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Formula 1
Japanese GP
2011 Japanese Grand Prix The Japanese Grand Prix
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Lap 8: Perez has passed Trulli and takes over 17th position, leaving the Italian to fend off another quicker car - that of Rosberg.
Lap 8: No further action will be taken on Vettel for his move on Button off the start.
Lap 8: Barrichello is now up to 13th, with Maldonado 14th, Senna 15th and continuing to drop back, with Kovalainen 16th.
Lap 7: Barrichello shapes up for a move on team-mate Maldonado (having already passed Senna) and he seals the deal into Turn 1.
Lap 7: Hamilton has faded to 3.1 seconds off Vettel's lead, with perhaps the best life from his soft rubber now used up.
Lap 7: Liuzzi has been off-track through the S-curve beyond the pits. He was already last but drops off the tail of the field by eight seconds.
Lap 7: Webber is now right on the tail of Massa's Ferrari, though the Brazilian is more likely to fight off the advances from a rival team's car.
Lap 6: Rosberg has passed Alguersuari for 19th position and is homing in on the back of a battle for 17th between Trulli and Perez.
Lap 6: Alonso tries his DRS on Massa down the straight and his team-mate offers little defence. Alonso takes fourth, dropping Massa to fifth.
Lap 6: Kovalainen is dropping back a little after his brilliant start. Both Williams drivers have passed him and the Finn runs in 16th.
Lap 6: Schumacher is a somewhat lonely seventh for Mercedes, falling away from the scrap between Massa, Alonso and Webber.
Lap 5: Maldonado has passed Senna for 13th place.
Lap 4: Petrov is subsequently losing a lot of ground on the Force India pair and is coming under attack from 11th placed Buemi.
Lap 4: Massa remains fourth for Ferrari, with Alonso and Webber right on his tail.
Lap 4: Sutil spent most of the first lap behind Vitaly Petrov, but has been able to get past the Renault.
Lap 4: Vettel sets the fastest third lap as he pulls 1.7 seconds clear of Hamilton's McLaren, who is now 2.5 seconds ahead of Button.
Lap 4: Di Resta in eighth is already dropping away slightly from Schumacher and has team-mate Sutil on his tail.
Lap 3: DRS is now available but the gaps are already stretching in the top three.
Lap 3: Replays show Button got a fine launch and was challenging Vettel strongly before being gently forced towards the grass down to Turn 1.
Lap 3: Perez is 17th with Trulli 18th, Alguersuari down to 19th and Rosberg is making progress. He has passed d'Ambrosio and is into 20th position.
Lap 3: Senna is 13th with Kovalainen making a great start into 14th, Maldonado 15th and Barrichello in 16th spot.
Lap 2: Vettel is being investigated by the stewards for his move on Button off the start.
Lap 2: Vettel leads by 1.3 seconds as he begins to stretch a gap over the McLaren pair.
Lap 2: Kobayashi made a poor start and runs way down in 12th, with Buemi up six places to 11th.
Lap 2: "He's [Vettel] got to get a penalty for that!" exclaims Button over his team radio.
Lap 1: Webber is sixth with Schumacher seventh, di Resta up to a fine eighth, Petrov ninth and Sutil in 10th.
Lap 1: Button was delayed by robust defending from leader Vettel, dropping behind team-mate Hamilton who took the clear line around the outside.
Lap 1: Down to the hairpin for the first time it is Vettel from Hamilton, Button, Massa and Alonso.
Lap 1: Vettel gets a tardy start and has to defend from Button into Turn 1, allowing Hamilton through into second.
Lap 1: The five lights go out and we are racing in Japan!
All 24 cars are nicely in position now and we are standing by for 53 racing laps this afternoon. We await the lights ...
Round the final corner and Vettel guides his Red Bull into pole position, with the first few rows forming up behind him.
Vettel slows things down in the chicane as he attempts to back up the field close together behind him.
Plenty of position changes off the starts this year, with the McLaren pair clearly eying an early ambush on polesitter Vettel.
Down towards Spoon and they begin the uphill climb towards the flat-out 130R screamer.
Vettel rounds the two Degner right-handers and is taking them round on a reasonable pace.
All drivers leave the grid without problem and they weave through the S-curve and into Dunlop.
The formation lap begins at Suzuka and polesitter Vettel leads the field of 24 away from the grid.
The engines fire with a minute to the formation lap.
The midfield should be all action as well, with harder rubber being favoured for the majority of a two-stop plan.
By: Emlyn Hughes, Geoff Creighton
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