Thank you and Goodbye!!
And with that, my job is done. Thank you for joining us here at VAVEL for another memorable race. We'll be back in two weeks time for the Mexican Grand Prix. Now I'm off to have a proper breakfast and catch up on some sleep. Goodbye!!
Constructors' table
Mercedes have the title wrapped up but there's still plenty up for grabs:
1 - Mercedes - 612pts
2 - Ferrari - 435pts
3 - Red Bull - 323pts
4 - McLaren - 111pts
5 - Renault - 76pts
6 - Toro Rosso - 59pts
7 - Racing Point - 53pts
8 - Alfa Romeo - 35pts
9 - Haas - 28pts
10 - Williams - 1pt
Lauda tribute
Mercedes Team Principle Toto Wolff dedicates their record title win to former team member and three-time world champion Niki Lauda who passed away earlier in the year
Driver Standings Part 2
And the bottom 10:
11 - Norris - 35pts
12 - Kvyat - 33pts
13 - Perez - 33pts
14 - Raikkonen - 31pts
15 - Stroll - 20pts
16 - Magnussen - 20pts
17 - Grosjean - 8pts
18 - Giovinazzi - 4pts
19 - Kubica - 1pt
20 - Russell - 0pts
Driver Standings
Just four races to go now. Here's the top 1o in the drivers' table:
1 - Hamilton - 338pts
2 - Bottas - 274pts
3 - Leclerc - 223pts
4 - Verstappen - 212pts
5 - Vettel - 212pts
6 - Sainz Jnr - 76pts
7 - Gasly - 73pts
8 - Albon - 64pts
9 - Ricciardo - 40pts
10 - Hulkenberg - 36pts
Hamilton v Bottas
The result today means only Bottas can catch Hamilton in the Driver's standings. Although it is very much Hamilton's to lose
Bottas Driver of the Day
Not only does he claim the winners trophy but Valtteri Bottas also wins the Driver of the Day poll. Be sure to check out our very own Driver Ratings for the race tomorrow
Race Result Part 2
And the rest of the results:
11 - Kvyat (Toro Rosso)
12 - Norris (McLaren)
13 - Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo)
14 - Grosjean (Haas)
15 - Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo)
16 - Magnussen (Haas)
RET - Perez
18 - Russell (Williams)
19 - Kubica (Williams)
RET - Verstappen (Red Bull)
Race Result
Phew. So here is the top 10:
1 - Bottas (Mercedes)
2 - Vettel (Ferrari)
3 - Hamilton (Mercedes)
4 - Albon (Red Bull)
5 - Sainz Jnr. (McLaren)
6 - Leclerc (Ferrari)
7 - Ricciardo (Renault)
8 - Gasly (Toro Rosso)
9 - Hulkenberg (Renault)
10 - Stroll (Racing Point)
MERCEDES CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONS
SIX IN A ROW. A fantastic feat for the team. Although Hamilton doesn't appear happy on the radio
Perez crash
Just seen the replay of the Perez crash. He tangled with a Toro Rosso while going round the outside of Turn 1.
CHEQUERED FLAG
Bottas wins the Japanese Grand Prix. Vettel comes home second ahead of Hamilton in third
CHEQUERED FLAG
VALTTERI BOTTAS WINS
LAST LAP
Yellow flag in sector 1. Perez has gone into the wall as Hamilton chases Vettel still
LAST LAP
PEREZ CRASHES
Lap 52/53
If Hamilton doesn't overtake Vettel he'll be very annoyed. They've won the title but Mercedes will want a one-two finish to cap it off
Lap 51/53
CLOSE but not cigar for Hamilton. He tries to overtake Vettel into Turn 1, but the lapped Gasly gets in the way
Lap 50/53
Leclerc unlaps himself as Hamilton looks into overtaking Vettel again...
Lap 49/53
There are some wo have been up since 2am watching qualifying. Its been worth it though just to see how this duel plays out
Lap 48/53
Hamilton right on Vettel's tail. He has a look into Turn 1 but isn't close enough
Lap 47/53
If things stay the way they are Mercedes will win the constructors title. It'll be a record sixth consecutive title. Some achievement for the Silver Arrows
Lap 46/53
Ricciardo is allowed to overtake teammate Hulkenberg to get after Stroll and swiftly takes the Canadian for eighth
Lap 45/53
Hamilton sets the fastest lap and is less than three seconds off Vettel now.
Lap 44/53
Great battle for seventh here with Gasly, Stroll, Hulkenberg and Ricciardo separated by nothing
Lap 42/53
HAMILTON PITS. It's happening. Lewis is out on fresh Softs and just five seconds behind Vettel.
