Exciting to set the alarm for 6am and get up in the dark for this Japanese Grand Prix. Felt like it had been a while since I've done this and I had lots of flashbacks to the 'olden' days in Thornhill Road getting up and going down to the lounge, like looking into the garage to see if the rabbits are really asleep at 3am. I think it's partly that I have actually got up and headed downstairs, where as in recent times I've probably watched on my laptop from my bed. But here I am in the lounge having brought my duvet down.
This was an interesting race before it even started for several reasons. There was no qualifying yesterday at all - it was deemed to wet! How exciting and glad I hadn't got up! It reminded of the time back in uni when quali was delayed till Sunday morning due to monsoon conditions. So quali was 2am UK time and I actually rather confused myself by waking up and hearing grand prix commentary and wondered if I had overslept. I remember hearing Buemi mentioned and working out it was qualifying when I checked the time. Was awake from 5.50 and downstairs at 6.
And then, again before the race actually started, we lost one driver to quite a big crash at seemingly low speed as he was driving to the grid! Poor Di Grassi.
Then Lap 1 - Off the line Petrov seems to do a left turn and straight into the pit wall... made me realise there hasn't been a start crash in years. And then it just kept showing cars parked in the run off areas and the safety car was out.
And then Martin and Jonathan started mentioning that Kubica, in 2nd, was falling a long way back from Vetel behind the safety car and I looked at the driver tracker to confirm it too. And then it cut to him going slowly and pulling off the road. Mysteriously, until a minute later and it showed a replay and this was Martin's observation:
Lap 4 - Missing the right rear wheel - that's where it's gone wrong.
So we're down to 18 runners...
Lap 7 - Safety car has come in and we're racing again! Well, 'again', more like for the first time!
It's good being back at Suzuka. though can't honestly say whether we were here lsat year or not. But I do just love the old circuits that have corner names and its not just 'turn 8' - though actually turn 8 is the epic one in Turkey isn't it? But hearing 130R and dunlop and spoon is good! [whilst Wikipedia-ing to find out if the race was here last year - it was - I discovered that 130R was so called because the corner originally had a radius of 130m but that had to be changed for safety reasons into a double apex in early 2000s.]
So the restart has had the top five in the championship in the top five places:
Lap 23 - pit stops happening. Hamilton first of the top 5. Ed is saying it's looking good for McLarens but I'm not feeling convinced. Button is on a different tyre but I'm failing to see how that helps!
Lap 25 - Alsonso comes out of pits quite a way ahead of Hamilton still. Hamilton is storming and looks like he's going to take Button when Jens pits. Fastest lap for Hamilton:
Lap 32/53 - It's 8 o'clock. Eyes starting to close. Weber and Alonso are putting in fastest laps.
Lap 38 - Jenson putting now from the lead and back out in 5th.
Lap 40 - Hamilton on radio saying he's lost some gears, but still seems to be going alright. But ironic that he got a 5 place grid penalty because he changed the gear box!
Lap 44 - Jenson has just driven past Ham.
Lap 49 - it's all go in the lounge. Picture froze for a bit and I just thought it was our tv being it's usual silly self! and then the picture came back but no sound. again, just thought it was silly tv. But then sound came back but I thought it was odd and then realised it was the five live commentary instead. Just as that happened Rosberg crashed off and there was talk of safety car but didn't come out. Kobayashi is absolutely charging past people. Martin and Jonathan back on lap 50. Almost disappointed and tempted to switch to five live as they were so much more animated!
Lap 53 - and there we go, Red Bull one two. Looking like the champtionship is heading their way. Three races to go!
I know I've noticed this in at least one previous race, but I was struck again by how entertaining the chair set up in the top three press conference. They look so funny leaning back in the chairs with their legs open! And they're wearing little mikes attached to their faces.
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