Japanese Grand Prix (2014): RESULT

With Nico Rosberg on pole and Lewis Hamilton just behind, can Hamilton manage to take another victory in Suzuka to continue his winning run?

Lewis Hamilton was beaten to pole position for the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka yesterday, but with the bit between his teeth after his drivers championship turnaround in the last two races, will Hamilton win in Japan to extend his lead? Yes, is the simple answer.

But in a race that started under the safety car because of heavy rain soaking the Suzuka track in front of Typhoon Phanfone it wasn’t a memorable race, with much of it behind the safety car.

It was also a shortened race after time was called with a red flag with six laps to go after a crash involving Adrian Sutil and Jules Bianchi.

In fact, the first stint under the safety car lasted less than two laps before it was red flagged because of the rain, and when it resumed about twenty minutes later it was without Fernando Alonso’s Ferrari which suffered a complete power failure.

The restart saw the Mercedes duo pull away from the pack, but despite looking quicker there was no way past Rosberg for Hamilton in the wet and the two stayed together until after the first pit stop, after which the conditions relented for a short period, DRS was enabled and Hamilton took the lead at turn one from Rosberg.

There was a a short period where it looked like the Red Bulls might be able to give the Mercedes cars a run for their money, but as conditions deteriorated after the second pit stops the race became a procession, and when Sutil crashed out the safety car looked set to return.

But that took a few laps to get out, and it became clear that Jules Bianchi was somehow involved in the Sutil crash, and it looks as though Bianchi hit the recovery truck for Sutil’s car in the awful conditions and has been driven to hospital unconscious.

The Bianchi accident saw the race red flagged for the final time, and the positions at that point became the result.

That means Hamilton takes the win – and extends his championship lead – Rosberg takes second, the Red Bulls of Vettel and Ricciardo third and fourth and the McLaren of Jenson Button in fifth place.