Japanese GP final practice and qualifying
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By: Geoff Creighton
Summary
Status: Stopped
Driver, Team
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Valterri Bottas, Mercedes
Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
Romain Grosjean, Haas
Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso
Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso
Esteban Ocon, Force India
Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
Sergio Perez, Force India
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Valterri Bottas, Mercedes
Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
Romain Grosjean, Haas
Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso
Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso
Esteban Ocon, Force India
Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
Sergio Perez, Force India
Here's the full report from that session, we'll see you back here for the race tomorrow: 
Vettel is trying to put a brave face on this pretty terrible qualifying: "I think the first run was sort of OK. I had a mistake in Spoon so lost most of the time there. Obviously the second run we didn't make it out in time because the rain came and we were too late, of course.
"Obviously it's not the position we deserve to be in. I think we have better speed than ninth but we'll start there and see how it goes.
"Anything can happen tomorrow. Tomorrow is a new day."
"Obviously it's not the position we deserve to be in. I think we have better speed than ninth but we'll start there and see how it goes.
"Anything can happen tomorrow. Tomorrow is a new day."
"We have a bigger chance now to be on the podium," Verstappen declares. Asked what he feels about potentially influencing the championship battle if Vettel catches him in the race, he replies: "is it still a battle? I'm not sure..."
Verstappen puts his third on the grid down to "making the right call in Q3" too, saying he knew Red Bull would be close to Ferrari but wasn't sure it could beat the red cars.
"The team have done an amazing job this weekend, and the call that we made for Q3 was probably the most difficult call," says Hamilton. "The team were just spot on with it."
Full grid: 1 Hamilton; 2 Bottas; 3 Verstappen; 4 Raikkonen; 5 Grosjean; 6 Hartley; 7 Gasly; 8 Ocon; 9 Vettel; 10 Perez; 11 Leclerc; 12 Magnussen; 13 Sainz; 14 Stroll; 15 Ricciardo; 16 Hulkenberg; 17 Sirotkin; 18 Alonso; 19 Vandoorne; 20 Ericsson
There's the chequered flag to officially end a session that's turned out superb for Mercedes but terrible for Vettel (and Raikkonen).
Vettel had backed right off and still couldn't avoid sliding straight on over the kerbs and through the gravel.
Order: 1 Hamilton; 2 Bottas; 3 Verstappen; 4 Raikkonen; 5 Grosjean; 6 Hartley; 7 Gasly; 8 Ocon; 9 Vettel; 10 Perez. A minute left on the clock now.
A replay shows Raikkonen's excursion was at Turn 2, having got a rain-induced twitch mid-way through the first two corners.
Should say it actually might not be his final flying lap, as there's three minutes left on the clock - and indeed, Hamilton is some way off in S1.
Hamilton is first to start his final flying lap, Bottas follows him across the line a few seconds later.
Hartley, Gasly and Ocon are split by 0.103s, while Grosjean is a further quarter of a second up the road from the Kiwi.
Five minutes to go, the order is: 1 Hamilton; 2 Bottas; 3 Verstappen; 4 Raikkonen; 5 Grosjean; 6 Hartley; 7 Gasly; 8 Ocon; 9 Vettel; 10 Perez.
Hamilton dives in for a racing style pitstop and charges back out for his next run immediately, as does Bottas.
A replay shows Vettel had a massive slide and slewed off course at Spoon after getting a wheel on a damp patch.
Mercedes calls Hamilton in and says "we will try to do another run on a new one before the rain comes".
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