formula 1 Grand Prix

2014 Japanese Grand Prix, Suzuka: Preview and Weekend Times

di Matteo Bramati28 September 2014

Opening hours

Friday October 3

Free 1: 3:00-4:30 (Sky Sport F1 HD)

Free 2: 7:00-8:30 (Sky Sport F1 HD)

Saturday October 4

Free 3: 4:00-5:00 (Sky Sport F1 HD)

Qualifying: 7pm (Sky Sport F00 HD)

Sunday October 5

Race: 8:00 ̶ 53 laps ̶ 307,471km (Sky Sport F1 HD)

* all times indicated refer to Italy: there is a 7 hour difference between Italy and Japan.

Direct: SKY Sports F1 HD (full broadcast of the grand prix on Rai channels: for more information on Thursday evening we will publish the flash preview with updated times)

Previous race

Podium:

Lewis Hamilton: now that we are more or less equal with the count of Mercedes' breakdowns, the Englishman's seven victories make themselves felt more than the numerous second places of his teammate. For Lewis, the evening in Singapore was the apotheosis. A race in which he doesn't find Rosberg between the wheels, a race to manage in first position from start to finish. Not without some unexpected events, such as the Safety Car which forced him to push the supersoft tires beyond all limits. A radio fight almost breaks out with his track engineer who would like to see him go around the rims instead of thinking that, even if he came in second behind Vettel, he would still be able to pass him easily with fresh tyres. Fortunately the tires held up and the Englishman managed to finish the race calmly and finally take first place in the drivers' standings. Increasingly tight ranking, and probably even without the double points at the last race, the world championship will continue until Abu Dhabi.

Sebastian Vettel: Will it be the rumors that he would join Ferrari soon that have given him the speed to get to the podium? In reality, Sebastian's race is very little compared to what he showed on this same track just a year ago. In fact, the German driver simply managed his tires, risking losing position to Ricciardo and Alonso even towards the end. What can we say about the Safety Car which allowed him to push the Spanish Ferrari driver back down behind him. Now, even if not for the first two positions in the standings, a good battle is expected between Alonso and Vettel for the wooden medal in the general classification.

Daniel Ricciardo: One of the few times Daniel finished behind his teammate. Daniel's race was consistent, however it seemed a bit dull from the point of view of personal inspiration. He remained behind his teammate for the entire duration of the race, unable to get close to overtaking him. This podium is certainly proof of the Australian's consistent performance, but perhaps the layout of the track also prevented him from making excellent overtaking. Only one certainty emerged from the weekend of the two Red Bulls: the knowledge that they were slower in the race pace than the Ferraris, a certainty that is not entirely reassuring.

1 Top:

Jean-Eric Vergne: it is clear and obvious and we have already seen it in the past. When a driver no longer has a seat for the following season, in addition to having a hard time doing it, he brings out the best of himself in the races that remain until the end of the season. And so the Frenchman from Toro Rosso began to do, who in just one weekend literally humiliates his teammate and goes on to take some very important points. He also keeps up with the likes of Hulkenberg, Raikkonen and Bottas. The narrow streets of Singapore argue in favor of the Frenchman that perhaps he really deserves another chance in Formula 1. But if he had consistently shown these results, he would certainly have had it.

1 Flop:

Valtteri Bottas: Out of the points due to an unfortunate race strategy. A zero that could cost the Finn and Williams dearly. The wall asks too much of him. Doing so many laps on the same set of tires leads him to practically spin on rims, and on the last lap he travels so slowly that he seems to have a puncture. Risks sometimes pay off and other times they don't.

Circuit

Name: Suzuka Circuit

Location: Suzuka, Japan

Construction: The Suzuka track was initially built inside an amusement park owned by Honda, and was intended to function only as a test circuit for the Japanese company. In the 80s, however, the FIA decided to include it in the Formula 1 calendar, and so it became one of the most technical tracks in the championship, as well as the only one to have the typical figure-eight layout.

