using more than the permitted number of engine parts.
Sainz appeared to get a rear wheel beyond the kerb where there was a wet patch, losing the car under power.
It was a busy session as teams strove to get through as much work as possible under the threat of wet weather.
In the end, the rain was restricted to a light drizzle in the latter part of the session, and it was not enough to disrupt running until it began to come down more heavily in the final five minutes.
Sainz was once taken to hospital after a heavy practice crash at the Russian Grand Prix
But it meant an action-filled session at one of the world's great race tracks, and some near misses for other drivers in addition to Sainz's accident.
Max Verstappen, sixth quickest and nearly a second slower than Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo after his quick lap was interrupted by the red flag for Sainz's accident, had a particularly edgy time.
The Dutchman ran wide through the gravel at the Spoon double left-hander midway through the session and then bounced over the kerb on the exit of the tricky Degner Two corner.
Verstappen was behind the second Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen and Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
Esteban Ocon's Force India was seventh, ahead of Renault's Nico Hulkenberg, Romain Grosjean's Haas and Stoffel Vandoorne's McLaren.
A Stormtrooper bizarrely escapes the Star Wars costumes department to attend Japanese Grand Prix practice - as you do
The Belgian, fresh from an impressive Malaysian Grand Prix, was again quicker than team-mate Fernando Alonso, who was 12th fastest, 0.033secs behind Vandoorne.
At the front, Vettel's pace was a worrying sign for Hamilton and Mercedes, who in theory were expected to be the quickest combination in Japan.
The track's long corners and sensitivity to engine power should mean it suits the Mercedes, whereas other tracks in the closing stages of the season are expected to favour Ferrari.
So if Vettel can be competitive or even beat Hamilton at Suzuka, it underlines why Hamilton was concerned about Mercedes' form even as he extended his lead with second place behind Verstappen in Malaysia last weekend.
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
- 3 hours ago
- From the section Formula 1
Second practice is live on 5 live Sports Extra and online from 06:00 BST
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel headed Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes in first practice as their title battle resumed at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The German was 0.211 seconds quicker than Hamilton, who leads Vettel by 34 points with five races remaining.
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was third quickest, 0.375secs off the pace.
The session was stopped for 16 minutes after a big crash for Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz, who lost control and smashed into the wall. He was unhurt.
The accident, coming out of the Hairpin, added to an already a bad day for the Spaniard, who will have a 20-place grid penalty for using more than the permitted number of engine parts.
Sainz appeared to get a rear wheel beyond the kerb where there was a wet patch, losing the car under power.
It was a busy session as teams strove to get through as much work as possible under the threat of wet weather.
In the end, the rain was restricted to a light drizzle in the latter part of the session, and it was not enough to disrupt running until it began to come down more heavily in the final five minutes.
Sainz was once taken to hospital after a heavy practice crash at the Russian Grand Prix
But it meant an action-filled session at one of the world's great race tracks, and some near misses for other drivers in addition to Sainz's accident.
Max Verstappen, sixth quickest and nearly a second slower than Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo after his quick lap was interrupted by the red flag for Sainz's accident, had a particularly edgy time.
The Dutchman ran wide through the gravel at the Spoon double left-hander midway through the session and then bounced over the kerb on the exit of the tricky Degner Two corner.
Verstappen was behind the second Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen and Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
Esteban Ocon's Force India was seventh, ahead of Renault's Nico Hulkenberg, Romain Grosjean's Haas and Stoffel Vandoorne's McLaren.
A Stormtrooper bizarrely escapes the Star Wars costumes department to attend Japanese Grand Prix practice - as you do
The Belgian, fresh from an impressive Malaysian Grand Prix, was again quicker than team-mate Fernando Alonso, who was 12th fastest, 0.033secs behind Vandoorne.
At the front, Vettel's pace was a worrying sign for Hamilton and Mercedes, who in theory were expected to be the quickest combination in Japan.
The track's long corners and sensitivity to engine power should mean it suits the Mercedes, whereas other tracks in the closing stages of the season are expected to favour Ferrari.
So if Vettel can be competitive or even beat Hamilton at Suzuka, it underlines why Hamilton was concerned about Mercedes' form even as he extended his lead with second place behind Verstappen in Malaysia last weekend.
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Japanese Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes feels 'strong' at Suzuka
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
Lewis Hamilton was 0.799 seconds quicker than Force India's Esteban Ocon
Britain's Lewis Hamilton said after Friday practice at the Japanese Grand Prix that Mercedes were "definitely strong" and could compete with Ferrari.
Hamilton, who leads Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel by 34 points in the title race, said the car felt "massively different" from the last race in Malaysia.
