Click above for high-res gallery of the Japanese F1 GP

Wildcards. That's what racing fans want, isn't it? Yet so many seasons in the recent history of grand prix racing have been down to just a handful of drivers - just one or two, in many cases - contending for race victories and ultimately the championship. Last year's four-way face-off between Kimi Raikkonnen, Felipe Massa, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso put the racing world on notice. But even that free-for-all is paling by comparison to this season, with no fewer than seven drivers (Hamilton, Raikkonen, Massa, BMW's Robert Kubica, McLaren's number two Heikki Kovalainen, double world champion Fernando Alonso and even perennial back-marker Toro Rosso's Sebastian Vettel) taking turns on the top step of the podium, turning the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship into a heated battle the likes of which we haven't seen for a long time. This weekend's Japanese Grand Prix was no exception. And if you don't have it recorded for future enjoyment, follow the jump to read why.

Gallery: 2008 Japanese Formula One Grand Prix

Continue reading Japanese GP: Wheel to Wheel Action at Fuji [SPOILER ALERT]

Japanese GP: Wheel to Wheel Action at Fuji [SPOILER ALERT] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.