Japan: The perfect circuit to test your driving

« The entire circuit is designed to follow the terrain, so there are many changes in elevation and in every corner, you feel its unique character, unlike a pale imitation of a good corner from another circuit »

Through his words, Valtteri Bottas highlights the Japanese character, the will, and the mindset to live with the elements without altering them. What makes Suzuka unique is the fact that its layout follows the hills and dips of the area where it was built. It is also one of the few tracks constructed in a “figure eight” shape with a passage under the bridge on the straight line of the circuit’s EAST configuration after Degner 2. Over time, some corners have left their mark on drivers, and the circuit itself now inspires many people. Just as Eau Rouge and Raidillon leave a mark on us at Spa-Francorchamps, Spoon and 130R leave a mark at Suzuka (especially since the unfortunate, fatal accident of Jules Bianchi occurred two years ago, for whom Daniel Ricciardo dedicated his victory last weekend in his memory).

Follow Nico Hülkenberg for a lap to discover or rediscover this magnificent track

Suzuka preferred over Fuji for the Japanese Grand Prix

When the Japanese Grand Prix was introduced into the F1 World Championship in 1976, the circuit chosen was Fuji Speedway, but this only lasted for two seasons, and in 1978, the Japanese Grand Prix disappeared.

During the 1987 season, a race in Japan was scheduled once again, but this time the chosen circuit was Suzuka. The return of the Japanese Grand Prix and moreover to Suzuka occurred due to Honda’s dominance, owner of the track, in F1 since the 1985 season with star driver Alain Prost at the wheel of McLaren. Since then, the Japanese Grand Prix has been a decisive stage of the championship as it is often scheduled during the final races of the championship. Between 1995 and 2004, Michael Schumacher triumphed 6 times out of 10 races held at Suzuka, making him the track’s record holder.

In 2007 and 2008, the Japanese Grand Prix was once again contested at the Fuji Speedway, but in 2009, Suzuka regained its rights. At that time, there was talk of alternating between the two tracks from one year to the next, but Toyota, the owner of Fuji, preferred not to commit due to the economic crisis.

Challenges: Will Hamilton regain his strength?

After last Sunday’s catastrophe when, on the 41st lap of the Malaysian Grand Prix, Hamilton’s engine gave out, he was completely bewildered and blamed his misfortune. Out of eight cars equipped with a Mercedes power unit, only his had experienced mechanical problems this season. Despite his alarming remarks, he quickly issued a statement confirming his full trust in his team. Meanwhile, Rosberg is extending his lead in the world championship, now 23 points ahead of the Briton, almost one victory ahead with five races remaining in the season.

On Japanese soil, the McLaren engine block is playing at home this weekend. Indeed, the Honda brand that powers Alonso and Button’s MP4-31 is none other than the owner of the Suzuka circuit, which it uses as a test track for its production models.

In a good dynamic for several races now, McLaren continues to rack up points finishes and placed both of its cars in the Top 10 for the third time this season at Sepang. More importantly, a year after Fernando Alonso’s infamous “GP2 engine” radio message, Honda arrives in Suzuka with an engine worthy of its competitors, albeit still lacking in power. Especially since the latest engine upgrade was installed and tested last Friday on Alonso’s car only, and the results seemed very promising. Although he ran with the previous version, equipped with an improved Turbo and MGU-H, the new engine will indeed be installed on car No. 14 for this weekend, aiming for the engine manufacturer to dazzle Japanese fans with a very good result from the Woking team.

If the battle for 2nd place in the Constructors’ Championship seems now over with Red Bull soaring ahead of Ferrari lacking in performance and consistency, we still expect a track battle between the two teams. In the Drivers’ Championship, while Ricciardo, in 3rd place, now has a 44-point lead over Kimi Räikkönen in 4th, the latter is threatened by Vettel and Verstappen, who are 7 and 13 points behind the Finn, respectively. Although Sergio Marchionne expressed doubts about Räikkönen during the summer break, he has been strong and consistent, finishing 4th in the last three Grand Prix, while on the other side of the garage, doubts weigh heavier on Vettel’s mind after his mistake at the start in Sepang.

Regarding Force India and Williams, the battle for the 4th place continues in favor of Force India, which placed both its cars in the points in Malaysia, allowing the team to regain the lead by 3 points. Suzuka being a circuit favoring downforce and aerodynamics, we can expect Force India to be more comfortable than Williams, especially if Massa does not regain competitiveness to support Bottas in the fight for points. Sergio Pérez confirmed at Sepang that he will stay with Force India next season, which is one less thing on the driver’s mind so he can focus and continue scoring points following his 6th place last weekend while Nico Hülkenberg finished in 9th place.