"It's definitely in a better direction, in the wet and in the dry," he said.
Hamilton topped the wet afternoon session and was second, two tenths down on Vettel, in a dry first practice.
The second practice session was delayed by 45 minutes
Hamilton was one of only five drivers to set a lap time in a second session shortened by half because of heavy rain in the first 45 minutes.
He said: "It was important for me [to go out in the wet] because the car felt different in first practice compared to last week - massively, massively different - and in the rain [in practice] in the last race we were, like, 2.5 seconds off and the car was terrible so it was important for me to just go out and double check if that's still the case here.
"It feels so different to the last race."
Mercedes had only the third-fastest car behind Ferrari and Red Bull in race trim at Sepang but Hamilton benefited from problems for Vettel, who could finish only fourth after an engine failure in qualifying left him at the back of the grid.
There are fans that pay and sit out in the rain all damn day and because they restrict us with these stupid tyres, we can't go out
Lewis Hamilton
Vettel did not set a time in second practice on Friday, although he did briefly venture out on track.
"The car was behaving well right from the start so it looks like everything went as planned," the German said.
"The results were not the best the last couple of races but we were strong so we have all reason to be confident and I am pretty sure on Sunday we will be able to show what we can do."
Vettel said he "didn't think it mattered" what the weather did at the weekend in terms of Ferrari's competitiveness.
Of the drivers who did run in the wet once the rain abated, Hamilton was 0.799secs quicker than Force India's Esteban Ocon.
The Frenchman's team-mate Sergio Perez was third fastest ahead of the Williams drivers Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll.
Teams were reluctant to run because each driver is limited to four sets of wet-weather tyres for the weekend, although qualifying and race are expected to be dry.
Even when the green light was shown only 14 of the 20 drivers ventured out at all, and the majority returned to the pits after one lap.
Stroll was the only driver to fall prey to the conditions, sliding off the track after hitting a patch of water at Turn One and narrowly avoiding a crash.
Hamilton criticised the rule that limits each driver to just three sets of the 'extreme' wet weather tyre for an entire race weekend.
"It is a silly rule because there are fans that pay and sit out in the rain all damn day and because they restrict us with these stupid tyres, we can't go out," he said. "'We can't go out because we might need this for the race.
"They should just make it a lot more relaxed and free so we can go out and give some entertainment because that is the most important thing.
"The guys were sitting out for the whole session in the rain and they saw, what, three cars maybe? I think that's unfair.
"Because of that rule we robbed them of that. Of course the teams don't want us to go out because it's risky but if we had more tyres we could run more."
Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who was fifth fastest in first practice, is to be hit with a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox before the regulation limit of six consecutive events.
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
Lewis Hamilton was 0.799 seconds quicker than Force India's Esteban Ocon
Britain's Lewis Hamilton said after Friday practice at the Japanese Grand Prix that Mercedes were "definitely strong" and could compete with Ferrari.
Hamilton, who leads Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel by 34 points in the title race, said the car felt "massively different" from the last race in Malaysia.
"It's definitely in a better direction, in the wet and in the dry," he said.
Hamilton topped the wet afternoon session and was second, two tenths down on Vettel, in a dry first practice.
The second practice session was delayed by 45 minutes
Hamilton was one of only five drivers to set a lap time in a second session shortened by half because of heavy rain in the first 45 minutes.
He said: "It was important for me [to go out in the wet] because the car felt different in first practice compared to last week - massively, massively different - and in the rain [in practice] in the last race we were, like, 2.5 seconds off and the car was terrible so it was important for me to just go out and double check if that's still the case here.
"It feels so different to the last race."
Mercedes had only the third-fastest car behind Ferrari and Red Bull in race trim at Sepang but Hamilton benefited from problems for Vettel, who could finish only fourth after an engine failure in qualifying left him at the back of the grid.
There are fans that pay and sit out in the rain all damn day and because they restrict us with these stupid tyres, we can't go out
Lewis Hamilton
Vettel did not set a time in second practice on Friday, although he did briefly venture out on track.
"The car was behaving well right from the start so it looks like everything went as planned," the German said.
"The results were not the best the last couple of races but we were strong so we have all reason to be confident and I am pretty sure on Sunday we will be able to show what we can do."
Vettel said he "didn't think it mattered" what the weather did at the weekend in terms of Ferrari's competitiveness.
Of the drivers who did run in the wet once the rain abated, Hamilton was 0.799secs quicker than Force India's Esteban Ocon.
The Frenchman's team-mate Sergio Perez was third fastest ahead of the Williams drivers Felipe Massa and Lance Stroll.
