It was a strange Japanese Grand Prix, so we need a slight change to the usual Good, Bad and Ugly.
The Good
- Kamui Kobayashi continues to almost single-handedly fly the flag for overtaking in Formula 1. He had to make a number of moves twice, because of his slightly questionable pit stop strategy, but for entertainment purposes, that was a good thing. Martin Brundle’s nickname for Kobayashi – ‘Ko-bye-bashi’ – wasn’t a great effort though. Next time he causes a crash, try ‘Cowboy Bashy’.
- There was some criticism on Twitter of the Japanese TV director concentrating too much on the Japanese drivers, but in the case of Kobayashi, it was very welcome. And when Timo Glock was trying – and failing – to pass Sakon Yamamoto at the back of the pack, it was the closest battle on the track. It’s not like we were missing much with Red Bull Racing lapping serenely at the front.
- So it might not have been the most exciting race at the pointy end, but for the championship, Sebastian Vettel taking the win was a fantastic result. Three races to go, and there’s still no picking a winner.
The Bizarre
- It started before the lights even went out with Lucas di Grassi spearing off the track for a nasty crash on the out lap. It’s still not clear what happened.
- The first lap wasn’t as exciting as usual, because the safety car was deployed within seconds. And under that safety car, Robert Kubica’s Renault managed to mysteriously lose a rear wheel.
- Which isn’t unlike what happened to Nico Rosberg towards the end of the race: a wheel just popped off his Mercedes.
- The bizarre goings on weren’t restricted to the track: it was a curious day for the BBC, particularly in the sound department. Race commentary began with Ted Kravitz in the background, and when he was crossed to, it sounded like he’d been possessed by the devil.
- Then late in the race, the BBC feed went down entirely. Pictures came back first, followed eventually by sound – but it was the BBC Radio 5 Live commentary, albeit with a hefty echo on the voices of David Croft and Anthony Davidson. The echo was fixed, and in the fullness of time Jonathan Legard and Martin Brundle cut back in, with no mention of the problems. Very odd.
The Ugly
- Lewis Hamilton’s luck was certainly ugly – he’d have none if it wasn’t for bad luck. He qualified 3rd, which was knocked down to 8th after a gearbox change. Cruel, then, to lose third gear towards the end of the race, handing 4th place to Jenson Button.
- The grey, grey Mercedes GP car. Though it was nice to see David Coulthard ask a member of the team, who were obscuring the back of Michael Schumacher’s car on the grid: “Do you really think anyone wants to copy this?” That’s Mercedes, Coulthard’s DTM employer. Top work, DC.
