2007 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX
Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton won the Japanese
Grand Prix at the Fuji Speedway claiming his fourth Formula
1 career victory and the eighth win for the team in 15 races
this year. After 67 laps in torrential rain, 305.721 km and
a total race time of 2:00:34.579 hrs, Lewis won 8.6 seconds
ahead of Heikki Kovalainen and Kimi Räikkönen. Fernando
Alonso retired on lap 42 from fourth place after he had aquaplaned
off the track. Due to the first 19 laps of the race taking
place behind the Mercedes-Benz Safety Car, both Lewis and
Fernando made only one pit stop each. Fernando came in on
lap 27 (11.9 seconds) followed by Lewis one lap later (11.6
seconds). After 15 out of 17 races, Lewis extended his lead
in the Drivers’ Championship and now has 107 points
followed by Fernando in second position with 95 points; Räikkönen
is third on 90 points with 20 points available in the remaining
two races.
LEWIS HAMILTON
“A very eventful race and I am so happy to have won
here at Fuji. There were moments when I thought it would have
been better to stop the race; however, when the rain faded
a little, conditions improved a bit. I didn’t feel too
much pressure and think I would have been able to push a bit
harder if necessary. I was lucky that nothing serious happened
to my car when Robert Kubica hit me. I didn’t see him
come so the impact caught me by surprise, and I spun. Afterwards
I stayed concentrated and focused on keeping the car on the
track. I want to say thank you to everybody in the team who
have done a great job throughout the weekend. This was an
important victory for the championship, but I do not want
to think too much about it and will focus hard on the Chinese
Grand Prix in Shanghai next weekend.”
FERNANDO ALONSO
“A difficult race in difficult conditions. After my
pit stop I came out into traffic and was fighting for positions
in the field. It was very difficult to see anything because
of the spray especially when you were coming down the straight.
As a result I did not see Vettel in my mirrors and was surprised
when he hit me. I think the car was damaged quite a bit by
that, but I was able to continue. However when I was braking
for Turn Five I just aquaplaned and spun. Unfortunately the
walls at that corner are very close to the track, so I hit
the barrier heavily, and that was it. Of course, it is a difficult
situation for me now in the championship; however, I will
keep fighting until the end – as last year’s Championship
battle showed anything can happen.”
RON DENNIS
“The weather conditions here at Fuji created their own
challenges for all the teams throughout the weekend but by
staying focused we made sure that both Lewis and Fernando
had a chance for victory today. However, unfortunately for
Fernando he aquaplaned off the circuit after driving a controlled
race in very tricky conditions – particularly after
his car was damaged due to a collision with Vettel. Lewis’s
performance was masterful, and he was in control throughout.
The team is now going to focus on the last two races where
both Lewis and Fernando have a chance of claiming the title.
We will make sure that they both have the opportunity to do
so and look forward to an exciting end to the Championship.”
NORBERT HAUG
“An extremely difficult race in challenging conditions.
Lewis showed a first class performance and did not put a foot
wrong. He had a handicap and lacked downforce after his car
had been hit by Robert Kubica and had been damaged at the
rear. Fernando was in a difficult situation fighting in the
field after his pit stop, he had aquaplaning, spun and hit
the wall – that is a shame but this can happen in conditions
like these, and it was not Fernando’s fault. The entire
team worked really hard throughout the weekend achieving double
pole, race win and fastest lap. We now look forward to the
remaining races in China and Brazil and stay focused to maintain
our 1-2 lead until after the final of the season.”
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