Suzuka News

The German`s absence was understandable given the commotion around his car on the starting grid as the Italian team`s mechanics hurried to fix a spark plug problem with the clock ticking.

Hamilton started on pole position and now leads Vettel, who retired on the fourth lap, by 59 points in the standings with four races remaining. He could clinch the title as early as the next U.S. Grand Prix.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo set the fourth-fastest time ahead of Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen, winner in Malaysia last weekend.

The four-time champion is due some luck after successive setbacks in the last two races have left him 34 points behind Hamilton in the overall standings with just five of the season's 20 races remaining.

Kimi Raikkonen said Ferrari have "surprised" themselves with their performance in some races this season.

Lewis Hamilton denied he had acted unsportingly with the move which swept him past fierce rival Nico Rosberg at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday.

Nico Hulkenberg brushed aside a poor qualifying to finish sixth at the Japanese Grand Prix as Sahara Force India maintained its fifth place in the constructors championship table, here on Sunday.

Sahara Force India's Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg will start the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix from ninth and 14th on the grid.

 Jules Bianchi`s death shook Formula One and forced it to take a fresh look at safety, two decades after Ayrton Senna`s fatal crash ushered in a series of reforms.

Mercedes go into Sunday`s Japanese Grand Prix hoping to show that their baffling lack of pace in Singapore was just a one-off but Lewis Hamilton and team mate Nico Rosberg need some convincing.