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Formula 1
Japanese GP
2011 Japanese Grand Prix The Japanese Grand Prix
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Lap 19: Button is clearly getting the best from the fragile rubber this afternoon, while team-mate Hamilton struggles for rear grip.
Lap 19: Petrov takes on medium compound tyres and is away after a 3.7s stop.
Lap 19: Up front, Button has the pace to watch for the moment as he closes the lead to just 1.6 seconds.
Lap 19: Only Petrov in eighth and Perez in ninth have yet to stop. The Russian comes in now.
Lap 19: Alguersuari is next to come in from 13th place. He drops several places as the midfield is tightly packed, but may be able to make one stop less.
Lap 18: Maldonado has been into the pits for his first stop, while out on the track Kobayashi is recovering his way through the field. He passes Alguersuari for 12th at the hairpin.
Lap 18: Hamilton now has Massa right on his tail and looks to be struggling for grip once again.
Lap 17: Button sets the fastest lap again, drawing slightly closer to Vettel with a gap of 2.4 seconds measured as they flash over the line.
Lap 17: D'Ambrosio just emerged ahead of the Ricciardo versus Glock battle for 21st and the fans are getting an entertaining three-car scrap at the back.
Lap 16: Hamilton's pace has faded in recent laps, dropping back towards the battle between Massa and Webber.
Lap 16: Schumacher has passed Petrov for seventh place, as Senna comes in for his first stop from 12th.
Lap 16: Vettel's lead still under three seconds from Button, with Alonso now 2.1 seconds further behind.
Lap 16: At the back of the field Ricciardo is doing a solid job in a straight race against Glock for 21st. The Australian is ahead of the Virgin driver and he should get track position over d'Ambrosio as well.
Lap 15: Things playing out well for the leaders as they quickly build towards the gap needed to make a stop and resume ahead of the midfield battle.
Lap 15: D'Ambrosio makes his first stop from 19th position, handing the place to Trulli.
Lap 15: Perez is ninth and like Petrov he has yet to stop. Sutil is 10th, Senna 11th and di Resta in 12th spot.
Lap 14: Little change in the lead gap next time by, with just under six seconds covering the top four and plenty of strategy still to play out.
Lap 14: Petrov is the first driver on the leaderboard yet to stop. He is seventh with Schumacher eighth.
Lap 13: So Buemi is out of the race, as Rosberg makes his first stop. He had climbed up to 15th position.
Lap 13: Buemi had just made a stop from ninth position but the front left was not put on properly and it worked loose as he was rounding the S-curve
Lap 13: Button sets the fastest lap and is clocked 2.5 seconds behind leader Vettel.
Lap 13: Massa resumes ahead of Webber, but some way behind the scrap between Button, Alonso and Hamilton.
Lap 13: Behind Webber, Barrichello is up to eighth, having not stopped yet ... oh and we have Buemi in the gravel.
Lap 12: Massa is the last of the top six to make a stop, putting Vettel back in the lead.
Lap 12: Massa is the next temporary leader, chased by Vettel, Button, Alonso, Hamilton, Petrov and Webber.
Lap 11: Di Resta, Kobayashi and Kovalainen have all been in for a first stop.
Lap 11: Button gets away just ahead of Alonso, with the pair resuming right in front of Hamilton on the road.
Lap 11: Hamilton is getting on with it after his stop. He passed Buemi into Turn 1 for ninth and then on the same lap he nails Petrov at the hairpin.
Lap 11: Button is the next man to pit, with Alonso also in - right on the gearbox of the McLaren. Webber is also in.
Lap 10: That puts Button into a temporary lead, with Alonso 1.2 seconds behind him and currently lapping quickly.
Lap 10: Vettel resumes after a fairly slow stop with another set of soft rubber on his car.
Lap 10: Vettel tells his team that he is losing the rear tyres and he is in the pits for fresh rubber.
Lap 10: Liuzzi is another pit visitor and rejoins even further behind the tail of the field.
Lap 9: McLaren report a slow puncture for Hamilton, forcing that early stop.
Lap 9: Sutil is also into the pits, from ninth.
Lap 9: Hamilton pits and takes a fresh set of soft rubber.
Lap 9: Alguersuari is in 20th and holding a watching brief while the midfield battle rages just ahead of him.
Lap 9: Button rapidly catches and passes Hamilton, who seems to be struggling for pace in his McLaren.
Lap 8: On the same lap, Rosberg is through on Trulli and moves into 18th.
Lap 8: Perez has passed Kovalainen and that gets him 16th place.
By: Emlyn Hughes, Geoff Creighton
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