The odds seemed stacked against Formula One actually completing the full 53-lap Japanese Grand Prix.
Rain created chaotic conditions on the opening lap as Carlos Sainz aquaplaned into a barrier, a piece of the advertising board ended up on the front nose of Pierre Gasly’s car and Alex Albon came to a stop on the track. Zhou Guanyu and Sebastian Vettel both had separate spins, the Alfa Romeo at the hairpin and the Aston Martin claiming Fernando Alonso hit him.
The red flag suspended the race, pausing the two-hour race clock but the three-hour timer of when the grand prix needed to end continued to tick. Lewis Hamilton said over the radio to engineer Peter Bonnington as he returned to the pits: “Do you think this is going to let off at any stage?” Bonnington replied, “The forecast is pretty grim, but let’s see.”
