[Race] 2013 Japanese F1 GP Preview

[321Go]

Race Preview
2013 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX
11-13 OCTOBER 2013

Following a thrilling and hard fought race in Korea, the F1 teams have packed up and made the short trip to Japan and the mighty Suzuka circuit, home of the FIA Formula One Japanese Grand Prix, the 15th round of the 2013 World Championship.

Suzuka is a firm favourite with drivers. The circuit deliver thrills, with part of the allure being the level of risk a fast lap demands. Suzuka has teeth: from the Degner curves to the still-fearsome 130R, it’s a circuit that demands high concentration.

The challenge is as great for engineers as for drivers. The quest for lap time is a highly technical exercise, with a number of differing set-up requirements to be reconciled. Suzuka isn’t easily categorised, featuring swift changes of direction at the spectator-friendly Esses, sinuous curves through Dunlop and Spoon, high-speed sections and heavy-braking, low-speed corners at the Hairpin and Casio Triangle. The great laps require both man and machine to be on the limit.

Championship leader Sebastian Vettel is the presumptive favourite to deliver those great laps. The Red Bull Racing driver’s form is excellent on arrival at the circuit he calls “the greatest in the world.” Coming to this race he has three successive poles and four successive victories. In addition, his record at Suzuka is excellent. From four visits, he has four poles and three victories . He missed out on victory in 2011, driving conservatively to third – but that was enough to secure a second Drivers’ World Championship.

Seventy-seven points clear of Fernando Alonso in the 2013 title-race, he has an outside chance of claiming his fourth championship this weekend. Should Vettel win and Alonso finish no better than ninth, the German will do what only Juan-Manuel Fangio and Michael Schumacher have done before and win World Championships in four consecutive years.



CIRCUIT DATA

SUZUKA CIRCUIT

Length of lap: 5.807km
Lap record:
1:31.540
(Kimi Räikkönen, McLaren, 2005)
Start/finish line offset: 0.300km
Total number of race laps: 53
Total race distance: 307.471km
Pitlane speed limits:
80km/h throughout the weekend.

CHANGES TO THE CIRCUIT SINCE 2012
► The artificial grass around the outside of Turn One now starts approximately 50m earlier, replacing a damaged verge.
► The verge on the left in Turn 10 has been levelled and taken up to the tyre barrier and wall, which have also been raised.
► A new debris fence has been installed on the left between Turns Nine and 10.
► A new opening has been provided on the left in Turn 11. This allows a gravel recovery vehicle to be positioned there instead of a large crane.
► The verge on the right approaching Turn 13 has been laid with a one-metre wide strip of artificial grass, replacing a verge prone to erosion.
► The last part of the tyre barrier around the outside of Turn 14 has been extended right, to the end of the guardrail.

DRS ZONES
► The DRS zone at Suzuka is on the start-finish straight. The detection point is 50m before Turn 16, with activation 100m before the control line.


Japanese GP Fast Facts
► There have been 28 F1 Japanese Grands Prix. Fuji hosted the race in 1976 and 1977. The race returned at Suzuka in 1987 where it stayed until 2006. The 2007 and 2008 races were held at a much-modified Fuji, with the race reverting to Suzuka in 2009.
► Michael Schumacher is the stand-out driver at Suzuka with six victories. The seven-times Champion took his first Suzuka victory for Benetton in 1995 and followed it with wins for Ferrari in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2004
► McLaren have the best record of any team at the Japanese Grand Prix with nine victories. James Hunt took the first in 1977 at Fuji, followed by wins at Suzuka for Ayrton Senna (1988, 1993), Gerhard Berger (1991), Mika Häkkinen (1998, 1999) and Kimi Räikkönen (2005). Lewis Hamilton won at Fuji in 2007, and Jenson Button at Suzuka in 2011.
► James Hunt’s win at Fuji in 1977 has been overshadowed by his third place at the inaugural F1 Japanese Grand Prix a year earlier. It secured him the Drivers’ World Championship, beginning a string of titles that have been settled at this race. Nelson Piquet (1987), Alain Prost (1989), Senna (1988, 1990, 1991), Damon Hill (1996), Häkkinen (1998, 1999) Schumacher (2000, 2003) and Sebastian Vettel (2011) all secured championships here.
► Schumacher twice clinched the title at the Japanese GP but three times in Japan. He became champion in 1995 after a Pacific Grand Prix win at Aida.
► Piquet’s championship triumph in 1987 was by default. Title rival Nigel Mansell aggravated a back injury in qualifying. He was ruled out of the race and Piquet had the title before the grand prix began.
► One of Suzuka’s quirks is the figure-eight layout. The current F1 calendar has 13 clockwise circuits, five anti-clockwise and this John Hugenholtz-designed track which does the first half of the lap clockwise and the second half anti-clockwise.
► Kamui Kobayashi’s third place for Sauber in 2012 made him the first Japanese driver on the podium in Japan since Aguri Suzuki for Lola-Lamborghini in 1990. Kobayashi’s was the first podium for a Japanese driver since Takuma Sato finished third at the 2004 US Grand Prix.
► Suzuka strongly favours the front row. In 24 races, the winner has come from the front row 20 times. Fernando Alonso (2006) won from fifth, Alessandro Nannini (1989) and Nelson Piquet (1990) from sixth. The anomalous statistic is Kimi Räikkönen’s mesmerising charge from 17th in 2005, overtaking Giancarlo Fisichella on the final lap for the lead.
► Last year, Vettel won the race with pole, fastest lap and victory having led every lap of the race. It was his second ‘grand chelem’. Recently he’s recorded a third in Singapore and a fourth last week in Korea. He is halfway to equalling Jim Clark, who collected eight.

