Round 15 of the 2014 Formula 1 season took place at the iconic Suzuka circuit in Japan.
It was the 30th Japanese Grand Prix to appear on the F1 calendar and 26th to take place at the tricky and challenging track.
After the drama and action at the Singapore Grand Prix under the lights, the sport reconvened in the paddock for one of the most popular races on the schedule.
The classic race has produced some of the most memorable moments in F1 history. Were more made in 2014? Read on to find out.
FP1
F1 returned to the track on Friday morning for the first practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend. It got off to a busy start, with Daniel Ricciado and Fernando Alonso being the first to take to the track.
Roberto Merhi replaced home favourite Kamui Kobayashi at Caterham for practice one. The Spaniard put in the opening lap time, a 1:44.564, but was quickly displaced by Valtteri Bottas.
Max Verstappen made history by becoming the youngest ever F1 driver to take part in a race weekend session, after competing for Toro Rosso in place of Jean-Eric Vergne. With seven minutes remaining, his car suffered an engine failure and he was forced to pull off track.
Nico Rosberg ended the session at the top of the timesheets with a 1:35.461, finishing one and a half tenths clear of his team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Alonso, Bottas, Kimi Raikkonen, Kevin Magnussen and Ricciardo were next up.
Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel and Daniil Kvyat completed the top 10. Despite his late mechanical problem, Verstappen finished four tenths behind his 2015 Toro Rosso team-mate in 12th, behind Felipe Massa and ahead of Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg and Romain Grosjean.
FP2
The second 90-minute practice session got off to a quiet start on Friday afternoon at Suzuka, with Max Chilton and Grosjean being the first to emerge from the pit lane.
However, it soon picked up pace, with several drivers suffering off-track excursions and crashes. The first saw Kobayashi lose control of his Caterham CT05 at turn three and hit the wall after just three laps.
Ricciardo had a moment at the final corner a little while later and hit the barrier. The Suzuka marshals were unable to recover his car to a suitable place, meaning the red flag emerged. When the session got going again, drivers started to complete qualifying runs on the medium compound tyre.
Esteban Gutierrez then spun and crashed at the Spoon Curve. Hamilton ended the session at the top of the timesheets with a 1:35.078. Rosberg finished second, with Bottas, Button, Vettel, Raikkonen and Alonso next up.
Magnussen, Kvyat and Ricciardo completed the top 10. Vergne - who was forced to stop early on with an engine issue, before returning and then pulling off track again later on (which brought out the red flag and cut the session short) - was 11th fastest.
FP3
Rosberg set the pace in the third and final practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.
The German, who put in a best time of 1:33.228, finished almost one second clear of his team-mate Hamilton. The Englishman failed to complete a qualifying run on the medium compound after crashing at turn one.
He went off track and onto the run-off area, before locking up and hitting the wall. Alonso, Massa and Bottas completed the top five. Ricciardo and Magnussen were next up with Vergne finishing eighth despite losing more track time with a problem.
Kvyat and Button rounded out the top 10. Raikkonen's session lasted just five laps thanks to a mechanical issue, with the Finn ending practice two in 12th. Vettel only managed six laps before he was hit by an engine problem.
The German, who announced prior to the practice three that he will leave Red Bull Racing at the end of 2014, finished 15th. Despite predictions of rain, conditions remained dry for the 60-minute session.
Qualifying
Q1
The first segment of qualifying at Suzuka got off to a busy start, with Kobayashi, Hulkenberg and Bianchi being the first to take to the track.
Kobayashi put in the opening lap time - a 1:37.977 - but the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Rosberg quickly moved to the top of the timesheets on the hard compound tyre..
Hamilton's best time of a 1:33.611 remained the fastest of the session, with Rosberg, Bottas, Massa and Alonso completing the top five.
Vettel and Ricciardo failed to take to the track for a second run and just made it through in 14th and 15th.
A late improvement by Sutil dropped Maldonado to 17th. He was joined in the Q1 drop-zone by his team-mate Grosjean, Ericsson, Bianchi, Kobayashi and Chilton.
