Fernando makes it two in a row; disaster for Lewis, not much better for Felipe
An extraordinary beginning to the Japanese Grand prix saw Lewis get jumped by Kimi at the start and then over-run himself trying to get back ahead. In doing so, the McLaren driver forced Kimi off the track, for which he was given a drive-through which McLaren and Lewis believed was totally unjustified.
(Note: In response to some comments. I haven't seen this first corner enough to be sure. For this reason my second sentence should read: In doing so, the McLaren driver was adjudged by the stewards to have forced Kimi off the track...)
Finding himself behind Felipe in sixth, Lewis then attacked his championship rival at the chicane, a move which resulted in Felipe putting his left-hand wheels on the inside of the second section and tipping Lewis into a spin. More room for doubt about that one, but the stewards duly punished Felipe with a drive-through.
While Lewis toiled at the back of the field, eventually finishing 12th, Felipe fared a little better, eventually climbing to eighth to score one valuable championship point. However a coming together with Sebastian Bourdais as the Frenchman was re-joining after pitting, has yet to be adjudicated upon by the stewards. I will update as and when. (Bourdais got a drive-through with 25 seconds added to his elapsed time, so Felipe climbs to seventh and gets two points instead of one. Lewis now leads by five).
In the meantime, Fernando took his opportunity with both hands. Starting from fourth, he got ahead of Robert through the first stops and then flew round the Fuji Speedway during a majestic second stint to set up a thoroughly deserved second successive victory from Robert second and Kimi third (it seems Javier's prayers have been answered!). Another bonus for Renault was Nelson who gave Kimi a run for his money before settling for fourth.
The result leaves Lewis six points ahead of Felipe with Robert still a contender, another six points back. There's a lot more to come in this championship...
