15 seconds of carnage

Suzuka Smash

Two accidents defined the start of the Japanese Grand Prix and took four drivers out of the action as soon as it had begun. Although both accidents were over in seconds they had started well before the drivers made contact.

PETROV and HULKENBERG

• Petrov makes a brilliant start from 13th place on the grid and instantly pulls alongside Massa’s Ferrari in 12th.
• Hulkenberg makes a very poor start from ninth on the left side of the track and falls behind Michael Schumacher.
• Hulkenberg continues falling backwards and Nick Heidfeld moves his right side.
• Petrov clears Massa and closes in on Heidfeld in front.
• Heidfeld clears Hulkenberg and has Petrov directly behind his left rear wheel.
• Petrov is alongside Hulkenberg’s right side and is heading for a gap to the left of Heidfeld.
• Heidfeld starts moving across the circuit from right to left, and closes the gap in front of Petrov.
• Petrov starts moving left in an effort to get ahead of the Sauber, but does so before clearing Hulkenberg.
• Petrov and Hulkenberg made contact and Vitaly spins into the wall. Both are out of the race.

Interestingly, Petrov was ahead of Massa by the time he jinked left to pass Heidfeld. If he had moved right instead he would have avoided the contact with Hulkenberg and would probably have passed Heidfeld on the inside towards turn one. Petrov’s careless chop saw him rewarded with a five place grid penalty in Korea.

MASSA and LIUZZI

• Felipe Massa makes a poor start from 12th on the grid and falls behind Petrov.
• Massa moves up to 11th when Petrov and Hulkenberg wipeout to his left.
• Felipe continues down the right side of the track. Sutil pulls alongside him on the left.
• Sutil gets ahead of Massa as they pull up behind the slow moving Mercedes of Nico Rosberg.
• Sutil pulls alongside Rosberg on the left hand side on the run towards turn one. They are wheel to wheel in the middle of the circuit with a car’s width either side.
• Massa, travelling quicker than Rosberg, goes for the gap on the right hand side.
• Sutil’s rear wheels are in line with the front of Rosberg’s car, and he starts moving right to assume the quickest line into the first corner.
• Massa moves his nosecone inside Rosberg’s rear wheels.
• Rosberg has no option but to move right since he is being squeezed by Sutil, and is presumably oblivious to Massa’s presence.
• Felipe takes to the grass to avoid a high speed collision with Rosberg, a decision that seals his fate.
• Liuzzi pulls ahead of Alguersuari around the outside of the entry into turn one.
• Massa slews across the circuit ahead of Alguersuari and into the side of Liuzzi.
• Liuzzi is pushed into the barrier at high speed whilst Massa spins into the run-off area. Both are out and thankfully uninjured.

Stewards judged the Massa-Liuzzi crash as a racing incident and that’s probably fair enough. Massa caused a collision because he was trying to avoid one, not because he was throwing a wild move up the inside.

It’s interesting that all four drivers who retired at the start have been facing speculation about their seats in 2011. The pressure is only going to build heading into under pressure to hold onto their seats lately. The pressure is only going to build is result would not have helped so they will be under more pressure to score points in Korea.

Posted by Martin Porter. - Follow him on twitter @mpondaweb.

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