Q2
The second segment of qualifying saw the slowest six drivers eliminated from the fight for pole position. Sutil, Perez and Bottas were the first to emerge from the pit lane.
Rosberg and Hamilton quickly moved to the front with their first laps in Q2 on the medium compound tyre. Bottas, Alonso and Massa completed the top five.
The Mercedes pair remained in the garage for the final minutes of the session, as the remaining 14 drivers took to the track for one last run.
Bottas retained third, with Massa improving to fourth and Alonso finishing fifth.
Magnussen, Ricciardo, Button, Raikkonen and Vettel all made it through to the top 10 shoot-out. Vergne, Perez, Kvyat, Hulkenberg, Sutil and Gutierrez were eliminated from qualifying.
Q3
The final segment of qualifying decided the top 10 positions on the Japanese Grand Prix grid. Bottas was the first to take to the track and put in the opening lap time - a 1:33.329.
Massa's opening attempt was two tenths slower, with Rosberg taking over the top spot. The German held provisional pole after the first runs, three tenths clear of Hamilton.
In the final four minutes, all 10 drivers took to the track for one last chance to improve. Rosberg increased his advantage by two tenths, with Hamilton failing to snatch the top spot away from his team-mate.
Rosberg secured his eighth pole position of the season, with Hamilton in second and Bottas in third. Massa, Alonso, Ricciardo and Magnussen were next up. Button, Vettel and Raikkonen completed the top 10.
Full qualifying times and results can be found here.
The Race
After dry conditions on Friday and Saturday, the rain arrived on Sunday - thanks to the approaching Typhoon Phanfone - for the 15th round of the 2014 season.
Rosberg secured pole position in qualifying, with Hamilton in second place. Could the Englishman find a way past his team-mate? With such treacherous conditions, would the race even get under way?
The answer to the final question was "yes" but it did start behind the safety car. Heavier rain while drivers were on the grid meant conditions were very tricky and visibility was poor on the first lap behind the Mercedes SLS AMG.
Ericsson was the first driver to spin at the end of the opening tour at the final corner. After a little help from the marshals, he got going again.
However, at the end of the second lap the red flag emerged and the drivers were led into the pit lane.
After 15 minutes sat in the pit lane, the 2014 field followed the safety car back out onto the track. Alonso stopped his car at turn six with a mechanical problem, retiring from the race.
The rain intensity decreased and track conditions improved behind the safety car. The race resumed at the end of lap nine, with Rosberg leading the field through the final corner. Button immediately pitted for intermediate tyres, with Maldonado joining him.
Perez moved ahead of Kvyat at the end of lap 10 after getting a better run out of the Spoon Curve. The Mercedes duo quickly pulled away from the chasing pack. The pit lane got very busy indeed at the end of lap 11 with the likes of Bottas, Ricciardo, Magnussen and Raikkonen stopping for intermediates.
The rest of the field, apart from the two Mercedes drivers, took to the pit lane on lap 12. Rosberg pitted on the following tour, with Hamilton emerging in second place when he pitted at the end of lap 14 - a mistake at turn 14 cost him time.
Vettel dived up the inside of Massa at the hairpin on lap 16 and moved up to fifth place. Ricciardo then displaced the Brazilian around the outside at turn six on the following tour. As Hamilton closed in on Rosberg, Vettel moved ahead of Bottas on lap 18 at turn 11.
The Finn then dropped behind Ricciardo on the next lap, with the Red Bull RB10's high downforce set-up working well in the wet conditions. Further back, Vergne and Grosjean took to the pit lane for fresh intermediate tyres.
A slow second stop for Raikkonen saw the Ferrari driver drop down the field. DRS was enabled on lap 24, but even with the power boost, Hamilton couldn't find a way past Rosberg as the two Mercedes drivers battled at the front of the field.
He dropped back after a moment and brief off-track excursion at turn one but quickly caught back up. The Englishman made his move at turn one on lap 29, going around the outside of Rosberg and snatching the lead.
