Spain's Dani Pedrosa claimed the 50th Grand Prix win of his career on Sunday, taking victory in the Japanese MotoGP as runner-up Valentino Rossi extended his lead in the championship standings.
Mixing strong defence with measured attack, young wrestler Antim Panghal won her second World Championship medal with a dominating 9-1 victory over U-23 World Champion Emma Jonna Denise Malmgren in the bronze play-off in Zagreb on Thursday, ensuring that the Indian contingent won't return empty-handed from the Croatian capital.
The victory at Suzuka was the Dutch driver's 13th in 16 races this season and left him on the brink of a third world title.
Lando Norris completed a Hungarian Grand Prix practice double on Friday as runaway leaders McLaren dominated both sessions while leaving something in reserve and almost colliding at the end.
Renault's Fernando Alonso stormed to his second straight win at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday while McLaren's championship leader Lewis Hamilton failed to score.
Sebastian Vettel put himself on pole position for a second successive Formula One title on Saturday after Red Bull won a race against time to get his car up to speed at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Suzuka will host the Japanese Grand Prix next year as well as in 2011, the operators of the Honda-owned circuit said on Sunday after meeting Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone. Next year's race had been due to be hosted by Toyota's Fuji facility under an agreement to alternate but was thrown into doubt last month when that circuit gave up the hosting rights due to the global economic downturn.
Qualifying for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix was postponed to the morning of the race on Saturday after pouring rain made track conditions too treacherous for drivers.
World champion Max Verstappen got back to winning ways on Sunday with a third straight pole-to-flag victory at the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix, leading teammate Sergio Perez across the line for a Red Bull 1-2 at Suzuka.
Dominant double World champion Sebastian Vettel took pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix for the fourth year in succession on Saturday, with Mark Webber to start alongside the German on an all-Red Bull front row.
Michael Schumacher crashed out of Japanese Grand Prix practice on Friday, a day after announcing his retirement, while Australian Mark Webber set the pace for Red Bull.
Sebastian Vettel won the Japanese Grand Prix to roar back into the Formula One title reckoning on Sunday while Jenson Button had his overall advantage trimmed to 14 points with two races to go.
Kato suffered severe injuries to his head, neck and chest in the crash during the season-opening race on April 6.
The 14th lap brush with Heikki Kovalainen's McLaren compromised Adrian Sutil's race and the double finish was hardly a solace as Force India completed its Japanese Grand Prix campaign without a single point.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, the Briton's closest rival, finished only sixth after an early collision with Red Bull's Max Verstappen left the German fighting back from 19th place.
Sahara Force India's Nico Hulkenberg qualified 10th but will start Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix from the 15th position on the grid after being handed a five-place penaltly due to an unscheduled gearbox change.
Sebastian Vettel won the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday in a Red Bull one-two with Mark Webber, who stretched his Formula One championship lead to 14 points.
The seven times world champion lost control on the slippery surface, spun and clattered into the tyre barrier at the S-curve.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris topped the times for McLaren as four red flags, two caused by trackside grass fires, wreaked havoc with the second practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix on Friday.
Ducati's Marc Marquez won his fourth straight sprint of the season at the Qatar Grand Prix to retake the lead in the MotoGP riders' championship while his younger brother Alex of Gresini Racing took second place yet again on Saturday.
The Dutch driver won the race at Suzuka, with Leclerc demoted from second to third behind Red Bull's Sergio Perez for cutting the final chicane while defending from the Mexican on the last lap.
Verstappen suffered two retirements from the first three races but has otherwise finished all but two rounds in the top three.
Formula One's 2015 season, comprising 20 races, kicks-off in Australia on March 15.
Germany's Ralf Schumacher earned plaudits after putting Williams back on the podium in his penultimate race.
The FIA said the stewards concluded after a telephone hearing that the brake bias system "used innovative solutions to exploit certain ambiguities" and did not breach the technical regulations.
The win was a first for Ferrari in Mexico since 1990 and fourth of Carlos Sainz's career.
'Thank you to the Cannes Film Festival for having our film here. Please don't wait 30 years to have another Indian film.'
Michael Schumacher achieved more than any other driver in Formula One but the winner of a record seven World championships and 91 Grands Prix could not beat time however hard he raced.
Formula One teams are keeping a wary eye on the situation in Bahrain with the Gulf kingdom due to host a Grand Prix next April after this year's was cancelled due to civil unrest.
Sebastian Vettel has vowed to win the Formula One title in style even though he need finish only 10th in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix to be sure of becoming the sport's youngest double champion.
Nico Rosberg eased to victory at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday with a drive that handed Mercedes their third straight constructors championship and extended the German's lead in his pursuit of a maiden Formula One title.
Suzuka circuit will alternate with Fuji as host of the Japanese Grand Prix from 2009, Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and local organisers said on Saturday.
Six-times MotoGP champion Marc Marquez continued his perfect start with factory Ducati as he completed a weekend double at the season-opening Thailand Grand Prix on Sunday, finishing ahead of his younger brother Alex.
The second qualifying session dream finally materialised for Force India as Giancarlo Fisichella will start Sunday's Italian Grand Prix 12th on the grid while his team mate Adrian Sutil will begin from 20th position. In one of their best performances ever, Force India fought difficult conditions on a wet track because of heavy rain and cruised into Q2 for the first time this season.
Japan's Kamui Kobayashi will make his Formula One race debut in Brazil next weekend after Toyota ruled out regular driver Timo Glock due to a back injury on Sunday. Toyota said the 27-year-old German is also doubtful for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 1.
Germany's Nico Rosberg put Mercedes on pole position for Sunday's Japanese Formula One Grand Prix with championship-leading teammate Lewis Hamilton joining him on the front row.
Fernando Alonso believes this year's world title race ended when stewards decided not to punish McLaren team mate Lewis Hamilton.