Distance per lap: 5,807km

Number of curves: 18

Direction of travel: figure 8 conformation

3 Best Parts: Turns 3, 4, 5, 6: they are the typical "S" of Suzuka, which make this track the University of Formula 1. It is a very technical part of the track, where even the slightest mistake costs a lot, since it continues until the end of this sequence of folds. The trajectory is fundamental, but you must also be able to maintain a high speed to be able to make a difference. Turn 15: the so-called 130R, is a very fast left-hand bend to be taken in seventh gear at over 300km/h. this is probably the most spectacular corner on the track. Turns 16 and 17: the famous triangle chicane, scene of numerous overtakings and just as many accidents, is a strategic point to attack a rival, as it is a violent braking section just after a very long stretch to be done with the throttle wide open.

Mechanical Stress: The extreme variety of the Japanese track makes full use of the tires throughout the entire lap. There are both longitudinal stresses and, perhaps to a greater extent, transverse stresses. All this causes the temperature of the tires to rapidly increase and causes significant degradation. The braking system is not overly stressed, and is used only 10% of the lap: high-speed corners require the driver to use the brake pedal lightly.

Tire choice: P ZERO ORANGE HARD and P ZERO WHITE MEDIUM.

DRS area: on the main straight, between turn 18 and turn 1 with detection point just before turn 16.

Previous Editions

Last 3 Editions:

2011 edition: Sebastian Vettel (RBR – Renault) is just one point away from being able to win his second world title, his only rival is Jenson Button (McLaren – Mercedes) who would have to win all five remaining races to have a chance of the title and hope that Vettel doesn't score points. In fact, free practice was dominated in all three sessions by the British driver, who however in qualifying was unable to keep up with the German driver, who achieved his twenty-seventh pole even if only by 9 thousandths of a second. Then follow Lewis Hamilton with the other McLaren, the two Ferraris of Massa and Alonso, Mark Webber, Kamui Kobayashi, Michael Schumacher, Bruno Senna and Vitalij Petrov with the two Renaults. Race: Button immediately tries to undermine the race leader but is promptly blocked and is passed by Hamilton. A few laps later the latter suffered a puncture and had to return to the pits, followed by Alonso and Massa, Webber, Schumacher and the two Force Indias of Sutil and Di Resta. On lap the two Red Bulls return at the same time and the mechanics perform a miracle by changing both tires in a short time, but due to this error Vettel has to give up first place to Button. A lap later there is contact between Massa and Hamilton in an attempt to overtake by the Briton: debris comes off the front wing of the Maranello car, and the safety car is called in. On lap 34 Vettel goes to change tires but the strategy turns out to be wrong and he is also passed by Alonso. The three positions do not change until the end and so Sebastian Vettel becomes the youngest double world champion in the history of Formula One.

2012 edition: on the eve of the Grand Prix Michael Schumacher announces his definitive retirement from Formula One racing and Mercedes hires Lewis Hamilton in his place for the following season, as well as Niki Lauda as super consultant. Friday: Jenson Button (McLaren – Mercedes) and Mark Webber (RBR – Renault) won the two free practice sessions respectively. On Saturday, however, Sebastian Vettel first set the best time in the morning, then took pole position ahead of his teammate. Race: the first five started well while behind Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg were forced to retire for different reasons: the first a puncture, the second an accident. Grosjean and Webber have to return to the pits to change the nose following a contact caused by the Frenchman. While the safety car comes in to move the cars, the situation now sees Kobayashi in the Sauber in second place behind Vettel, with Jenson Button third. At the restart Sergio Pérez tries to attack Hamilton for sixth place but ends up spinning and has to retire. From lap 14 onwards everyone changes tires, where the one who benefits is Felipe Massa on Ferrari who from fourth position is now second. The positions do not change until the end of the 53 laps scheduled and Vettel goes on to win, obtaining the Grand Slam (pole, victory, fastest lap and always leading the race) ahead of Felipe Massa and an amazing Kamui Kobayashi who managed to resist the attacks of an attacking Button at the end, expressing all his joy on the home podium.

