Incredible footage showing Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel’s battle to cross the Suzuka circuit finish line has surfaced and it's absolutely superb to watch.
The footage was taken from Alonso and Vettel’s onboard cameras near the end of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, which saw Max Verstappen claim his second Formula 1 World Championship title after winning the race.
The video begins with Alonso gaining on Vettel in the final lap. In heavy rain, he attempts to overtake him and the two have a battle around the chicane, both trying to gain the lead while avoiding a collision.
The drivers narrowly avoid hitting each other, with Alonso seemingly successful, but Sebastian had other ideas in the Aston Martin.
Indeed, Vettel, who appears to come out of nowhere, inches ahead as the video comes to an end. Vettel finished in sixth, 0.011 seconds ahead of Alonso; fan footage on Twitter showed just how close the two were as they approached the finish line.
Videos: Alonso's battle with Vettel at Japan GP
Some fans lamented the lack of similar footage shown earlier on during the race, with many asking why Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s race highlights were given airtime – instead of this moment – in the official live race coverage.
One user commented that the coverage was “way too busy showing Hamilton,” while another complained that “they showed an immediate replay for Charles vs Checo and no replay at all for this.”
What happened at the Japan GP?
The race itself was another controversial one, with the three-hour time limit being hit following an earlier red flag.
In the aftermath of the race, many fans and drivers were angered by the appearance of a recovery tractor on the track, which Pierre Gasly narrowly avoided colliding with in poor visibility.
Lando Norris called the incident “unacceptable.” Gasly, meanwhile, was later given a 20-second time penalty and two penalty points for going too fast under red flag conditions.
Elsewhere, Leclerc finished P2 but was given a five-second penalty after running wide and cutting the final chicane, so Sergio Perez took his place in second. Esteban Ocon narrowly beat Hamilton to P4, while George Russell, Nicholas Latifi and Norris rounded off the top 10.