Japanese GP: Stats and History

Eurosport - Wed, 08 Oct 10:57:00 2008

Some key statistics ahead of Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix plus a look back at previous races at Fuji and former venue Suzuka.

FORMULA 1 1977 - Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji - 0

WINS

Spaniard Fernando Alonso's victory in Singapore for Renault made him the seventh different winner in 15 races so far this season.

The last time Formula One had so many different race winners was in 2003, when a total of eight drivers topped the podium.

Alonso's win was the 20th of his F1 career, lifting the double world champion level with Finland's Mika Hakkinen in the all-time lists. Only 10 drivers have won more races than them.

Ferrari's Brazilian Felipe Massa has won five races this season to Lewis Hamilton's four for McLaren. However even if Massa wins the remaining three races, he will not be champion if Hamilton finishes second in all of them.

Ferrari have won 208 races in total, McLaren 161 and Williams 113. Renault have 34 victories to their credit.

DRIVERS

Ferrari's world champion Kimi Raikkonen has failed to score a point in his last four races.

This is the Finn's worst run of form since 2004 when he scored just one point from the first seven races of the season. Raikkonen last went four races without a point in 2002, when he was with McLaren and only the first six drivers scored.

Despite his points drought, Raikkonen can still set a record for the most fastest laps in a single season.

His fastest lap in Singapore was his 10th of the year, equalling the record held jointly with now-retired Michael Schumacher.

POINTS

BMW Sauber are the only team to have scored in every race this season.

The team have also scored points in every race since the 2007 season opener in Australia - a run of 32 successive races.

Force India's Giancarlo Fisichella and Adrian Sutil are the only drivers yet to score a point in 2008 - not including Takuma Sato and Anthony Davidson of now-defunct Super Aguri.

QUALIFYING

Renault's Alonso is the only driver to have out-qualified his team-mate - Brazilian Nelson Piquet - in every race so far this season.

Australian Mark Webber has out-qualified Red Bull team-mate David Coulthard 14-1.

PODIUM

Singapore was the fifth race this season without a Ferrari driver on the podium and second in a row.

JAPAN

Alonso, Raikkonen, Brazilian Rubens Barrichello and Hamilton are the only active drivers to have won in Japan.

Six of the last 10 races in Japan, including last year's at Fuji, have been won by the driver starting on pole position.

FUJI

The old Mount Fuji circuit hosted Japan's first two grands prix, in 1976 and 1977, and made its return last year. Briton James Hunt finished third in 1976, while Mario Andretti won the race (pictured).

Two spectators were killed at Fuji in 1977 when Gilles Villeneuve's Ferrari crashed off the track after tangling with Ronnie Peterson's six-wheeled Tyrrell.

Formula One stayed away from Japan for 10 years after that accident before returning to Honda-owned Suzuka, which will host next year's race.

Fuji mixes slow corners with a long main straight.

2007 - Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren

Hamilton chalked up his fourth win of the season to go 12 points clear with two races remaining. Team-mate Fernando Alonso, his closest rival, crashed out in the heavy spray. Kovalainen, now with McLaren, made his first podium appearance for Renault in second place.

2006 - Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault

Alonso, who started in fifth place, hailed his surprise win at Suzuka as a gift from God after an engine failure 17 laps from the end left Michael Schumacher's title hopes in tatters. The result left Alonso 10 points clear with one race remaining.

2005 - Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) McLaren

Raikkonen produced one of F1's great drives, starting 17th and overtaking Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella on the last lap for victory. Renault's Alonso twice overtook Ferrari's Schumacher to finish third after starting in 16th.

2004 - Michael Schumacher (Germany) Ferrari

Schumacher romped to victory from pole position after a typhoon blew out Saturday qualifying, forcing it to be held on Sunday. His win was a record-equalling 15th of the season for Ferrari. Brother Ralf was second for Williams.

2003 - Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Ferrari

Schumacher needed just one point to be champion for the sixth time and he got it, finishing eighth after an early collision with BAR's Takuma Sato left him last.

Reuters

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  1. I don't want to be rude mauricechlela but seriously WHAT?!? Schumacher's engine failure was if anything sweet Karma after all the times he'd had other people off to win. Also Ferrari had used their political muscle to have the Renault Mass-Damper banned when it shouldn't have been and that had crippled Alonso's challenge. It was justice that Scumacher retired. And as for Interlagos that year, while it's true that Schumacher drove brilliantly to recover to 4th he was only there because he drove into Fisichella in the early stages and punctured his tyre. Fernando Alonso was a totally deserving Champion in 2006 and Scumacher bowed out honourably, even acknowledging that Alonso was a deserving successor.

    From Sam, on Wed 8 Oct 6:30PM

  2. "2006 Alonso, who started in fifth place, hailed his surprise win at Suzuka as a gift from God after an engine failure 17 laps from the end left Michael Schumacher's title hopes in tatters. The result left Alonso 10 points clear with one race remaining"
    After that i couldn't sleep for 2 days cursing Alonso's luck cause that year the only guys who deserved to win was michael especially when he showed the world one last time what he can do at interlagos

    From mauricechlela, on Wed 8 Oct 1:22PM
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