2013 edition: in the first free practice on Friday the two Mercedes immediately shine, with Lewis Hamilton ahead of Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel (RBR – Renault). In the second session, however, the German from Red Bull prevailed over teammate Mark Webber and Rosberg. On Saturday morning in FP3 Mark Webber recorded the best time in front of the two factory cars with the three-pointed star. The Australian then also managed to snatch pole position in the afternoon, beating his teammate, his first of the season and twelfth of his career. Race: before the line-up, a minute of silence is observed for the passing of Maria de Villota, Marussia test driver, many drivers have a memory of her on their helmet. At the start the Milton Keynes cars got off to a bad start and Romain Grosjean in the Lotus took the lead, while Hamilton touched Vettel's wing, puncturing the right rear and was then forced to retire. From the 10th lap to the 14th, tire changes for the leaders, with Nico Hülkenberg (Sauber – Ferrari) managing to overtake the Ferrari duo. On lap 19 Alonso passes first Massa and then Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso). Grosjean is still in the lead and so Webber changes strategy by making three stops and letting Vettel pass second. The German begins to push and on lap 41 manages to gain the lead; thanks to the third tire change, Webber also got the better of the Frenchman, scoring a double at Red Bull.

Best Edition For Authors:

1976 edition: a particular, unforgettable edition that all fans have recently been able to relive thanks to the film "Rush”. After Niki Lauda's accident at the Nürburgring, Hunt recovers the disadvantage against him, thus bringing the decision on who will be the world champion to the last race. On Saturday the qualifying session saw Mario Andretti in Lotus take pole position ahead of Hunt and Lauda. After a heavy downpour hit the circuit on Sunday, many drivers asked for the race to be canceled (including Lauda and Hunt), but Bernie Ecclestone and the organizers decided to postpone the start by a couple of hours, forcing everyone to race , albeit in extreme conditions given by the poor drainage of the asphalt and the low visibility brought by the clouds. Precisely for this reason after only two laps Lauda, who started badly, preferred to retire, not wanting to risk his life a second time, moreover in the same season. All eyes were then turned on Hunt and his McLaren: at the head of the race he had to slow down due to tire degradation and was also hit by a puncture with just four laps to go and was forced to return to the pits. Returning to fifth place, he managed to climb back up to the lowest step of the podium - behind Andretti and Depailler, winning his first and only world title.

Best Edition For Readers:

2000 edition: after twenty-one years Ferrari could see the drivers' title return home. Michael Schumacher has to contend with his eternal rival Mika Hӓkkinen on McLaren – Mercedes, who had taken home the championship in the previous two years. In Saturday's qualifying the two battled it out five times with fast laps but in the end Schumacher came out on top with a time of 1'32''825, 9 thousandths of a second faster than the Finn. In order to keep the hopes of victory open Mika would necessarily have to win to take the duel to the last race. Sunday: at the start the Finn's McLaren overtakes the Ferrari, immediately trying to escape but Michael doesn't give up: the concentration of the public and the cameras is entirely concentrated on them, who lap at a faster pace than the rest of the group, bring their single-seater on another level, almost mystical. On the twentieth lap Hӓkkinen was the first to refuel, imitated two laps later by Schumacher, who was unable to overtake him. On lap 35 it starts to rain and the Ferrari has a better set-up, slowly managing to chip away at the gap. On lap 37 the McLaren returned to refuel and at that point Schumacher set three very fast laps before also returning to the pits for the pit stop. In fact, upon his return he found himself ahead of his rival and maintained control of the race until the remaining thirteen laps, during which all the Prancing Horse fans were in awe, finally crossing the checkered flag first and winning the title that the manufacturer Maranello had been missing since 1979 with Jody Scheckter. David Coulthard comes third in the other McLaren to complete the podium.

Predictions from F1GrandPrix.it

There is an air of revenge on Rosberg's part, who will want to regain the top of the world championship after the events in Singapore: we will see if the Mercedes "Concord Pact" will hold up this time. On a track that has mixed-fast sections, the Red Bulls could once again make the most of their aerodynamic potential, fighting with Williams. Ferrari, McLaren and Force India would follow behind, the latter team which seemed revitalized in Singapore with Pérez and Hülkenberg. As always we give an unknown, represented by the first corner where the riders will arrive at high speed. Here too there may be twists and turns.

RECORD

Test lap: 1:28.954 – M Schumacher – Ferrari – 2006
Race lap: 1:31.540 – K Raikkonen – McLaren Mercedes - 2005
Distance: 1h23:53.413 – F Alonso – Renault - 2006
Driver victories: 6 – M Schumacher
Team victories: 9 – McLaren
Driver pole: 8 – M Schumacher
Pole team: 9 – Ferrari
Best driver laps: 4 – M Schumacher
Best team laps: 8 – McLaren, Williams
Driver podiums: 9 – M Schumacher
Team podiums: 25 – McLaren

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