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Japanese GP

2009 Formula 1 Japanese GP

Oct 1, 2009 to Oct 4, 2009
Suzuka, JP
Live text
Formula 1 Japanese GP

2009 Japanese Grand Prix Race day at Suzuka

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Lap 47: These current positions will mean both title fights continue to Interlagos in two weeks.
Lap 47: The Toro Rosso of Jaime Alguersuari is being lifted away to safety as the Japanese marshals continue working to clean up the crash scene and repair the tyre wall.
Lap 47: Lewis Hamilton reports a problem with the KERS on his McLaren, which the team are trying to fix.
Lap 47: Vettel leads behind the safety car from Trulli, Hamilton, Raikkonen, Rosberg, Heidfeld, Barrichello and Button.
Lap 47: The tyre wall with conveyor belting is heavily damage and will take a little while to sort out.
Lap 46: Having lost control Alguersuari spun at high speed towards the inside barrier and smashed into the tyre wall, bouncing back out to the edge of the track. Race director Charlie Whiting had no choice but to deploy the safety car in this instance.
Lap 46: Rosberg has resumed behind Raikkonen but critically ahead of the Brawn pair!
Lap 46: The Toro Rosso is heavily damaged ... wow, a big accident there as Jaime lost control in the middle of the flat-out left-hander. Alguersuari is okay and climbs out of the battered STR 4.
Lap 46: Nico Rosberg dives into the pits.
Lap 46: The safety car has been deployed.
Lap 46: Alguersuari has crashed heavily out of 130R.
Lap 46: Button was 0.7s quicker than team-mate Barrichello and the fight for the title could get tasty on the track in a moment as they continue in seventh and eighth.
Lap 46: Hamilton's pace is poor at this stage and he may be carrying a problem after that struggle leaving the pits from his second stop.
Lap 45: Alguersuari in ninth and Liuzzi in 12th pit for the final time. Liuzzi takes on soft tyres as he looks to try and move up in the final laps.
Lap 45: Rosberg sets his best lap of the day as he looks to challenge the Brawn drivers.
Lap 44: Button is now back into eighth place and his next target is ... Rubens Barrichello. The gap between them is 1.5 seconds.
Lap 44: Nico Rosberg is the man to watch now as the Williams driver approaches his final stop.
Lap 44: Sebastian Vettel sets the fastest lap at 1m32.572s as he underlines his dominance this afternoon.
Lap 44: Rubens has run longer than team-mate Button and gets out just ahead of his title rival.
Lap 43: Rubens Barrichello pits for the final time.
Lap 43: Robert Kubica dives in for his final stop and he resumes well behind Jenson Button after those dramas with traffic for the Pole in recent laps.
Lap 42: Vettel leads by 8.4 seconds over Jarno Trulli, who is 2.3s ahead of Hamilton.
Lap 41: Jenson Button pits from sixth for tyres and fuel to the finish.
Lap 41: Not a perfect stop at Red Bull but he has plenty of advantage as he resumes in the lead and on course for victory in Japan.
Lap 41: Fisichella wins the battle and comes out ahead of the McLaren ... but is sleeping going into Turn 1 and Kovalainen slices up the inside to retake the place. Great racing down the field between Ferrari and McLaren.
Lap 41: Sebastian Vettel pits from the lead.
Lap 41: Trulli has done very well there with some quick laps before his stop, taking advantage of Hamilton's slow exit from his stop.
Lap 41: Heikki Kovalainen pits and so does Fisichella and Sutil in a three-car race for 10th.
Lap 40: It is a short stop for Trulli and he is away ahead of Hamilton.
Lap 40: Jarno Trulli pits from second on the road.
Lap 40: Barrichello is up to fourth ahead of the Rosberg/Button battle.
Lap 40: So Kubica remains ninth with Kovalainen 10th, Fisichella 11th and Sutil in 12th place.
Lap 39: Vettel leads from Trulli, who is 21.8 seconds ahead of Hamilton after the McLaren's stop.
Lap 39: Raikkonen rejoined in seventh with Heidfeld eighth and Kubica in ninth ... but the Pole tries to go through at the inside of Spoon Curve. He doesn't make it.
Lap 39: Jarno Trulli sets his fastest first sector as he looks to challenge Hamilton for second.
Lap 38: Hamilton is cleanly away but there was some kind of fumble with the pit limiter for the world champion, who spluttered out of the pits but is back underway.
Lap 38: Lewis Hamilton pits from second place.
Lap 38: Heidfeld has resumed behind Raikkonen but critically in front of team-mate Kubica.
Lap 37: There was some kind of problem at BMW and Heidfeld is slow away. Raikkonen is through!
Lap 37: Nick Heidfeld pits in response to Raikkonen.

By: Emlyn Hughes, Geoff Creighton

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