Grand Prix 2010 Japanese Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

So the moment when the 2010 World Drivers Champion is crowned edges ever close and it's still a 5 way battle for the top. They say that fortune favours the brave however this year it's more about not making any mistakes. Ferrari will be looking to this weekend on a high after back to back wins and have to be the team to beat.

At Red Bull, it's now time for Webber to show what he's made of if he's to stay out in front. This must be his best and possibly only opportunity to win the title so it's all about composure and performance. Bumping into Lewis showed neither two weeks ago and it was lucky for him that it came off and not so lucky for Lewis.

Vettel, Hamilton and Button are all waiting in the wings and any one could be centre stage at any time. Hamilton's priority this weekend is to find the sweet spot with his car and restore some confidence. Yes he's not had lady luck on his side but neither has he done himself any favours.

A DNF for any of the top 5 while not leaving them out of the game all together would just pile the pressure on.

Being this close to the end of the season it's only natural that the focus will shift away from the middle of the field and towards the sharp end. Renault, Mercedes and Williams will once again be hoping to spoil the party of the front three and could well have an effect on the way the championship pans out during the final few races. Petrov will be interesting to watch as his performance picked up a little during the last race and he's still fighting for his spot next season if rumours are to be believed.

With nothing to lose there are several drivers in the mid field that may now take a few more risks that earlier in the season they wouldn't have done, especially those drivers who haven't yet got a signature on a contract for next year. These last few races are a chance to show what they can do. Kobayashi on home soil has to be an exciting prospect and it would be no shock to see him among the points this weekend.

And finally to the back of the field where the usual three suspects are to be found. Virgin are pushing harder and harder for that 10th place WCC finish and the money involved. Lotus have stopped all work on this years car some time ago and are now looking as though they are heading into a difficult of season that could see the inside of a court rather than the inside of a garage. At HRT they just seem relieved to turn a wheel at each race and while they limp towards the seasons end their only thoughts must be on how to keep going.
 
I've got a radical solution to the problem.

When the cars were getting too low they all had a 10mm plank bolted to the floor to ensure none of the cars were breaking the ride height rule.

Can't they do the same for the wings?

Issue all the teams a standard bar of titanium or a similar material that doesn't have bendy properties (use the elastic modulus to check) and force the teams to build their wings around that?

Personally I would give the Red Bull a steel 'I' beam :whistle:
 
Talking of planks it looks like quite a fair few will need planks in the cockpits tomorrow to get off the ships they'll be sailing amidst the seas of Suzuka.

According to Legardmeister on Twitter, they're already putting sandbags around some corners to stop the water flooding in..
 
Oooh, this is going to be fun to work out where to record. Considering there were roughly 26 stoppages to qualifying last year on a bone dry track then Q3 should start at roughly 9am GMT. Which is great for little b, eh?

If the entire grid take a 5 place grid penalty, who'll be on pole?
 
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F1Yorkshire said:
I've got a radical solution to the problem.

When the cars were getting too low they all had a 10mm plank bolted to the floor to ensure none of the cars were breaking the ride height rule.

Can't they do the same for the wings?

Issue all the teams a standard bar of titanium or a similar material that doesn't have bendy properties (use the elastic modulus to check) and force the teams to build their wings around that?

Personally I would give the Red Bull a steel 'I' beam :whistle:

Sounds a good options, like the Plank on the bottom of the car, how about another plank on the bottom of the Wings, and then relax the bendy rules. But like the plank any sanding down of the FW Plank and your out.

& before you attack, Grissom from CSI would have to evaluate the planks if there is an appeal! As I would imagine he'd know the difference in sanding down from Tarmac to the curbs and their differing characteristics.....
 
Bad news for Hamilton, 5 place grid drop for gearbox change :(

His only chance now is to qualify 6th and start on the primes and hope safety cars go his way.
 
Maybe Lewis should try something different, because if he goes with what his title rivals do, he will not be the 2010 World Champion unless some of them do something stupid!
 
It was all over for Lewis several races ago.

3 DNF's in 4 races with McLaren slipping behind Ferrari has put paid to his chances for this year.
 
What would happen if the rain continued and they weren't able to race, would they move it to next week or midweek or anything similar?
 
McLarenSupremo said:
What would happen if the rain continued and they weren't able to race, would they move it to next week or midweek or anything similar?
It would just be cancelled.

There is no time in the schedule to run a race at a later date, not to mention the circuit might have other commitments.
 
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