Motor Sport: Fernando Alonso secured his second successive Formula One victory after winning the Japanese Grand Prix today while world championship leader Lewis Hamilton failed to finished inside the points.
The Renault driver, starting fourth on the grid, followed up his victory in Singapore with another win but a disastrous start for Hamilton meant the McLaren driver could only manage 12th. Hamilton's title rival Felipe Massa cut the gap at the top of the driver standings to six points after finishing eighth.
BMW Sauber's Robert Kubica claimed second place while Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen finished third.
"I made a mistake at the first corner and I paid for it," Hamilton told reporters afterwards. "Then Felipe hit me off. I left room on the apex of turn 11 but he hit me pretty hard.
Hamilton, who won in Japan last year before allowing Raikkonen to make up a 17 point deficit over the final two races to take the title, said his championship hopes had not suffered serious damage.
"I don't think it makes any difference," said the 23-year-old. "I lost one point today which is I guess damage limitation. We'll move on to next week.
"We'll still be as competitive and we are going to make sure we win the last two races."
Kubica finished second to boost the Pole's outside chances of the championship, while Raikkonen's third place ended his title defence.
Hamilton has 84 points with Massa on 78. Kubica has 72 with only races in China and Brazil left.
"It's completely unexpected," said Alonso, a surprise winner in Singapore two weeks ago for a team who started the season struggling to score points.
"I can't believe it. Anything is possible now in the last two races," added the double world champion, who had started fourth.
Raikkonen, who started alongside Hamilton on the front row, earned Ferrari six points, lifting them back above McLaren in the contructors' race. Ferrari have 141 to McLaren's 135.
Renault's Brazilian rookie Nelson Piquet finished fourth with Toyota's Jarno Trulli taking fifth at the Japanese team's home circuit in front of the Toro Rossos of Sebastien Bourdais and Sebastian Vettel.
Japan's only Formula One driver Kazuki Nakajima was 15th in his home debut for Williams.