SUZUKA, Japan – There was an interesting symmetry in the two first practice sessions Friday in preparation for the Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka: Jenson Button, the only driver who is still capable of winning the drivers’ championship other than the series’ leader, finished fastest of the day in both the first and second sessions, while Sebastian Vettel, the man who needs only one more point to clinch the title, crashed in the first session.
I think the thought ran through everyone’s mind: If Vettel injured himself in a crash like that, then Button’s chances of winning the title would go up. Still, as Button himself pointed out in a press conference on Thursday, he doesn’t have much of a chance, as he has to win all five remaining races.
Still, Lee McKenzie, the BBC reporter, posted a message on Twitter that Vettel had told her that his crash was a reminder not to get ahead of himself and that the title was not yet won. So it did go through his mind too. Sounds like he is walking on eggshells. But the crash really was not that serious. Vettel drove off the track and slid into the tire barrier, and the car was not badly damaged.
Meanwhile, with all the talk among the teams of the tsunami in Japan this year, I’ve just learned from an associate of Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One promoter, that Ecclestone has bought 3,000 tickets to the race for the tsunami victims.