Over aggressive driving and retaliatory tactics on the opening lap threw the 67-lap 2008 Formula 1 FUJI TV Japan Grand Prix at Fuji Speedway into a free for all, two of the sport’s star players having their race, for all intents and purposes, blighted right from the onset. First, World Championship leader Lewis Hamilton of the McLaren outfit was struck with a drive-through penalty for shoving Scuderia Ferrari rival Kimi Raikkonen out of the way at the start of the race. Moreover, Felipe Massa incurred the same penalty shortly thereafter for turning around title adversary Hamilton.

The benefit of all this late season drama and calamity? Renault's Fernando Alonso, the Spaniard winning his second Grand Prix of the season. Meanwhile BMW pilot Robert Kubica placed an outstanding second overall while Raikkonen finished off the podium with a hard earned third place position at the flag. And of McLaren and Ferrari antagonists? Massa finished eighth and Hamilton placed out of the points in 12th.

When the red lights extinguished themselves and the field set out to attack the 4.53-kilometer circuit and begin the Grand Prix, Hamilton wasn’t able to enjoy the launch he wanted, thus finding himself behind Kimi Raikkonen as the duo dove into turn one. Hamilton refused to lift, though, and forced Raikkonen into the run-off, as well as Heikki Kovalainen and Massa. Hamilton’s overtly aggressive move thus provided an opportunity for Kubica and Alonso to race up into first and second. Following them were drivers Kovalainen, Massa, Hamilton and Raikkonen tumbling down the scoring monitors.

One lap later, Massa botched it in turn 10, and Hamilton was by him and into fifth. However, Massa immediately counter-attacked and wrecked Hamilton. End result: Drive-through penalties for both racers. Meanwhile, with all this madness behind him, Kubica held station at the front, with a slight lead over Alonso and Kovalainen.

During and after the first pit stop, Alonso was able to manage to hustle his RS27-powered R28 back out onto the circuit ahead of Kubica and assumed possession of P1. Soon after, Kovalainen's Mercedes-Benz FO108V came unglued, with the MP4-23 sputtering to a standstill and his race was run.

On lap number 43, Alonso pitted for the last time, and when it was all over and done with, enjoyed a 13 second lead gap over Kubica and 18-seconds over Raikkonen. From that point onward, Alonso kept it pinned and drove away to a searing victory.

"It's difficult to believe," Alonso said later. "Obviously the Singapore win was completely unexpected after a very sad Saturday coming from retirement in qualifying. OK, I won with special conditions with the safety car, but today we had nothing and we won again and at a circuit that is not particularly good for our characteristics. I cannot believe it right now, back-to-back wins. The team did a great job to improve the car and we are right now behind Ferrari and McLaren and this is something completely amazing."

As the race neared the all-conclusive 67-lap mark, Raikkonen and Kubica waged a scintillating wheel-to-wheel duel, the Pole eventually managing to pull away slightly and that’s the way they would finish. Nelson Piquet, in the other Renault, finished fourth, ahead of Jarno Trulli and his Toyota TF108. Toro Rosso wheelmen Sebastien Bourdais and Sebastian Vettel raced to sixth and seventh finishes, with Massa a somewhat lowly eighth.

Sebastien Bourdais was later penalized for a collision with Felipe Massa in turn one and suffered a 25 second penalty dropping him down the order to tenth and helping Massa gain one more championship point.

Said Hamilton of his of his overly aggressive move that threw the start of the race into chaos: "You can always look back and wish you'd done something differently. I made a mistake and I paid for it. That sort of thing happens, you've just got to keep your head up and keep going."

Lewis Hamilton leads Massa 84-79 in the race for the 2008 Formula 1 World Championship with the Chinese GP in just one week’s time. Dangerously close now, Robert Kubica lurks back in third just six points back from Massa.

Eric Johnson