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Showing posts with label Suzuka. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Suzuka. Show all posts

Sebastian Vettel closes in on championship leader

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Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel closes in on championship leader Fernando Alonso after victory at Suzuka. Sebastian Vettel gave his hopes of claiming a third-consecutive world title a huge boost as he took advantage of Fernando Alonso's first-lap retirement with a consummate Japanese Grand Prix victory at Suzuka.
Vettel cruised to his third victory of the season, and second in a row, to move him to within four points of Alonso at the top of the drivers' championship, after the Spaniard dramatically crashed out at the first corner after contact with Kimi Raikkonen.
Ferrari's Felipe Massa took second ahead of Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi. It was Massa's first podium of the year and may well have secured his future at Ferrari, while
Behind Massa, Kobayashi held off a determined challenge from Button, who was battling with a gearbox that was intermittently slipping into neutral.
Red Bull's Mark Webber fought up from the back of the field after being hit from behind at the first corner to take ninth ahead of Daniel Ricciardo, who held off Michael Schumacher's Mercedes in the last few laps.
For Vettel, it was one the most comfortable victories of the year. He converted pole position into a lead at the first corner and streaked away into a race of his own.
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Red Bull's Mark Webber bullish about Suzuka prospects

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Red Bull’s championship leader Mark Webber has sounded a warning to his title challengers by confidently predicting that his car will be “very competitive” at Suzuka next weekend, although the Australian admitted that his closest competitor, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, is the man with the momentum. Alonso has claimed three victories in his last five races to move to within 11 points of Webber at the top of the standings. On top of which, the Spaniard can count on his team-mate, Felipe Massa, to act as a rear gunner during the run-in with the Brazilian now too far back to challenge for the title himself.
"The momentum is currently with Ferrari going into the race, as they have had two victories on the bounce, but the points situation is still very open,” Webber said. “I'm optimistic we can do well in Japan and the team did well there last year.
“I think we will be very competitive; we need to go there and get the maximum out of what we have."
Webber leads Alonso by 11 points with four races left this year – although the status of the Korean GP is still shrouded in mystery with the new circuit not yet signed off by the governing body.
“It's nice that I have a little buffer,” Webber said. “It's not very big but it's something I would rather have than not. Suzuka is a track that all the drivers love and I'm looking forward to it."
Webber’s team-mate, Sebastian Vettel, is a further 10 points behind Alonso and the 23 year-old German is also confident that the Red Bull car will shine around Suzuka’s high-speed corners.
"Suzuka should suit our car, but we still have to go there and prove it," he said.
"I think we have a very competitive car this year on all circuits, so we can be confident. Last year was very good and I think we should get a good result again.
"Ferrari has made a step forward in the last couple of races, so they will be strong and don't forget McLaren. There are still a lot of drivers fighting for the title and they are very close to each other, it's tight and a lot of things can still happen.
"We need to make sure we get the best out of ourselves and then we will see."

Credits: Tom Cary - Telegraph UK