Lap 40/53
If Lewis pits now he'll come out third but right behind Vettel stay out now and the Ferrari will have to make up 17 seconds to catch him. Decisions, decisions.
Lap 39/53
15 laps to go now. Verstappen is talking on the TV now about the collision with Leclerc that has caused him to retire:
"That was not hard-racing"
Lap 38/53
Hamilton may as well stick it out now for a one-stop now and try and fend off Bottas and Vettel
Lap 37/53
Bottas stops again. He's had a superb race and comes out in second. He's eight seconds behind Hamilton and eight seconds ahead of Vettel now.
Lap 36/53
Where I am the sun is finally going up. There must be a joke about 'The Land of the Rising Sun' I can make here?
Lap 35/53
Leclerc past Gasly and up to sixth now. Meanwhile Albon pits again but stays ahead of Sainz. Good stuff for the sole Red Bull
Lap 34/53
Magnussen on the radio to say his seat is loose. Someone is in for a bumpy ride
Lap 33/53
Leclerc continues his adventure through the midfield, moving past Stroll for seventh
Lap 32/53
Hamilton stays out for now
Lap 31/53
Vettel stops again for the Mediums. 19 seconds off Hamilton, will Mercedes call him in to cover the Ferrari?
Lap 30/53
And just as I post that, Ricciardo pits and comes out 11th ruining my race order. Thanks for nothing Renault
Lap 29/53
Ok here's the current order:
BOT VET HAM ALB RIC SAI GAS STR HUL PER LEC GRO GIO RAI MAG NOR KVY RUS KUB
Lap 28/53
Ricciardo is up to fifth but crucially he hasn't stopped yet. After going out in Q1 this is looking promising for the Aussie
Lap 27/53
Great duel for ninth. Hulkenberg battles Kvyat before taking him on the main straight with Perez also sneaking by to get into the points
Lap 26/53
Halfway through now. Leclerc stops for another set of Softs.
Lap 25/53
Lando Norris isn't having a good time. he's just dropped from ninth to 11th and is just going backwards now. Probably a result of the damage he received when Albon hit him
Lap 24/53
Hamilton has a big moan on the radio. He can't understand why he's so far behind
Lap 23/53
We're playing the waiting game now. Looks like everyone's just managing their tyres waiting for a big push at the end
Lap 22/53
He re-joins in third, some 10 seconds behind Vettel and 20 seconds behind Bottas
Lap 21/53
Hamilton pits for Mediums!
Lap 20/53
Hamilton is staying out as long as possible, pushing his tyres to the end. He's playing the long game here hoping to have enough pace at the end of the race to hold off Vettel and challenge Bottas for the lead
Lap 19/53
The floodgates have opened and everyone is coming into to pit now. The Leclerc/Verstappen incident will be investigated after the race now
Lap 18/53
Bottas pits for Mediums so he's going to end, as Vettel passes Sainz for third
Lap 17/53
Vettel pits for another set of Soft tyres. Guaranteed two stop for the Ferrari. Masterstroke or mistake?
Lap 17/53
Albon is the first the blink for new tyres as Vettel also pits with Hamilton close on his tail
Lap 17/53
VERSTAPPEN OUT. The Dutchman has had enough and returns his Red Bull to the garage after his collision with Leclerc. He's furious
Lap 16/53
The Pit window is open now. Who will come out on top?
Lap 15/53
No penalty for Vettel. He may have moved early but not beyond his grid box. Teammate Leclerc just pulled another stunning overtake on Raikkonen at the 130R. Told you it would be interesting.
Lap 14/53
Big train of cars for Leclerc to overtake up ahead. This will get interesting...
Lap 13/53
Bottas locks up into the Hairpin as Hamilton gains on Vettel for second
Lap 12/53
Leclerc's in a hurry, pulling off a great overtake into Spoon corner on Daniil Kvyat
Lap 11/53
I'm aware that this page isn't updating automatically for some people. So just keep refreshing for the time being to get your VAVEL updates
Lap 10/53
Shout out to Carlos Sainz, whose up to 4th after a great start. Is a podium on the cards?
