Japan Grand Prix: Hamilton wins, Alonso crashes.

The Japan Grand Prix was run under rainy conditions today and the result of the race will influence the result of the drivers championship.

The race started behind the safety car for the first 19 laps because of the amount of water accumulated on the track. Once the safety car went back to the garage on lap 19, Lewis Hamilton showcased his ability to drive in rainy conditions, resisting to Fernando Alonso's attacks to finally finished the race in first place.

This Japanese Grand Prix becomes the 4th victory of Lewis Hamilton this season.

The race for the drivers championship has taken a turn for the worse for Fernando Alonso in the late stage of the race. The defending champion has crashed his McLaren-Mercedes into the railings during the second half of the race, greatly depleting his chances of finishing in front of Lewis Hamilton in the drivers standings.

The Renault cars have also taken advantage of the rainy condition by finishing 2nd and 5th. The best performance of the season for this team. With only 2 races to go to the 2008 championship, Lewis Hamilton now has a 12 point lead over Fernando Alonso.

The next Grand Prix will take place in China during the next weekend. The drivers championship could be decided next week.

Here is the Japan GP top 10 finish:

Winner: Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2-Heikki Kovalainen (Renault)
3-Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
4-David Coulthard (Red Bull)
5-Giancarlo Fisichella (Renault)
6-Felipe Massa (Ferrari)
7-Robert Kubica (BMW)
8-Vitantonio Liuzzi (Toro Rosso)
9-Adrian Sutil (Spyker F1)
10-Rubens Barrichello (Honda)

Drivers championship after 15/17 races:

1-Lewis Hamilton 107 points
2-Fernando Alonso 95 points
3-Kimi Raikkonen 90 points
4-Felipe Massa 80 points
5-Nick Heidfeld 56 points
6-Robert Kubica 35 points
7-Heikki Kovalainen 30 points
8-Giancarlo Fisichella 21 points
9-Nico Rosberg 15 points
10-Alexander Wurz 13 points

Constructors championship:

1-Ferrari 170 points *(2007 champion)
2-BMW-Sauber 92 points
3-Renault 51 points
4-Williams 28 points
5-Red Bull 23 points
6-Toyota 12 points
7-Super Aguri 4 points
8-Honda 2 points
9-Toro Rosso 1 point

(Pictures: Fernando Alonso, F1-live.com and Lewis Hamilton, Getty images)