The 17th Grand Prix 2004 : Grand Prix of Japan - comment
L.Pecháček | 10.10.04 | Komentáře - L.Pecháček 2004
F1 Comments L.Pechaček
| The race's prologue is sure to be remembered. Never before the Friday's practice witnessed such a downpour and strong wind, never before the Saturday's session has been cancelled because of the approaching typhoon MA-ON, which turned to the north, fortunately, and missed Suzuka. However, the rain did not stop before the Saturday afternoon. All teams incased the pits, to be on the safe side, covered the cars, and wrapped the command posts in the pit lane. The important things happened no sooner than Sunday - the qualification in the morning and the race in the afternoon. The track was being dried by the cars' tires during the qualification. Therefore the differences between the first and the last were unusually big. M.Schumacher and his brother Ralf were the fastest, Ralf taking his first pole-position next to his brother. He was the fastest already in Montreal but his car was disqualified after the race. Behind the Schumacher row, there were Weber and Sato, Button and Trulli (substituted DaMata in Toyota), Fisichella and Coulthard, Villeneuve and Panis, Räikkönen 12th and Barrichello the 15th.Suzuka is a very technical circuit. It is shaped into a flat number eight and there are the only overpass and underpass in the championship, and is very demanding for the cars' setting and tires. The drivers had the first possibility to test the dry surface on Sunday. Both Shumachers started without difficulties. Button and Sato got behind them, Weber lost 3 positions. Barrichello did not manage push forward fast enough, he drove carefully, not taking any risk. In spite of that he had a collision with Coulthard and they both retired. Michael Schumacher was in the lead from the start to the finish, ever-increasing his advantage in each lap. Ralf successfully fought both B.A.R.s for the second place. Following positions went to Alonso(Renault), Räikkönen (McLaren),Montoya (Williams), and Fisichella (Sauber).B.A.R. ensured the 2nd place in the Constructors' Table, gaining 11 points (116 now, followed by Williams with 100). This is the only remaining question for the GP of Brazil, similarly to the Drivers' Table: the 4th Alonso - 54 points, the 5th Montoya - 48, the 6th Trulli 46. Räikkönen and Sato are to race for the 7th position. |
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