2007 Japanese Grand Prix

The 2007 Japanese Grand Prix (officially the 2007 Formula 1 Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix) was a Formula One motor race held on 30 September 2007 at the Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Shizuoka. The 67-lap race was the fifteenth round of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship. It was held at the recently revised track in very heavy rain and misty conditions. For the previous 20 years, the Japanese Grand Prix had been held at Suzuka Circuit, but at this race it returned to Fuji for the first time since 1977. The very wet race was won by McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton, who also took pole position and the fastest lap of the race. Heikki Kovalainen achieved his first podium, by finishing second for the Renault team (Renault's only podium that year), whilst Kimi Räikkönen finished in third for Ferrari. Adrian Sutil scored his first point and Spyker's first and only point by finishing ninth and being promoted to eighth after the race following a penalty for Vitantonio Liuzzi.

As a consequence of the race, Hamilton extended his lead in the World Drivers' Championship to twelve points over McLaren teammate Fernando Alonso. Alonso had only been two points behind Hamilton in the standings before he crashed during the race. Räikkönen's third-place finish ensured he remained in mathematical contention to clinch the drivers' title in the remaining two rounds. His Ferrari teammate, Felipe Massa, dropped out of championship contention after finishing the race in sixth position. Massa was now ten points behind Räikkönen. In the World Constructors' Championship, Ferrari were leading the standings on 170 points. McLaren would have been leading the table on 202 points had they not been given a penalty in the Hungarian Grand Prix, and then disqualified entirely due to the espionage controversy that year. BMW Sauber remained second in the standings, 78 points behind Ferrari, after scoring just two points in the race. Renault ensured that they would finish the year in third, (like BMW Sauber, they were unpassable by any other team), and were 41 points behind.

Lewis Hamilton of McLaren led the Drivers' Championship by two points from his team-mate Fernando Alonso, who was a further 11 points ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen. After McLaren's exclusion from the Constructors' Championship, Ferrari had been confirmed as Constructors' Champions, following their Belgian Grand Prix one-two. They were 71 points ahead of BMW Sauber.

Three Japanese constructors and two Japanese drivers competed in the race. Toyota were 6th in the Constructors' Championship, whilst Honda were 8th, behind their own "B-team" Super Aguri. Takuma Sato was 15th in the Drivers' Championship for Super Aguri, whilst compatriot Sakon Yamamoto had yet to score for Spyker F1, having debuted at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

David Coulthard changed his helmet design for this race, choosing to use the helmet design of former World Rally Champion Colin McRae, who had died two weeks before the race in a helicopter crash.

As with the 2006 race, the event was filmed and broadcast in high-definition by Fuji Television for the domestic Japanese audience.

Although the weather had dried out by the time qualifying began, the track was still wet and all the drivers went out on wet tyres.

Qualifying one saw the two Spykers of Adrian Sutil and Sakon Yamamoto and the two Super Aguris of Anthony Davidson and Takuma Sato eliminated, along with Alexander Wurz in the Williams and Rubens Barrichello in the Honda. Ralf Schumacher's Toyota also collided with Yamamoto, forcing both drivers out of qualifying. Schumacher was already through to Q2, but could not set a time in the second session and so qualified 16th.