Japanese GP: Bottas wins after terrible start for Ferrari
Valtteri Bottas's took his first Formula 1 win since April to help Mercedes clinch a sixth consecutive constructors' championship as a jump start and first-corner clash undermined Ferrari's Japanese Grand Prix.

Bottas launched from third to first on the run to the first corner, passing both Ferraris as Leclerc got away slowly and poleman Vettel erred significantly, losing time by moving slightly before the lights went out.
That put Bottas into a lead he never relinquished, while Vettel avoided a jump-start penalty – despite replays clearly showing he moved before the red lights went out – to finish second but could not stop Mercedes wrapping up the teams' title.
After Vettel immediately dropped to second, Leclerc's race was massively compromised moments later at the first corner.
Max Verstappen swept around the outside of Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc after a superior start in his Red Bull, but Leclerc then ran deep into Turn 2 as the corner tightened.
He went wide and clattered into Verstappen, throwing the Dutchman off-track and breaking his own front wing.
Leclerc continued for two laps in third place, irritating Hamilton as the Ferrari's damaged wing showered the chasing Mercedes with sparks and then debris – which broke Hamilton's right-side wing mirror.
On lap three, Leclerc pit, dropping to the tail of the field and behind Verstappen, as race control communicated their first-lap incident would be investigated after all, having initially said it was not necessary.
As Leclerc charged back to sixth, Verstappen struggled with an oddly-handling, damaged car and retired on lap 15, with the clash investigation moving to after the race.
Vettel's fortune with the officials allowed him to stay in the lead fight and hold up Hamilton, allowing Bottas to take control and he stretched his lead.
Ferrari moved first in the strategy fight, pitting Vettel on lap 16 with Bottas following suit one lap later and Hamilton stopping on lap 18.
In that time, Bottas's advantage over Vettel rose while Hamilton fell more than 20s adrift, a move that left him irate over the radio.
All three committed to a two-stop strategy, but executed it differently: Vettel pit on lap 31 of 53 and ditched his softs for mediums, while the Mercedes ran longer and opted for softs.
Bottas stopped on lap 36, at which point he was 14s clear of Hamilton, and Hamilton ran an extra seven laps before making his final visit to the pits.
That left Bottas leading Vettel by under 10s, with Hamilton within five seconds behind the Ferrari and armed with fresher, softer tyres.
With five laps to go Hamilton moved into DRS range and had half a look into Turn 2 but Vettel didn't budge and Hamilton ran slightly wide.
Hamilton had a better chance with three laps to go when Vettel got stuck at the final chicane trying to lap a Toro Rosso, backing Vettel into Hamilton and giving Hamilton a great run.
However, Hamilton closed too late on the straight to attack, and Vettel retained the place to the end.
Bottas's win, his first since the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, trimmed Hamilton's championship lead to 66 points with 104 still on offer.
Alex Albon scored his best F1 result with fourth place for Red Bull, despite falling behind both McLarens at the start.
He made one of those places back early on with a lunge on Lando Norris that resulted in wheel-to-wheel contact into the final chicane.
Albon got ahead of Carlos Sainz by stopping twice as Sainz implemented a one-stop strategy to finish a fine fifth.
McLaren should have had a double points finish but, after being hit by Albon, Norris had to make an early pitstop because debris from Leclerc's broken wing got caught in his brake ducts. He eventually finished 13th.
Daniel Ricciardo charged to seventh place, executing a very long first stint on medium tyres then switching to softs at the end and picking off several cars with just a few laps remaining
He passed teammate Nico Hulkenberg for ninth and promised his Renault team "I'll get them" as he pursued Lance Stroll and Pierre Gasly, who he then picked off on successive laps.
Stroll faded from the top 10 late on, with Hulkenberg nicking ninth and Sergio Perez set to steal the final point from Racing Point teammate Stroll on his penultimate lap.
But having also passed Hulkenberg, Perez crashed out on the final lap after contact with Gasly.
However, it then emerged that the chequered flag light panel had been erroneously illuminated a lap in advance, meaning the results were rolled back. Perez was thus reinstated into ninth place and Hulkenberg completed the top 10.
Race results
Cla | # | Driver | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 77 | | ![]() | Mercedes | 52 | 1:21'46.755 | |
2 | 5 | | ![]() | Ferrari | 52 | 1:22'00.098 | 13.343 |
3 | 44 | | ![]() | Mercedes | 52 | 1:22'00.613 | 13.858 |
4 | 23 | | ![]() | Red Bull | 52 | 1:22'46.292 | 59.537 |
5 | 55 | | ![]() | McLaren | 52 | 1:22'55.856 | 1'09.101 |
6 | 16 | | ![]() | Ferrari | 51 | 1:21'51.731 | 1 Lap |
7 | 3 | | ![]() | Renault | 51 | 1:21'57.458 | 1 Lap |
8 | 10 | | ![]() | Toro Rosso | 51 | 1:22'09.795 | 1 Lap |
9 | 11 | | ![]() | Racing Point | 51 | 1:22'10.165 | 1 Lap |
10 | 27 | | ![]() | Renault | 51 | 1:22'10.780 | 1 Lap |
11 | 18 | | ![]() | Racing Point | 51 | 1:22'13.40 | 1 Lap |
12 | 26 | | ![]() | Toro Rosso | 51 | 1:22'17.115 | 1 Lap |
13 | 4 | | ![]() | McLaren | 51 | 1:22'24.504 | 1 Lap |
14 | 7 | | ![]() | Alfa Romeo | 51 | 1:22'37.491 | 1 Lap |
15 | 8 | | ![]() | Haas | 51 | 1:22'44.514 | 1 Lap |
16 | 99 | | ![]() | Alfa Romeo | 51 | 1:23'03.072 | 1 Lap |
17 | 20 | | ![]() | Haas | 51 | 1:23'05.388 | 1 Lap |
18 | 63 | | ![]() | Williams | 50 | 1:21'43.978 | 2 Laps |
19 | 88 | | ![]() | Williams | 50 | 1:23'11.838 | 2 Laps |
33 | | ![]() | Red Bull | 14 | 22'58.020 | 38 Laps | |
View full results |