Lap 9/53
Leclerc passes Verstappen at the first corner. Unfortunately, it only moves him up to 16th
Lap 8/53
Something you don't see too often. Leclerc's left wing mirror comes off as a result of his earlier damage
Lap 7/53
And replays confirm Vettel did move to early at the start. Expect a penalty for the German very soon. And the FIA are reinvestigating the Leclerc/Verstappen incident. Things going from bad to worse for Ferrari
Lap 6/53
Albon and Norris touch at the chicane, Senna/Prost style and the McLaren runs wide and has now fallen to the back of the grid. Disaster for the young Brit
Lap 5/53
Lets not sleep on that Bottas start. It was quite something and now he's pulling away at the front
Lap 4/53
Leclerc/Verstappen collision declared a racing incident as the Ferrari finally pits for a new front wing
Lap 3/53
Ok the order right now:
BOT VET LEC HAM SAI NOR ALB GAS STR HUL PER GIO MAG GRO RAI RIC KVY VER RUS KUB
Lap 2/53
Leclerc doesn't stop to replace his front wing. Very dangerous given its sparking all over the place. And apparently Vettel jumped the start.
Lap 1/53
Leclerc and Verstappen tangle at the first corner and the Ferrari has wing damage to boot
AND ITS LIGHTS OUT
We're racing! Bottas has an amazing start and takes the lead but Verstappen spins off!
Formation Lap
All but five drivers start on the Soft tyres. Expect a one-stop strategy today
Mercedes going for the record
Quick reminder, Mercedes can win a 6th constructor title in a row today. But they'll need to finish ahead of Ferrari to do it.
5 MINUTES
For the first time in a few weeks the biggest sporting event happening in Japan isn't the Rugby World Cup. The crowds are always great at Suzuka to be fair
10 MINUTE WARNING
Last chance to grab a coffee or a piece of toast everyone. Don't you just love early morning F1?
20 MINUTES TO GO
Remember Ferrari have locked out the front row. After all the commotion in Russia about team orders it will be interesting to see how the Scuderia manages their drivers this time round.
Senna v Prost
Its been 20 years since THAT infamous moment when Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost came together at the Japanese Grand Prix to decide the title. The stakes maybe lower today but could we see more teammates colliding today?
Weather report
If there was a typhoon at the circuit yesterday you wouldn't know it. Nothing but bright sunshine and clear skies.
The Constructors’ standings
And now for the teams where Mercedes can wrap a sixth straight world title:
Mercedes – 571pts
Ferrari – 409pts
Red Bull – 311pts
McLaren – 101pts
Renault – 68pts
The Drivers’ standings
Before we get racing lets have a look at how the championship is looking.
Hamilton (Mercedes) – 322pts
Bottas (Mercedes) – 249pts
Leclerc (Ferrari) – 215pts
Verstappen (Red Bull) – 212pts
Vettel (Ferrari) – 194pts
The Grid
So here’s how the grid will line up today:
VET LEC BOT HAM VER ALB SAI NOR GAS GRO GIO STR RAI KVY HUL RIC PER RUS MAG KUB
Grid Penalties
A quick note on the drivers taking grid penalties. Kevin Magnussen starts 19th after changing his gearbox, while Robert Kubica starts from the pitlane for the same reason.
Qualifying Report
Rather surprisingly Sebastian Vettel claimed pole position with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc in second. Bottas continued his good form and outqualified Hamilton with the Red Bulls in fifth and sixth.
The story so far this weekend
Mercedes finished 1-2 in Friday Practice, with Valtteri Bottas ahead of Lewis Hamilton in both sessions.
The arrival of Typhoon Hagibis resulted in all Saturday events being called off, with qualifying being postponed to Sunday morning.
Morning!
Grab your coffee and get comfy on your sofa because it’s time for the 2019 Japanese Grand Prix! So just relax and join us here on VAVEL as we provide you with live updates from the race in Suzuka.
Qualifying postponed as typhoon set to hit Suzuka
The FIA have announced their decision to cancel both FP3 and qualifying. The latter will commence at 2am UK time on Sunday where we can expect a packed day of Formula 1.
The race is still scheduled to go ahead at 6:10am UK time on Sunday, where you can join us for lap by lap, live race updates here at VAVEL.
Suzuka Breakdown
Circuit length: 5.807km
Laps: 53
First Grand Prix: 1987
Race lap record: 1:31:540, Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren (2005)
Number of corners: 18
2018 winner: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Weekend Scheldule
Unless the aforementioned Typhoon Hagibis has anything to say about it, Qualifying will be underway Saturday 07:00 BST before lights out on Sunday at 06:10 BST and you can follow the action right here through our live updates!
Welcome!
Much like a great typhoon, Formula 1 has rolled up in Japan this weekend at Suzuka, so be sure to set your alarms for some early morning racing!