Formula One: Japanese Grand Prix – 1 race, 24 different reactions! (Part 6)
Virgin
Timo Glock made a fine start to his race and with the early introduction of the safety car, was able to utilize that drop in race pace to head into the pits and change into the option tyre. Glock felt that it was a bit of a relief getting the particular
tyre out of the way which they hadn’t been able to get to work on the car in the practice sessions. As the Virgin rejoined the track behind Yamamoto, finding a way past was difficult.
The HRT driver kept the door shut and was able to soak in the increased amount of pressure he was subjected to from the car behind. After playing catch up for most of the race, Glock finally accepted his position and diverted his focus towards getting to
the finish line in one piece. The German deemed it a rather strange weekend at the Suzuka track and looked all set on the chance to start again as the Formula One calandar strikes Korea. The Virgin racer hoped for better things in the future.
Lucas di Grassi arguably had the shortest stint in a Formula One race this season. The Brazilian was happy with his performance in qualifying that morning and was reasonably positive that it was a start for better things to come as he had conserved his machinery
up till then. The Virgin driver was understandably disappointed at not being able to make his mark on the race. He had a huge crash in the 130R corner while preparing the car to go to the grid. However, di Grassi concluded that he was grateful that he came
out of the crash physically unscathed and saw it as a sign to work harder for the remainder of the season and help his team achieve its set targets this season.
Force India
Adrian Sutil felt extremely disappointed in the fashion with which his race ended. After struggling with the softer compound Bridgestones in qualifying, the Force India arguably failed to secure a starting position that justified the credability of the car.
However, the German driver was able to put all that misfortune behind him and made an excellent start – He had already broken into the point scoring top ten at the end of the first lap.
Since the team decided to call him in early to the pits, Sutil was able to push on a clear track when the rest of the pack entered the pits; he looked destined for a point scoring finish. It was when the car entered the 130R corner that the tyres started
lacking road-grip and there was smoke at the back of the Force India. With little choice, Adrian Sutil had no other option than to bring his car into the pits as his race looked set to be over. The problem turned out to be oil related in the end. The German
concluded that while Japan turned out to be a missed opportunity, his sights were set to achieve more at Korea.
Tonio Liuzzi was perhaps even more crestfallen than his team mate. This was his second consecutive retirement from a Grand Prix. After making a promising start, the Italian was able to overtake 5 cars before turn one. Commiting his car in the turn, Liuzzi
felt a fast scarlet bullet in the shape of Felipe Massa head into the side of his car. While the Force India driver argued that the Ferrari driver didn’t look in control of his car at the precise moment, he did concede that he was a touch disappointed not
being able to go the entire race distance. Liuzzi looked set to head back and focus for what lays ahead and not waste anymore time living in the past. Such incidents are part of life at 300 km/h and the best way to cope was to concentrate and prepare for the
upcoming challenge at Korea.
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