Vettel was the first of the top five to make a second pit stop for a new set of intermediates. Button took to his pit box at the end of lap 31, but it was a slow stop as McLaren had to change his steering wheel and he emerged several seconds behind Vettel.
Rosberg pitted for a fresh set of tyres on lap 33. Hamilton took to the pit lane two laps later, with Ricciardo staying out for one more tour and re-joining in fifth place.
Vettel proved conditions remained tricky by going off at turn six, taking to the gravel trap. A few seconds further back, Button and Ricciardo battled closely for fourth place as the rain intensified once again.
Magnussen was the first to return to the wet compound tyre, as Sutil lost control of his Sauber C33 and hit the wall at turn seven on lap 42. Button was the next to take to the pit lane for the full wets.The safety car was deployed on lap 44, with plenty of activity in the pits.
Bianchi also went off at the Dunlop Curve, with the medical car and an ambulance being deployed to the scene. The race was red flagged and did not continue, with Hamilton taking his first victory at Suzuka.
Hamilton wins the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix
The race results were taken from lap 44, with Hamilton taking the win by 9.1 seconds from his team-mate Rosberg. The 2008 world champion put in a great drive when the race eventually got under way, taking the lead from his team-mate with a brave move at turn one.
Rosberg struggled more with tyre wear and could only manage second. Vettel was classified in third place, completing the podium just one day after the announcement that he will leave Red Bull at the end of 2014.
Ricciardo completed some fantastic overtakes and finished fourth, with Button in fifth for McLaren after some strong strategy calls. Bottas and Massa slipped to sixth and seventh, with the FW36 not suiting the wet conditions.
Hulkenberg was eighth in the final results despite stopping his car before the red flag. Vergne and Perez completed the top 10. Kvyat, Raikkonen, Gutierrez and Magnussen were next up.
Grosjean, Maldonado, Ericsson, Chilton and Kobayashi completed the results. Bianchi and Sutil were classified 20th and 21st, three and four laps down. Alonso was the only retirement.
Full results can be found here.
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| © Octane Photographic |
After the drama and action at the Singapore Grand Prix under the lights, the sport reconvened in the paddock for one of the most popular races on the schedule.
The classic race has produced some of the most memorable moments in F1 history. Were more made in 2014? Read on to find out.
FP1
F1 returned to the track on Friday morning for the first practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend. It got off to a busy start, with Daniel Ricciado and Fernando Alonso being the first to take to the track.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Roberto Merhi replaced home favourite Kamui Kobayashi at Caterham for practice one. The Spaniard put in the opening lap time, a 1:44.564, but was quickly displaced by Valtteri Bottas.
Max Verstappen made history by becoming the youngest ever F1 driver to take part in a race weekend session, after competing for Toro Rosso in place of Jean-Eric Vergne. With seven minutes remaining, his car suffered an engine failure and he was forced to pull off track.
Nico Rosberg ended the session at the top of the timesheets with a 1:35.461, finishing one and a half tenths clear of his team-mate Lewis Hamilton. Alonso, Bottas, Kimi Raikkonen, Kevin Magnussen and Ricciardo were next up.
Jenson Button, Sebastian Vettel and Daniil Kvyat completed the top 10. Despite his late mechanical problem, Verstappen finished four tenths behind his 2015 Toro Rosso team-mate in 12th, behind Felipe Massa and ahead of Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg and Romain Grosjean.
FP2
The second 90-minute practice session got off to a quiet start on Friday afternoon at Suzuka, with Max Chilton and Grosjean being the first to emerge from the pit lane.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
However, it soon picked up pace, with several drivers suffering off-track excursions and crashes. The first saw Kobayashi lose control of his Caterham CT05 at turn three and hit the wall after just three laps.
Ricciardo had a moment at the final corner a little while later and hit the barrier. The Suzuka marshals were unable to recover his car to a suitable place, meaning the red flag emerged. When the session got going again, drivers started to complete qualifying runs on the medium compound tyre.
