Lewis Hamilton:
The start was okay, although the initial getaway was not spectacularly good, I had a bit of wheel spin. But from then on I had a good start and it was pretty much under control from there. I was trying to manage the pace and the tyres; it was a long way to go, it was the hottest the track had been all weekend, so that was really crucial. With the VSC towards the end, I lost a lot of temperatures in the tyres and waking them up was not so easy. I got stuck behind traffic, I was losing so much time and Max' car was so big in my mirror. It was very close for a couple laps, but I was able to keep it together. It was not an easy walk in the park today, it was a win that I had to work very hard for. Great race by Max, I enjoyed racing him. It's almost unbelievable to think we are where we are in the championship. I was excited to race Sebastian today, but he was obviously very unfortunate. It's still a long way to go, there are still a hundred points. I'm just going to keep my head down and hopefully will continue to be in a form like this.
Valtteri Bottas:
It was a close fight; especially in the end I was getting closer to Daniel, but there just was not enough time anymore and the VSC didn't help either. The pace seemed to be okay, but coming to this race we always knew that overtaking is tricky. The strategy was good for me today. It created a good opportunity in the end, otherwise it would have been really difficult to even get close. The race was close to our game plan, but it would have been nice to be on the podium. We went through all of the scenarios before the race, so when Lewis caught up to me after his pit stop, of course I tried to help him win. I've definitely learned a lot again from this weekend. I now want to focus on the last few races, make the most out of them and see where we end up this year. I'm looking forward to Austin. I enjoy the track very much; it's where I got my first points in Formula One and I always love going back there.
Daniel Ricciardo:
"Overall the race today was a thumbs up for me. At the start of the weekend I said I wanted to get a podium in Suzuka and I got it. I can't go back on what I said and wish for more, but I need to look back at the start and the actual getaway as that was what cost me the place to Max and Ocon. The first 100 metres could have been better but otherwise the race was pretty lonely in third place. As fun as this track is on one lap it's tricky to do much in the race and very hard to follow another car. In the end it was actually nice to have some pressure from Valtteri to keep me pushing all the way to the finish. I felt confident I could keep third place in the closing laps if I drove cleanly and hit all the apexes, which is what I did. I'm happy to spray some more champagne, it's my ninth podium of the season which is a new record for me and to be in the position that we are now makes me pretty happy. It's really encouraging for the team to have another double podium, both cars are getting to the finish reliably now and we are also quick. We should be able to put up a good fight in Austin and Mexico and if we can keep this rolling into 2018 then absolutely we should be looking pretty good. All I have to say now is arigatooooooooo Japan."
Max Verstappen:
"This is my second year in a row on the podium here at Suzuka; it seems like Japan is a good place for me! Our car was very competitive in the corners but it meant we lost a bit on the straights and weren't ever really able to have a proper go at it. The degradation on the soft was really good and the balance felt good throughout the race, which is really positive in terms of finishing the season strongly. Lewis had some difficulties when he had traffic in front but at the end of the day he was controlling it. The traffic gave me a bit of a chance to close up and potentially have a chance to take him. It was a bit of a shame the back-markers came into play but I don't think it made a big difference, once Lewis had clean air I would have struggled to pass him. It just seems that the Mercedes struggle when following other cars closely. In the race it seems we are always more competitive than Qualifying, so I'm looking ahead to Austin and hoping we can carry this form on and get another podium. Two podiums in two weeks means I leave Asia extremely satisfied and excited to get back in the car in the US and try and extend this streak."
Sebastian Vettel:
I don't know if this situation has much to do with reliability. But we didn't finish the race, so there is a problem. I think it was a small issue causing a big one. We didn't have power already at the start and we tried to reset everything getting the power back, but something didn't work. Of course now the Championship is more difficult and not finishing the race doesn't help. I also said to the guys to get back home and have some rest because it's been a tough week with a lot of changes. Then we'll come back with a better package to do well for the last four races and then we'll see. Overall, I believe the team is in a good way. We are improving race by race and there are positive aspects too. But, of course, today you can't look too much at positive things.