[Aysedasi]

Originally Posted by 321Go

The anomalous statistic is Kimi Räikkönen’s mesmerising charge from 17th in 2005, overtaking Giancarlo Fisichella on the final lap for the lead.

Now that's something I'd love to see on Sunday - and I don't care who by!

Thanks for the review

[Bononi]

The old and good Suzuka.

[ECW Dan Selby]

Thanks for this!

Great to hear we only have one, small DRS zone down the s/f. Sits well with this viewer!

Selby

[Marbot]

Great intro.

A favourite track for many drivers, and they can actually overtake on this track without the need for DRS zones.

[Last2LiftOff]

Originally Posted by Bononi

The old and good Suzuka.

Indeed...a good and proper F1 race venue, seems it's been awhile.

[bjohnsonsmith]

I really liked the intro, thanks.

After the rather disappointing last three GPs, it would be nice to see some good racing and Suzuka's delivered in the past. I just hope something like tyres doesn't ruin the show.

[Last2LiftOff]

Or the commentators; yakking away incessently during the onboards. Sorry to go on about it fellas, but can you at least let us have even 1 onboard, without all the chatter? I'd even settle for Max Chilton in the Marussia. Sit back and listen for a change, you just might enjoy it...I know I would.

Right, got that off my chest.

[321Go]

FP1 results:



FP1 review:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/110513

[321Go]

FP2 results:



FP2 review:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/110520

[321Go]

FP3 results:



FP3 review:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/110551

[wnut]

Thanks 321Go, great work!

[321Go]

Ok, who swapped Vettel's KERS unit with Webber's!!??

[321Go]

Red flagged Q1 with 2:55 to go. JEV's car on fire. That's after EG's car had a flame in the pit bay. Japanese GP is hot!!

[jsTrecu]

Happy for Webber, finally got a pole. RBR made an error and sabotaged Vettel's car today
Second for Seb just +0.174 behind is still good considering he had no KERS.
Impressed with Grosjean again, the boy is quick, Massa was good too (or maybe Alonso chocked a bit ?)

The race could be interesting tomorrow if Webber manages to keep the lead into the first corner.

[willb]

Fortunately for Weber he was not penalized for impeding another driver when he was exiting the pit lane during qualifying.

[Lancsbreaker]

Since the other driver had just completed his flying lap he'd almost certainly eased off already......

Good job, Mark!

[djinvicta]

Yes. hope Webber/Hamilton get into turn one first.
Loved the intro, thanks. Whats happened to Frostie?????

[Beetle]

That qualifying session reminded me of how entertaining Formula 1 can be under the right circumstances. Webber was close to Vettel without the KERS problem anyway, so I can see a very dramatic race heating up for tomorrow. Of course, if Webber fouls up the start, his pole doesn't really matter.

Suzuka is such a lovely track, especially with turn 1, the esses, Degner curve, the Spoon curve, and the Casio triangle... all incredible additions to an incredible track. I can sense a good race tomorrow.

[IceMan_PJN]

Originally Posted by djinvicta

Yes. hope Webber/Hamilton get into turn one first.
Loved the intro, thanks. Whats happened to Frostie?????

Webber usually has pretty mediocre starts, and he's on the dirty side of the track. He'll probably lose at least a few positions by the end of the esses.

[MarkG]

Originally Posted by jsTrecu

Happy for Webber, finally got a pole. RBR made an error and sabotaged Vettel's car today
Second for Seb just +0.174 behind is still good considering he had no KERS.
Impressed with Grosjean again, the boy is quick, Massa was good too (or maybe Alonso chocked a bit ?)

The race could be interesting tomorrow if Webber manages to keep the lead into the first corner.

I believe Vettel's KERS was working on his final qually lap.

[jsTrecu]

Originally Posted by MarkG

I believe Vettel's KERS was working on his final qually lap.

I think that was just Brundle thinking it was working because Vettel draw purples in S1 and S3.
But Seb himself, Horner and even Webber all confirmed no KERS.


Too bad, 3 Grand Chelems in a row was possible and nobody did it before, that would have been incredible with five consecutive poles in Japan.
But now I hope Mark wins, his luck this year was horrible, he deserves some good results before leaving.

[ECW Dan Selby]

I really hate to be the party pooper, but I think Vettel will easily beat Webber off of the line and lead in to T1, thus win the race

Still, best of the rest might be good!

Selby

[MarkG]

Originally Posted by ECW Dan Selby

I really hate to be the party pooper, but I think Vettel will easily beat Webber off of the line and lead in to T1, thus win the race

Still, best of the rest might be good!

Selby

That's what worries me. His record for starts is poor. However, if he does get ahead, then I hope he does clear off to an easy win, coz that's what the RB does in clear air.

[Razzzor]

Will Vettel go 10-Tenths to try and beat Webber today, considering he stole that win earlier in the year and kind of owes Webber one. I only say kind of, because Seb was the faster driver in that race anyway and only lost the lead because of wrong strategy and then not being allowed to attack.

But it would be a nice way to send Mark off. He might not have a chance again this year at winning a race, and Vettel really doesn't need to win this one to win the championship. It would help get Seb over with the haters a little as well, although they'll probably still hate.