Of the other point scorers,
David Coulthard did well for
Red Bull Racing in fourth and, while it was a shame he couldn’t do anything about Kimi, who passed him late on, it will still have been a boost for him and the Milton-Keynes-based outfit.
No doubt it was somewhat bittersweet after
Mark Webber was taken out by Red Bull ‘B’ team member
Sebastian Vettel, but that is the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. Mark was certainly quite vocal post-event and left us in no uncertain terms how he felt!
The other point has gone provisionally to Spyker’s
Adrian Sutil, after Vitantonio Liuzzi picked up a penalty post-event.
Toro Rosso are appealing that decision and, whoever ends up with the point, it could be very significant as it could make the difference between finishing ninth or tenth in the constructors’ championship. Financially, that is important for both outfits.
All-in-all, all the drivers need to be saluted for their efforts at Fuji. To compete in those conditions really is extremely difficult and, as a former
F1 driver myself, I know just how tough it is to try and race when it is that wet and when there is so much spray.
Visibility really is a big issue, and I take my hats off to all of them for their efforts. Every driver out there really earned there money on Sunday, believe me.
It was also a difficult one for
FIA race director Charlie Whiting and, to juggle everything the way he did, should be applauded.
Postponing the race was never a possibility, and even delaying it has a big knock on effect in terms of TV commitments and schedules. In that respect, to start the event behind the safety car was a wise call and while, if the whole race had been run that way, it wouldn’t have been good for the sport, in the end it worked out and the decision to go racing around lap 20 was a good one.
We had a great race and while, admittedly, it was a bit of a lottery, it was no more so than the European Grand Prix back in the summer, which was also severely affected by the weather.