Kimi Raikkonen:
Our starting position today was not ideal. I did a decent start on the soft tires and in the first lap I tried to gain some positions, but when I attempted to pass a Renault I ran wide and lost some places; so I had to make them back. The feeling in the car was a little bit tricky all the way through the race, not the nicest balance; some laps were ok, some others a bit more difficult. It's quite tricky to follow other cars on this track; we did a fairly good job out of overtaking people but we were too far from those at the front. Obviously, the final result is far from being the best possible. As for Sebastian, I don't know what happened; we have made a lot of improvements over the last few years as a team, but now, for whatever reason, we suddenly seem to have technical issues coming out from nothing. It's kind of weird, our cars are running perfectly and suddenly on Sunday there is an problem that nobody expects. There is some work to be done on that side. Then we are going to push until the last lap of the last race and we'll see where we end up.
Sergio Perez:
"I am very happy for the team with this great result, which was definitely the maximum we could achieve today. It was a relatively easy race: we had a strong qualifying session and we had good race pace, so we spent a lot of time on our own. I felt I was quicker than Esteban in the second stint and I had an opportunity to overtake him at the final restart, but we followed the team's instructions. We knew this would be the case so it wasn't a surprise, and swapping us wouldn't have made a difference in terms of points for the team, so I understand the team's perspective. In the end, Esteban did a great job during the whole weekend. The last two races have been really strong for us and I am very pleased with the results we have achieved. The 'Fuerza Mexico' message on the podium before the race meant a lot to me and I'd like to say 'thank you' to everyone in the paddock. The support my country has received in the last few weeks has been incredible and I hope we can keep helping, especially as we get ready for the race in Mexico later this month."
Esteban Ocon:
"It was a great race, especially the start and the opening laps, and I was running third for a long time. We are still missing a little bit of pace to keep the big guys behind, but it was great fun fighting at the front. I tried my best to keep Ricciardo and Bottas behind, but they were just too quick and I had to let them go and focus on my race. The main challenge today was managing my pace because it was a one-stop race and it was important to look after the tyres so they would be strong at the end. I was running ahead of Checo, we had nothing to gain from the cars ahead and a comfortable margin to the cars behind. So the priority was to bring the car home and score the big points. It's been an awesome weekend and it feels as though we achieved the maximum, which is why this result is so enjoyable. We also learned a lot about the car, which will make us stronger in Austin, so that we can hopefully close the gap on the teams ahead of us."
Felipe Massa:
It was a very difficult race for us today. I was struggling with the degradation of the tyres with both sets. The other cars had better pace than us today and it's difficult to understand why. At the end, I lost positions to both Haas in a move that was a little bit tricky, but they were much quicker than me anyway. If they didn't pass me there, I think they could have passed me afterwards with the pace difference. I'm not happy with the pace today, but looking at the problems we had, we still finished in front of Renault and Toro Rosso, and one point is better than nothing.
Lance Stroll:
I had a really good start and was up to 11th, but then I made a mistake in Turn 11, hit Magnussen and I think something went on the car. I had to box really early as I thought something was broken or I had a puncture. Then I had a long stint on the soft tyre, working my way back up, but we were out of the points at that stage. I then felt there was something a bit strange at the front end, and then had a puncture. It is always surprising when you get a puncture, as it is very much unexpected and unfortunate at the same time. I was very close to Ricciardo when I came back on the circuit, but I managed to brake without anything happening. Now we just have to turn the page, as it wasn't a lucky weekend for me, and look forward to Austin.
Fernando Alonso:
"We started 20th and we finished 11th, with a good recovery, with only one pit-stop, and starting on a used set of tyres. That was a pretty huge effort from everyone on the team. After the penalty on Friday night, due to the engine change, I think we deserved that one point - we fought hard for it.
"It was an unlucky situation with Felipe towards the end of the race. He was struggling a lot with his tyres when the Virtual Safety Car came out. That meant he could breathe a little bit during those laps. Then, in the last two laps, the leaders of the race caught up with us, and Felipe again missed out on an attack, and ultimately took the point for 10th place.
"We'll try again in Austin. Hopefully with no penalties. And from our usual grid position. And with some better luck..."
Stoffel Vandoorne
"We've had a couple of good races; but today's was one to forget, really.
