There was heavy rain at Fuji Speedway circuit, as rain and mist forced the race to start under the safety car with visibility virtually impossible.
However, after 19 agonising laps tiptoeing around the 4.5km circuit, the cars were given the green light and the race was on.
Lewis Hamilton drove a faultless race in difficult conditions, whilst others fell by the wayside
including team-mate Fernando Alonso who crashed out after aquaplaning on lap 42.
Lewis Hamilton now has 12 points advantage over team-mate and rival Fernando Alonso with 2 races to go.
Renault finally managed to secure a podium finish this year as Heikki Kovalainen, secured second place and Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen finished third.
Webber’s David Coulthard secured his best result of the season finishing in fourth while Renault's Giancarlo Fisichella grabbed fifth place.
Felipe Massa provided a glorious moment of F1 history as he battled with BMW-Sauber’s Robert Kubica in the last few corners of the race as both drivers bumped and squeezed each other off the track in a thrilling piece of racing action and finished the race six and seventh respectively.
Vitantonio Liuzzi securing his first point of the season in eighth place.
Top 3 Drivers at Japanese Grand Prix
- Lewis Hamilton - Mclaren
- Heikki Kovalainen - Renault
- Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari
Standing after 15 Races
Driver's Championship
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) - 107 points
Fernando Alonso (McLaren) - 95 points
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) - 90 points
Felippa Massa (Ferrari) - 80 points
Constructor's Championship
Ferrari - 170 points
BMW Sauber - 92 points
Renault - 51 points