Teams were reluctant to run because each driver is limited to four sets of wet-weather tyres for the weekend, although qualifying and race are expected to be dry.
Even when the green light was shown only 14 of the 20 drivers ventured out at all, and the majority returned to the pits after one lap.
Stroll was the only driver to fall prey to the conditions, sliding off the track after hitting a patch of water at Turn One and narrowly avoiding a crash.
Hamilton criticised the rule that limits each driver to just three sets of the 'extreme' wet weather tyre for an entire race weekend.
"It is a silly rule because there are fans that pay and sit out in the rain all damn day and because they restrict us with these stupid tyres, we can't go out," he said. "'We can't go out because we might need this for the race.
"They should just make it a lot more relaxed and free so we can go out and give some entertainment because that is the most important thing.
"The guys were sitting out for the whole session in the rain and they saw, what, three cars maybe? I think that's unfair.
"Because of that rule we robbed them of that. Of course the teams don't want us to go out because it's risky but if we had more tyres we could run more."
Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who was fifth fastest in first practice, is to be hit with a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox before the regulation limit of six consecutive events.
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Lewis Hamilton takes Japanese GP, with Sebastian Vettel starting second
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
Lewis Hamilton secured the 71st pole of his career, but his first at Suzuka
Lewis Hamilton beat his title rival Sebastian Vettel in qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix to take his 10th pole in 16 races this season.
Hamilton was 0.332 seconds quicker than team-mate Valtteri Bottas despite a slightly scrappy final run.
Vettel was 0.472secs off the pace but will start alongside Hamilton on the front row because of a five-place grid penalty for Bottas because of a gearbox change.
Hamilton and Vettel will be battling on their own as both their team-mates will drop down the grid with penalties.
Vettel still has a chance
The second Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen could manage only sixth quickest after crashing in final practice, an incident which damaged his gearbox and meant he also has a five-place grid penalty.
The Briton is 34 points ahead of Vettel with five races to go and 125 still available so the German could really do with beating Hamilton in the race to revive his faltering title hopes.
Hamilton said: "We have worked hard for the car to hopefully work well in the race. The Esses really kill the tyres. I am hoping we are in a good position for that. Naturally the Ferraris will be rapid as they always are but I plan to keep them behind."
Bottas crashed heavily in final practice on a track which famously punishes the greatest drivers
Hamilton was 0.641 seconds clear of Bottas on his first run but the Finn closed the gap on the final laps, when the three-time champion lost time locking up at the Hairpin and improved by only 0.026secs.
His fastest lap was a new track record, beating the previous one set by Michael Schumacher in a Ferrari in 2006 by 1.635secs.
It was also, remarkably, his first pole position at the fabled Suzuka circuit.
"Super-excited," he said. "It's been 10 years trying to get that pole. Finally got it. I knew it would eventually come."
Vettel failed to improve at all on his second lap, running wide at the Esses trying to make up time on the dominant Mercedes.
Bottas recovered well after a crash in final practice, when he ran wide at the exit of Spoon Curve and clouted the wall, an encouraging improvement in form after a difficult run of races since F1 returned from its summer break at the end of August.
Ricciardo beats Verstappen
Daniel Ricciardo is 84 points ahead of his team mate Max Verstappen
Daniel Ricciardo beat Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen for the first time in seven races to take fifth ahead of the Force Indias of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez, the Williams of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso's McLaren.
Alonso displaced team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne in the top 10 shoot-out with his final lap in second qualifying but the Spaniard will start from the back as a result of a 35-place grid penalty for using more than the permitted number of engine parts.
He is one of several drivers with grid penalties, with Renault driver Jolyon Palmer and Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz both hit with 20-place drops for engine usage.
Palmer qualified 14th, two places and 0.143secs off team-mate Nico Hulkenberg, one of the Englishman's best performances of the season. Sainz was 15th.
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
- 49 minutes ago
- From the section Formula 1
Lewis Hamilton secured the 71st pole of his career, but his first at Suzuka
Lewis Hamilton beat his title rival Sebastian Vettel in qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix to take his 10th pole in 16 races this season.
Hamilton was 0.332 seconds quicker than team-mate Valtteri Bottas despite a slightly scrappy final run.
Vettel was 0.472secs off the pace but will start alongside Hamilton on the front row because of a five-place grid penalty for Bottas because of a gearbox change.
Hamilton and Vettel will be battling on their own as both their team-mates will drop down the grid with penalties.
Vettel still has a chance
The second Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen could manage only sixth quickest after crashing in final practice, an incident which damaged his gearbox and meant he also has a five-place grid penalty.
The Briton is 34 points ahead of Vettel with five races to go and 125 still available so the German could really do with beating Hamilton in the race to revive his faltering title hopes.