"I made a reasonable start, then, as we went into Turn Two, and everyone was trying to find some space, I got hit by Kimi. I don't think it was intentional, it was just cars being in the wrong places at the wrong time.
"My afternoon was compromised from that point - I fell to the back, and drove my own race to the flag. Nonetheless Suzuka is a very special place, so it's just a shame we couldn't get a good result for all the thousands of fans in the grandstands today.
"The team deserves a bit of a break after this tough Asian triple-header. They've done a fantastic job in the past three races, now it's time to go back to Europe and hit back hard in the final four races."
Carlos Sainz Jr:
"How disappointing, this wasn't the way I wanted to end my time with Toro Rosso, that's for sure! I'd like to say sorry to the whole team for retiring on the first lap... I was trying to risk everything at the start to try and gain some positions, so I went around the outside at Turn 6 and I found a lot more dust on the track than I was expecting, and lost it; as simple as that. It's a shame, because I was really looking forward to finishing on a high here in Suzuka with the team but I'm going to remain positive: these three years here have been absolutely amazing – it's been an ideal preparation for me; the driver I am today, compared to the driver I was in 2015, is a more complete and better one, and this is thanks to Toro Rosso, who are a great group of professionals who have helped me a lot to become the driver I am today. It's going to be quite emotional leaving the track tonight..."
Pierre Gasly:
"It was quite a difficult race, I'm a bit disappointed. The overall pace was not great today, and I was struggling quite a bit with the car. I still tried to do my best and, at one point, I was doing well to keep behind a Haas, but as soon as I started to close the gap it became too difficult to stay behind or try to overtake. Then, after a massive lock-up, we had to pit earlier than expected... so definitely not an easy one, that's for sure, but we'll keep pushing! We now have to analyse today's race and try to improve the overall performance."
Romain Grosjean:
"It's our second double-score for the team, so that's pretty awesome. I'm very happy for the team. I knew yesterday I had some great pace in the car. I couldn't show it as I was always behind Kevin all race long, but I had much more pace in the car. I wish I could've been ahead. I think I could've fought with the Force Indias, so that's pretty good. We figured out how to get the tires to work a little bit better. It's clearly the key. When they work, it's so much faster. When they don't, you just struggle. We still need to improve that, but I felt much better in the car. I was happy with the brakes, everything went well. It's going to be great heading to Austin now for our second race there. It's such a cool track. I'm looking forward to seeing all the fans welcoming us and, hopefully, getting some more points there, as well."
Kevin Magnussen:
"I enjoyed my race. We maximized our potential as a team getting P8 and P9 and scoring points. I don't think we could've hoped for better, so I'm happy for us. I feel I've had some good races lately, but just haven't had that bit of luck that I needed to get the points. Today, it worked out. Hopefully, I can keep this going and score more points over the last bit of the season. Results like today are definitely not easy to get. You need to get everything right, and I think we did today, so well done to the team."
Nico Hulkenberg:
"That was frustrating as a good points haul was possible today. I had fresh Supersoft tyres for a short final stint. I was able to overtake a Toro Rosso straight after my pit stop to then set about attacking the HAAS. It's a shame, but a small metal component broke on the DRS mechanism which left it stuck open. We'll look at why it broke as we missed a good opportunity. I'm sure we can fight back, the car was pretty decent in the race today and there's plenty more to come from us in the final four Grands Prix."
Jolyon Palmer:
"We had a solid last race, we started from the back and with one more lap, I think we could have had tenth. It's been a tough season but the team and I have been through a lot, I've been here since the start of this new era for the team. We've come a long way and I've enjoyed it. I wish the team all the best in the future."
Marcus Ericsson:
"A disappointing outcome to the race for me at Suzuka. The beginning of the race was looking quite good, as I was able to gain some positions shortly after the start. Unfortunately, I went off the track at turn nine and hit the barriers. I am now shifting my focus to the next race at Austin, and look forward to getting back in the car soon."
Pascal Wehrlein:
"I can not be satisfied with today's race. I had issues with the balance of the car from the beginning of the race. I was not able to push as much as I would have done under normal circumstances. We are now looking at our data and trying to find the causes. Overall, a disappointing race for me here at Suzuka."