In the second part of the table, it’s a refreshed Renault team approaching the end of the season. In Singapore, Magnussen offered a new point to the Enstone team, and in Malaysia, Palmer scored his first point in Formula 1 ahead of Carlos Sainz’s Toro Rosso. It’s important not to forget the Friday morning incident where Kevin Magnussen’s car caught fire in the pits due to a faulty fuel intake valve, according to Frédéric Vasseur, who shared this information during the second session. While there are no major incidents to report for Toro Rosso, we can only observe the gradual decline of the Italian team over the Grand Prix. Although Daniil Kvyat grabbed two points for 9th place in Singapore, he could do no better than 13th in Malaysia, and Carlos Sainz did not bring back any points either.

On the French side, the learning continues for Esteban Ocon as well as his confrontation with Pascal Wehrlein. Although he finished behind him this weekend, Esteban Ocon made the same fantastic comeback as Alonso in the first lap, moving from 20th to 10th place. This performance is marred by two penalties he received later for exceeding the speed limit in the pit lane twice. As for Romain Grosjean, the future seems less bright. For several Grand Prix, problems have been piling up along with retirements. The Swiss driver seems to no longer understand his car, and the braking system has failed him in the last two events. Additionally, Haas encountered another problem in Sepang; Gutierrez’s front left wheel detached after he exited the pits, for which the American team received a fine of €5000.

To (really) know everything…

For the 2007 season, the decision was made not to race at Suzuka because the circuit no longer met safety standards, but there had to be a Japanese Grand Prix, so Formula 1 returned after 30 years to Fuji Speedway, at the foot of the eponymous mountain. The circuit had changed its layout many times during this period, and the cars were going to race on a Fuji Speedway that had nothing to do with the one where Mario Andretti and James Hunt had prevailed in 1976 and 1977. The 2007 layout was 204 meters longer, and the 300R, which previously joined the main straight, was now cut by a hairpin followed by a winding section of 6 corners before rejoining the straight. It rained for a good part of the weekend, notably during qualifying and the race. The start was given under a safety car, which only withdrew on the 20th lap. In the new theater of fraternal struggle between the McLaren drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso battled at the front before the latter abandoned due to a suspension failure. It was his first retirement as well as McLaren’s first this season, with Hamilton taking victory. The Briton achieved his first hat-trick on this occasion.

As we mentioned earlier, the Japanese Grand Prix took place at Fuji Speedway and not at Suzuka during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. When counting only the victories at the Suzuka circuit, Michael Schumacher holds the record with 6 wins, and Sebastian Vettel follows with 4 wins. Lewis Hamilton has 2 victories, while Fernando Alonso and Kimi Räikkönen each have one.

Like the Malaysian stage last weekend, it’s also Kimi Räikkönen, the oldest winner still on the track at the Suzuka circuit.

Accustomed to the role, Emanuele Pirro will be the chief steward this weekend at Suzuka. The Italian is now 54 years old and raced in the premier discipline from 1989 to 1991 but did not find success. The world of endurance racing was much more profitable for him; he is now a five-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He also won once at the 24 Hours of Indianapolis and twice at the 12 Hours of Sebring. He has also won championship titles in the German and Italian Touring Car championships.

On the tire front, the rubber brought by Pirelli will be the same as in Malaysia, namely the soft, medium, and hard tires. However, wear will be less pronounced than it was on the Sepang circuit, and the weather conditions will be more favorable. With 53 laps to cover, a 2-stop strategy should be the most favored, as it was last year.

You can find the individual choices of the drivers below

The #JapaneseGP orders are in! https://t.co/ziP5BAFshO What’s your #F1 team’s #PZero flavour? pic.twitter.com/LEBdNZ6qBY

— Pirelli Motorsport (@Pirellisport) 27 septembre /f1/actualite/21377-shoey-qui-peut-pour-ricciardo-et-red-bull-.html

Regarding the DRS zone, it is typically located on the main straight of the pits with the particularity that the detection zone is placed just before the chicane that precedes the right turn to reach the straight.

On the weather front, expect mixed conditions this weekend. Free Practice Sessions 1 and 2 should take place in dry conditions but under overcast skies with temperatures around 25°C, while rain is expected to appear on Saturday morning with showers diminishing to perhaps allow for dry qualifications. Mixed conditions are expected for the race on Sunday as heavy rain and thunderstorms are anticipated.

Don’t forget the TV program!

Just like last week, the session times will be very early in the morning and even an hour earlier than in Malaysia.