Hamilton said: "We have worked hard for the car to hopefully work well in the race. The Esses really kill the tyres. I am hoping we are in a good position for that. Naturally the Ferraris will be rapid as they always are but I plan to keep them behind."
Bottas crashed heavily in final practice on a track which famously punishes the greatest drivers
Hamilton was 0.641 seconds clear of Bottas on his first run but the Finn closed the gap on the final laps, when the three-time champion lost time locking up at the Hairpin and improved by only 0.026secs.
His fastest lap was a new track record, beating the previous one set by Michael Schumacher in a Ferrari in 2006 by 1.635secs.
It was also, remarkably, his first pole position at the fabled Suzuka circuit.
"Super-excited," he said. "It's been 10 years trying to get that pole. Finally got it. I knew it would eventually come."
Vettel failed to improve at all on his second lap, running wide at the Esses trying to make up time on the dominant Mercedes.
Bottas recovered well after a crash in final practice, when he ran wide at the exit of Spoon Curve and clouted the wall, an encouraging improvement in form after a difficult run of races since F1 returned from its summer break at the end of August.
Ricciardo beats Verstappen
Daniel Ricciardo is 84 points ahead of his team mate Max Verstappen
Daniel Ricciardo beat Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen for the first time in seven races to take fifth ahead of the Force Indias of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez, the Williams of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso's McLaren.
Alonso displaced team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne in the top 10 shoot-out with his final lap in second qualifying but the Spaniard will start from the back as a result of a 35-place grid penalty for using more than the permitted number of engine parts.
He is one of several drivers with grid penalties, with Renault driver Jolyon Palmer and Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz both hit with 20-place drops for engine usage.
Palmer qualified 14th, two places and 0.143secs off team-mate Nico Hulkenberg, one of the Englishman's best performances of the season. Sainz was 15th.
Swami
Swami
Telly Talk Supreme
Japanese Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton wins as Sebastian Vettel retires
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/41541831
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Lewis Hamilton extended his championship lead to 59 points
Lewis Hamilton took a giant stride towards his fourth world title with victory in the Japanese Grand Prix as rival Sebastian Vettel retired early on.
Ferrari's Vettel retired four laps into the race after dropping down the field from the start with an engine problem and Mercedes driver Hamilton now leads the German by 59 points with 100 available in the remaining four races.
The Briton will clinch the title at the next race - the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas - if he wins and Vettel finishes lower than fourth.
It continues a remarkable swing in the championship towards Hamilton and away from Vettel.
Vettel was leading the championship after the Belgian Grand Prix at the end of August, and just three points behind following Hamilton's victory in Italy a week later, but has haemorrhaged points over Formula 1's three late-season races in Asia.
A start-line crash in Singapore has been followed by engine problems at consecutive races in Malaysia and Japan.
In Malaysia, 30-year-old Vettel started at the back after a manifold failure in qualifying and finished fourth as Hamilton took second. This Sunday, Ferrari said it was a spark plug problem.
It became apparent on the grid, where there was fevered activity around Vettel's car. He started the race but immediately started losing places and complained of lacking power.
He was sixth after the first lap and stayed out during a safety-car period following a crash by Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz - but after rapidly losing places again at the re-start after three laps was called into the pits a lap later.
Vettel told Sky: "It's normal you're critical, especially if things go wrong, so it's part of our job.
"I think I need to protect them. We've done an incredible job so far. It is obviously a pity the past two races with the reliability issues - but you know, it's like that sometimes.
"Of course it hurts and we're all disappointed, but now we need to get back, get some rest and then go flat out for the last four races and see what happens."
A gift for Hamilton
Hamilton had gone into the race expecting a closer fight but Vettel's retirement left his closest rival as Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who started fourth but passed team-mate Daniel Ricciardo into the first corner and Vettel into the Hairpin halfway around the first lap.
The Dutchman kept the pressure on Hamilton throughout the one-stop race and the gap was rarely more than three seconds.
In the closing laps, Hamilton began to complain of vibration from his tyres and Verstappen closed from three seconds behind to just over a second with two laps to go but the Briton was able to hold him off as they negotiated backmarkers.
Another podium for Ricciardo
Ricciardo took a comfortable third - not on Verstappen's pace but fighting his way past Force India's Esteban Ocon after losing out to the Frenchman on the first lap - while Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas took fourth, moving up sixth on the grid after a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox.
Ferrari's scant consolation was fifth place for Kimi Raikkonen, who started 11th after a gearbox penalty, as Ocon and team-mate Sergio Perez took sixth and seventh ahead of Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean.
