We have another solid motorsport weekend ahead with World Endurance Championship action from Fuji and F1 in Russia.When we last hit the circuit at Suzuka, we had a more familiar outcome to qualifying and the grand prix. However the weekend's weather was less familiar; heavy rain all weekend until qualifying. The GP was lovely and sunny, which lead to much more tire deg than expected. Rosberg took pole despite Hams looking like he could've taken it, however Kvyat put his rear on the grass and destroyed his car in Q3, negating all hot laps before the checker. The race started hot and fast, with Hamilton working his way into the lead on the first turn and Ricciardo finding contact with Massa, both of them ending up with punctures. Vettel took second spot early, but Rosberg's pace reeled him in by mid-race. Alonso wasn't so happy being passed by the back of the field in Japan (finished 11th), Button (finished 16th) was a bit more diplomatic post-race, but at the moment it doesn't look good for McLaren's driver lineup for 2016. Hulkenberg had a great race, getting through the field to finish 6th. Same goes for Verstappen who made his way through to finish well into the points (9th) ahead of his teammate, Sainz. The Lotus boys finished 7th & 8th despite very public financial troubles. Both RedBulls finished outside of the points, so there were several teams not happy with their performances this weekend. But Alexander Rossi, the young American racing from Manor, out performed his teammate and had another good outing. There's a gang of strong young drivers ready to cycle into the landscape.
With the smoke now clear the standings are as follows: Hamilton, Rosberg (-48), Vettel (-59), Raikkonen (-158), Bottas (-166). Sochi should be another interesting race, a technical race that should help some of the more Aero-strong teams compete with the top of the field. Enjoy your weekends.