Previous article
Wolff: Ferrari's qualifying pace came "out of nowhere"
Next article
FIA: Vettel start was "within acceptable tolerance"

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Event | Japanese GP |
Author | Scott Mitchell |
Japanese GP: Bottas wins after terrible start for Ferrari
The defining traits that set F1’s best apart
What makes the very best drivers in Formula 1 stand out among what is already a highly elite bunch? Andrew Benson takes a closer look at those with the special blend of skill, judgment, feel and attitude that sets only a select few apart from the rest.
The updates Williams hopes will lead to a point-scoring return
After producing a car which demonstrated progress but lacked the points to prove it last year, Williams starts its new era of team ownership with the FW43B, its bid to continue the climb up the Formula 1 grid in 2021
How Ferrari plans to recover from its 2020 F1 nightmare
The 2020 Formula 1 season was Ferrari's worst for 40 years as it slumped to sixth in the standings. A repeat performance will not be acceptable for the proud Italian team, which has adopted a notably pragmatic approach to forging its path back to the top
Why Aston Martin’s arrival is more than just new green livery
In the most eagerly anticipated Formula 1 team launch of the season, the rebranded Aston Martin squad’s changes go much further than the striking paint job. But rather than a restart, the team hopes to build on top of solid foundations.
The car Aston Martin begins its new F1 journey with
The team formerly known as Racing Point gambled successfully on a Mercedes look-alike in 2020 as it mounted a strong challenge for third in the constructors' race and won the Sakhir GP. Now clothed in British racing green, Aston Martin's first Formula 1 challenger since 1960 provides the clearest indicator yet of what to expect from the new-for-2021 regulations
The tricky driver conundrums facing Mercedes in F1 2021
Ahead of the new Formula 1 season, reigning world champions Mercedes will take on challenges both old and new. This also can be said for its driver conundrum which could become key to sustaining its ongoing success...
How Alpine's cure to 2021 F1 rules starts at the front
A new name, new faces and new colours pulls the rebranded Alpine Formula 1 team into a new era while carrying over core elements of its 2020 car. But under the surface there's more than meets the eye with the A521 which hints at how the team will tackle 2021...
Can Mercedes' W12 retain the team's crown?
Replacing Formula 1's fastest car was never going to be an easy feat for Mercedes. Amid the technical rule tweaks to peg back the W12 and its 2021 rivals, the new Mercedes challenger will remain the target to beat