After the thrills and spills of the Marina Bay Circuit last weekend in Singapore, Suzuka in Japan plays host to round 14 of the 2015 Formula One season.
Mercedes driver and current championship leader Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire last week as Sebastian Vettel finished on top, overtaking Ayrton Senna's record of 41 in the all time leaderboard of career victories. After claiming pole on the Saturday, Vettel lead from start-to-finsh in the race putting pressure on Lewis Hamilton at the top of the drivers championship, as his lead was cut short to 41 points.
The defending champion currently leads the championship ahead of teammate Nico Rosberg, but fellow German Vettel put the pressure on with victory and now sits eight points behind Rosberg.
Dominant McLaren at Suzuka
McLaren are the most successful team in Japan as the British racing team have won on nine occassions since the start of the Japanese GP back in 1976. McLaren's first win in these parts came in 1977 as James Hunt stormed to victory, a year after he claimed the drivers championship. Ayrton Senna and Mika Hakkinen are the only McLaren drivers who have won twice here.
The most successful driver to race in Japan is Michael Schumacher with six wins, but Sebastian Vettel has won the race on four occassions and could put more pressure on Rosberg and Hamilton if Mercedes suffer problems again.
Pirelli preparing well
Suzuka contains some of the fastest and most demanding corners in Formula One and therefore, tyre manufacture Pirelli have decided to opt with the two type of hardest tyres in medium and hard. Using the hardest tyre types allow Pirelli to control the grip on the tyres which will hopefully allow them to keep all the drivers on the track and maintain consisten grip throughout the race.
Track information
Number of laps: 53.
Track length: 5.807 km.
Tyre allocation: Medium (white) and hard (orange).
Lap record: Kimi Raikkonen - 1:31.540 (McLaren, 2005).
2014 pole: Nico Rosberg - 1:32.506 (Mercedes).
Last five winners at Suzuka
2014: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes); 2013: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull); 2012: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull); 2011: Jenson Button (McLaren); 2010: Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull).
What the drivers said
Daniel Ricciardo has always enjoyed the challenge that Japan has to offer. He said: “It’s fast, it’s flowing, and it’s got everything. High-speed, lowspeed, inclines, drops. Wonderful circuit. I think probably the first sector [is the key to getting the lap right]. If you can get a good balance on the car and link up all the left-right, left-right corners, which normally puts you in a good position for the rest of the lap. So, if you want to prioritise the car set-up, it’s in that sector."
Felipe Nasr is eager to start well in Japan, as he has never raced here before. Nasr said: “It will be my first time driving a Formula One car on the circuit in Suzuka. I have always heard positive things about the track, and I cannot wait to drive there. The circuit is at the same time a real challenge for us drivers, as there are many medium and high speed corners, up and downhill sections, as well as tricky braking zones. The Japanese fans really stand out. There are so many people who are passionate about Formula One there.”
Max Verstappen is ready for the exitement of the race. He said: “It will be special to go back to Suzuka! I remember last year, first time at a real Formula One circuit with a Formula One car on such a challenging track… It’s a great track to drive and I can’t wait to get out there again."