Williams driver Felipe Massa held off a stern challenge from McLaren's Fernando Alonso for the final point, the Spaniard recovering well from the back of the grid following an engine penalty.
Jolyon Palmer finished 12th in his final race for the Renault team - he will be replaced by Sainz from the next race and the Briton may well have driven his final grand prix.
Driver of the day
Verstappen takes it for a brilliant start and first lap and keeping the pressure on Hamilton throughout - a shame that the Massa-Alonso battle prevented what could have been a tasty scrap for the win in the last two laps. An honourable mention for Alonso for a determined drive to 11th from the back of the grid in a car lacking power.
What's next
The US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas is expected to be a Mercedes track - but a week later comes Mexico, where the world champions fear Ferrari will beat them.
Can Ferrari salvage some self-respect after their season imploded in Asia and delay Hamilton's now apparently inevitable coronation - at least until the penultimate race in Brazil?
Swami
By Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer
- 24 minutes ago
- From the section Formula 1
- 18
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/41541831
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Lewis Hamilton extended his championship lead to 59 points
Lewis Hamilton took a giant stride towards his fourth world title with victory in the Japanese Grand Prix as rival Sebastian Vettel retired early on.
Ferrari's Vettel retired four laps into the race after dropping down the field from the start with an engine problem and Mercedes driver Hamilton now leads the German by 59 points with 100 available in the remaining four races.
The Briton will clinch the title at the next race - the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas - if he wins and Vettel finishes lower than fourth.
It continues a remarkable swing in the championship towards Hamilton and away from Vettel.
- All the reaction from Suzuka
- Listen to the review of the race on BBC Radio 5 live Monday at 04:30 BST.
Vettel was leading the championship after the Belgian Grand Prix at the end of August, and just three points behind following Hamilton's victory in Italy a week later, but has haemorrhaged points over Formula 1's three late-season races in Asia.
A start-line crash in Singapore has been followed by engine problems at consecutive races in Malaysia and Japan.
In Malaysia, 30-year-old Vettel started at the back after a manifold failure in qualifying and finished fourth as Hamilton took second. This Sunday, Ferrari said it was a spark plug problem.
It became apparent on the grid, where there was fevered activity around Vettel's car. He started the race but immediately started losing places and complained of lacking power.
He was sixth after the first lap and stayed out during a safety-car period following a crash by Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz - but after rapidly losing places again at the re-start after three laps was called into the pits a lap later.
Vettel told Sky: "It's normal you're critical, especially if things go wrong, so it's part of our job.
"I think I need to protect them. We've done an incredible job so far. It is obviously a pity the past two races with the reliability issues - but you know, it's like that sometimes.
"Of course it hurts and we're all disappointed, but now we need to get back, get some rest and then go flat out for the last four races and see what happens."
A gift for Hamilton
Hamilton had gone into the race expecting a closer fight but Vettel's retirement left his closest rival as Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who started fourth but passed team-mate Daniel Ricciardo into the first corner and Vettel into the Hairpin halfway around the first lap.
The Dutchman kept the pressure on Hamilton throughout the one-stop race and the gap was rarely more than three seconds.
In the closing laps, Hamilton began to complain of vibration from his tyres and Verstappen closed from three seconds behind to just over a second with two laps to go but the Briton was able to hold him off as they negotiated backmarkers.
Another podium for Ricciardo
Ricciardo took a comfortable third - not on Verstappen's pace but fighting his way past Force India's Esteban Ocon after losing out to the Frenchman on the first lap - while Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas took fourth, moving up sixth on the grid after a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox.
Ferrari's scant consolation was fifth place for Kimi Raikkonen, who started 11th after a gearbox penalty, as Ocon and team-mate Sergio Perez took sixth and seventh ahead of Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean.
Williams driver Felipe Massa held off a stern challenge from McLaren's Fernando Alonso for the final point, the Spaniard recovering well from the back of the grid following an engine penalty.
Jolyon Palmer finished 12th in his final race for the Renault team - he will be replaced by Sainz from the next race and the Briton may well have driven his final grand prix.
Driver of the day
Verstappen takes it for a brilliant start and first lap and keeping the pressure on Hamilton throughout - a shame that the Massa-Alonso battle prevented what could have been a tasty scrap for the win in the last two laps. An honourable mention for Alonso for a determined drive to 11th from the back of the grid in a car lacking power.
What's next
The US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas is expected to be a Mercedes track - but a week later comes Mexico, where the world champions fear Ferrari will beat them.
Can Ferrari salvage some self-respect after their season imploded in Asia and delay Hamilton's now apparently inevitable coronation - at least until the penultimate race in Brazil?
Swami