Esteban Gutierrez then spun and crashed at the Spoon Curve. Hamilton ended the session at the top of the timesheets with a 1:35.078. Rosberg finished second, with Bottas, Button, Vettel, Raikkonen and Alonso next up.
Magnussen, Kvyat and Ricciardo completed the top 10. Vergne - who was forced to stop early on with an engine issue, before returning and then pulling off track again later on (which brought out the red flag and cut the session short) - was 11th fastest.
FP3
Rosberg set the pace in the third and final practice session of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.
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| © Octane Photographic |
The German, who put in a best time of 1:33.228, finished almost one second clear of his team-mate Hamilton. The Englishman failed to complete a qualifying run on the medium compound after crashing at turn one.
He went off track and onto the run-off area, before locking up and hitting the wall. Alonso, Massa and Bottas completed the top five. Ricciardo and Magnussen were next up with Vergne finishing eighth despite losing more track time with a problem.
Kvyat and Button rounded out the top 10. Raikkonen's session lasted just five laps thanks to a mechanical issue, with the Finn ending practice two in 12th. Vettel only managed six laps before he was hit by an engine problem.
The German, who announced prior to the practice three that he will leave Red Bull Racing at the end of 2014, finished 15th. Despite predictions of rain, conditions remained dry for the 60-minute session.
Qualifying
Q1
The first segment of qualifying at Suzuka got off to a busy start, with Kobayashi, Hulkenberg and Bianchi being the first to take to the track.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
Kobayashi put in the opening lap time - a 1:37.977 - but the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Rosberg quickly moved to the top of the timesheets on the hard compound tyre..
Hamilton's best time of a 1:33.611 remained the fastest of the session, with Rosberg, Bottas, Massa and Alonso completing the top five.
Vettel and Ricciardo failed to take to the track for a second run and just made it through in 14th and 15th.
A late improvement by Sutil dropped Maldonado to 17th. He was joined in the Q1 drop-zone by his team-mate Grosjean, Ericsson, Bianchi, Kobayashi and Chilton.
Q2
The second segment of qualifying saw the slowest six drivers eliminated from the fight for pole position. Sutil, Perez and Bottas were the first to emerge from the pit lane.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Rosberg and Hamilton quickly moved to the front with their first laps in Q2 on the medium compound tyre. Bottas, Alonso and Massa completed the top five.
The Mercedes pair remained in the garage for the final minutes of the session, as the remaining 14 drivers took to the track for one last run.
Bottas retained third, with Massa improving to fourth and Alonso finishing fifth.
Magnussen, Ricciardo, Button, Raikkonen and Vettel all made it through to the top 10 shoot-out. Vergne, Perez, Kvyat, Hulkenberg, Sutil and Gutierrez were eliminated from qualifying.
Q3
The final segment of qualifying decided the top 10 positions on the Japanese Grand Prix grid. Bottas was the first to take to the track and put in the opening lap time - a 1:33.329.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Massa's opening attempt was two tenths slower, with Rosberg taking over the top spot. The German held provisional pole after the first runs, three tenths clear of Hamilton.
In the final four minutes, all 10 drivers took to the track for one last chance to improve. Rosberg increased his advantage by two tenths, with Hamilton failing to snatch the top spot away from his team-mate.
Rosberg secured his eighth pole position of the season, with Hamilton in second and Bottas in third. Massa, Alonso, Ricciardo and Magnussen were next up. Button, Vettel and Raikkonen completed the top 10.
Full qualifying times and results can be found here.
The Race
After dry conditions on Friday and Saturday, the rain arrived on Sunday - thanks to the approaching Typhoon Phanfone - for the 15th round of the 2014 season.
Rosberg secured pole position in qualifying, with Hamilton in second place. Could the Englishman find a way past his team-mate? With such treacherous conditions, would the race even get under way?
The answer to the final question was "yes" but it did start behind the safety car. Heavier rain while drivers were on the grid meant conditions were very tricky and visibility was poor on the first lap behind the Mercedes SLS AMG.
