2008 Japanese Grand Prix
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by: Henri Boulanger
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Word Count: 595
Spain's Fernando Alonso accomplished a hard-won victory at this year's Japanese Grand Prix. Immediately after the race, Alonso said, "I cannot believe it right now and back-to-back wins is a great feeling. It is completely amazing." He went on to say, "We were second when we stopped for the first time and I wanted to exit the pits in front of Robert."
Championship Title Leaders Battle it Out
Formula One championship title rivals Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa made minor mistakes and were each penalized for different reasons during the course of the race. Hamilton had a rough start as he was defending his starting pole position from Kimi Raikkonen. He broke too late for the first corner. The car went off the track, taking Raikkonen with him. This incident cost Hamilton his first penalty of the race. It also demoted him to behind Massa at 6th position.
Hamilton tried to pass Massa during the second lap, which resulted in a collision between the two. This time it was Massa who hit the brakes too late while trying to defend his position and tapped Hamilton's car, causing the Englishman to spin as he re-entered the track. Hamilton had to wait for the rest of the field to pass him before he was able to make a safe entry back onto the track. He was immediately called into the pits to replace his tires, which suffered damage from the spin and hard breaking.
The penalty this time was Massa's for causing the collision. After receiving their penalties, the two were cast to the back of the pack. Hamilton was a few seconds behind Massa. Massa finished the race in eighth on the track but seventh in final standings after Sebastien Bourdais' 25-second penalty was factored into the final standings.
When asked about his penalties, Hamilton stated, "I went wide at turn one; it was a mistake, and then Felipe hit me off. I went on the inside and he broke left and hit me pretty hard." He also said, "What can I say? it was a bad day, I'll move on to next week." Quite a few of F1's most popular blogs sympathised with Lewis.
Alonso vs. Kubica
Robert Kubica raced a hard race for first against Fernando Alonso. "Twelve points behind the leader with two races to go. Anything can happen," Kubica said. His well-earned first position spot was lost to him during their first pit stop. Alonso risked the race by taking on less fuel during the final pit stop. Kubica finished the race in second position, only five seconds behind Alonso.
Kubica has made quite an impression this Formula One season. Race fans are anxiously anticipating his moves for the final two races of the season. Kubica currently has 72 points and is only 12 points behind Lewis Hamilton for the 2008 Championship title and just 6 points behind Felipe Massa. Kimi Raikkonen follows Kubica with 63 points and Nick Heidfeld, rounding out the top 5 with 56 points.
Championship Anxiety
The Formula One World Championship race is quickly coming to an end. With only two races left in the season, Lewis Hamilton's lead fell to five points after his 12th position finish at the Japanese Grand Prix. The 2008 Formula One championship races have proven to be some of the most exciting races in Formula One's history. Race fans, drivers and their teams are looking forward to the final two races of the season to see which driver emerges on top!
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