2014 Japanese Grand Prix F1: The Top 10 Results from Readers

The fifteenth Grand Prix of the season, in Suzuka, was won by Lewis Hamilton ahead of Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel. The rest of the top 10 included, in order, Daniel Ricciardo, Jenson Button, Valtteri Bottas, Felipe Massa, Nico Hülkenberg, Jean-Eric Vergne, and Sergio Pérez.

Before delivering the top 10, the editorial team at MotorsInside decided to remove Jules Bianchi from this ranking, who was, thanks to your votes, in third position. The circumstances of the race led us to consider that his ranking had more to do with the tragedy that followed his terrible accident rather than his sporting performance. While we respect your choices, we prefer to think that the position currently held by the Marussia driver in the overall rankings has more value due – and only due – to the Monaco Grand Prix (where you placed him 4th) which rewarded his excellent race. Thank you for your understanding.

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

Less swift than Nico Rosberg in qualifying, the Briton was, however, the fastest on the wet track, despite two errors that could have been detrimental. Once he overtook his teammate, he was quickly out of reach, concluding a perfect race in challenging conditions.

2. Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

Far from being disturbed by the announcement of his departure, the German delivered an aggressive and controlled race (overtaking Massa, Bottas, and Button) with a car set up for rain to secure his second consecutive podium and another trophy in the long list of those he has bequeathed to Red Bull.

3. Jenson Button (McLaren)

As often in wet conditions, the tenacity of the Briton almost paid off beyond his expectations: if, during the restart of the race, he was immediately able to benefit from his choice to switch to intermediates, during the second interruption, he couldn’t benefit from the freshly mounted wet tires.

4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)

The Australian, who has been less performant than his teammate, added overtakes on the outside of Massa and Bottas to the list of notable maneuvers he has executed this season at the wheel of the RB10.

5. Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)

Performant in qualifying, the German did not appear as comfortable in the race: a victim of oversteer – with the same settings as his teammate, he mentioned after the race – he was never able to gain more than a two-second lead over Hamilton, who overtook him after the middle of the race and then significantly widened the gap.

6. Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso)

Starting 20th following his engine change, the Frenchman delivered the expected race performance by using his skills in the rain to play the card of a long stint on intermediate tires, which could have been even more successful without the race stoppage.

7. Valtteri Bottas (Williams)

More comfortable than his teammate, the Finnish driver endured the difficulties of his Williams FW36 lacking downforce in tricky conditions. The premature end of the race likely helped the Williams team avoid plummeting in the standings.

8. Felipe Massa (Williams)

The Brazilian complained about poor visibility right from the start of the race. The rest of his race was challenging, like walking on eggshells, with a chaotic end during which he continuously called for the race to be neutralized.

9. Nico Hülkenberg (Force India)

The German was in a very good position for a long time before the end of the race caused him to fall back during the pit stop exchanges, where he lost the benefit of his strong Grand Prix.

10. Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)

Difficult to understand what motivated the Spaniard’s presence in the readers’ ranking, as he was only able to complete two laps under the safety car regime at the start of the race.

The general readership rankings of the 2014 season