Ericsson was the first driver to spin at the end of the opening tour at the final corner. After a little help from the marshals, he got going again.
 |
| © Octane Photographic |
However, at the end of the second lap the red flag emerged and the drivers were led into the pit lane.
After 15 minutes sat in the pit lane, the 2014 field followed the safety car back out onto the track. Alonso stopped his car at turn six with a mechanical problem, retiring from the race.
The rain intensity decreased and track conditions improved behind the safety car. The race resumed at the end of lap nine, with Rosberg leading the field through the final corner. Button immediately pitted for intermediate tyres, with Maldonado joining him.
Perez moved ahead of Kvyat at the end of lap 10 after getting a better run out of the Spoon Curve. The Mercedes duo quickly pulled away from the chasing pack. The pit lane got very busy indeed at the end of lap 11 with the likes of Bottas, Ricciardo, Magnussen and Raikkonen stopping for intermediates.
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| © Octane Photographic |
The rest of the field, apart from the two Mercedes drivers, took to the pit lane on lap 12. Rosberg pitted on the following tour, with Hamilton emerging in second place when he pitted at the end of lap 14 - a mistake at turn 14 cost him time.
Vettel dived up the inside of Massa at the hairpin on lap 16 and moved up to fifth place. Ricciardo then displaced the Brazilian around the outside at turn six on the following tour. As Hamilton closed in on Rosberg, Vettel moved ahead of Bottas on lap 18 at turn 11.
The Finn then dropped behind Ricciardo on the next lap, with the Red Bull RB10's high downforce set-up working well in the wet conditions. Further back, Vergne and Grosjean took to the pit lane for fresh intermediate tyres.
A slow second stop for Raikkonen saw the Ferrari driver drop down the field. DRS was enabled on lap 24, but even with the power boost, Hamilton couldn't find a way past Rosberg as the two Mercedes drivers battled at the front of the field.
He dropped back after a moment and brief off-track excursion at turn one but quickly caught back up. The Englishman made his move at turn one on lap 29, going around the outside of Rosberg and snatching the lead.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Vettel was the first of the top five to make a second pit stop for a new set of intermediates. Button took to his pit box at the end of lap 31, but it was a slow stop as McLaren had to change his steering wheel and he emerged several seconds behind Vettel.
Rosberg pitted for a fresh set of tyres on lap 33. Hamilton took to the pit lane two laps later, with Ricciardo staying out for one more tour and re-joining in fifth place.
Vettel proved conditions remained tricky by going off at turn six, taking to the gravel trap. A few seconds further back, Button and Ricciardo battled closely for fourth place as the rain intensified once again.
Magnussen was the first to return to the wet compound tyre, as Sutil lost control of his Sauber C33 and hit the wall at turn seven on lap 42. Button was the next to take to the pit lane for the full wets.The safety car was deployed on lap 44, with plenty of activity in the pits.
Bianchi also went off at the Dunlop Curve, with the medical car and an ambulance being deployed to the scene. The race was red flagged and did not continue, with Hamilton taking his first victory at Suzuka.
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| © Octane Photographic |
Hamilton wins the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix
The race results were taken from lap 44, with Hamilton taking the win by 9.1 seconds from his team-mate Rosberg. The 2008 world champion put in a great drive when the race eventually got under way, taking the lead from his team-mate with a brave move at turn one.
Rosberg struggled more with tyre wear and could only manage second. Vettel was classified in third place, completing the podium just one day after the announcement that he will leave Red Bull at the end of 2014.
Ricciardo completed some fantastic overtakes and finished fourth, with Button in fifth for McLaren after some strong strategy calls. Bottas and Massa slipped to sixth and seventh, with the FW36 not suiting the wet conditions.
Hulkenberg was eighth in the final results despite stopping his car before the red flag. Vergne and Perez completed the top 10. Kvyat, Raikkonen, Gutierrez and Magnussen were next up.
Grosjean, Maldonado, Ericsson, Chilton and Kobayashi completed the results. Bianchi and Sutil were classified 20th and 21st, three and four laps down. Alonso was the only retirement.
Full results can be found here.
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