Grand Prix 2018 Japanese Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

After a fairly soporific Russian GP the circus moves nearly 7,000 miles (by road according to Bing maps) to Suzuka in Japan. The Japanese have a love affair with the automobile and Japanese car companies make up 4 of the top 15 car manufacturers in the world with Toyota top of the list, just above VW.

Japan also has a long association with Formula One. Many Japanese manufacturers have made cars and engines which have raced in F1, with varying degrees of success. Honda prepared a car and engine in the 60’s and Richie Ginther won the Mexican GP in 1965. They had further success in 1968 when John Surtees won the Italian GP but the team withdrew from racing after the death of Jo Schlesser in a car with a magnesium chassis caught fire quite horrifically.

Honda came back as an engine supplier in the 80’s and pretty much wiped the floor with everyone with their motor bolted in the back of the Williams and McLaren chassis. Yamaha and Subaru have made engines and Toyota and Honda coupled their motors to their own chassis in the early 2000’s, albeit with little success (I just remembered Button's win in Hungary with the Honda engine - sorry Jenson fans, what a lovely day that was)

I don’t think I need to remind anyone of the Honda’s latest foray into the world of F1 engine supply.

Japan has also supplied the grid with 20 drivers. The first was Hiroshi Fushido in 1975 with the Japanese made Maki chassis coupled to the inevitable Cosworth DFV. The most successful Japanese F1 driver is Kamui Kobayashi who amassed 125 points in his career as well as taking a podium in Japan for Sauber in 2012 and fastest lap in the same year in China. Two other Japanese drivers have stood on the podium, Takumo Sato at Indianapolis in 2004, the Michelin tyre debacle, and Aguri Suzuki for Larousse in Japan in 1990, the one with the infamous crash between Prost and Senna at the first corner.

So what of the race itself? Lewis Hamilton goes in to the final phase of events with a healthy lead in the Championship and Mercedes showed in Russia that they will do anything to ensure that their man takes the drivers title. The constructor’s title is already pretty much nailed on for the Stuttgart team so expect team orders to come in to play if Lewis finds himself behind Valterri Bottas at any point during the race.

What of the rest? Ferrari looks to have peaked before the summer break and are now on their way down. Red Bull may well figure close to the front but I doubt they can beat the Mercedes. Back in division 2 we should see some racing between Hass, Force India and the Sauber of Le Clerc which might compensate a little for the Silver Arrows running away at the front.

It will be an early start with Qualifying at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday and the race starting at 6:10 in the morning on Sunday but at least you will have the rest of the day to something after the inevitable Mercedes 1-2.
 
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But he kept his advantage on Sunday when the fans of the best driver in the wet expected their hero to come slicing through the field.

All the real drivers on the grid have had both good and bad days in the wet. Much depends on how good their downforce and setup is.
 
Having looked at the forecast for this weekend they're saying a chance of rain during qualifying, but dry on Sunday for the race. Saying that, we all know how forecasts can change so you never know what it will be like really.
 
True, drivers do have good and bad wet races but some drivers have more good ones and others have more bad ones.

I do hope it rains for the race!
 
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I think Hamilton has mastered the mind games.

Lewis Positive Hamilton
"This track is awesome. I'm having the best day."
"There are two or three corners where I know that I need to kill it this year,' and I got straight up to it. I was much better than I had ever been through those particular corners"
"I'm just loving driving more than ever; when you get in the car, it's just the best."

Sebastian Gloomy Vettel
"We were sliding a little too much and when you slide, the temperatures go up and blistering is caused by sliding and we were probably damaging the tyres more than others.

Lewis Hamilton dominates Japanese GP practice after crash scare

Sounds like Seb has lost already.
 
Okay how is making all teams have two pitstops splitting the strategy? Surely the way it is now, some one stopping and some two stopping splits the strategy more. I'm sorry, I don't get it!!

Yes it's looking like another easy win for Mercedes, another race I probably won't enjoy much :disappointed:
 
It looks pretty ominous right now barring mechanical failure i guess we are looking at Mexico again maybe usa but doubt it

& cider_and_toast the problem is that them meeting are useless. As proved many times the rules than can make good racing the top 3 & their b teams veto. Because they are scared of losing but individual interests above the sport
 
hence the saying about "lunatics running the asylum" F1Brits_90

I don't know any other sport in the world that lets the players have so much say in the rules of the game and one thing that has been proven time and time again is that it doesn't work.
 
I am going to watch this one on tape. Can fast forward through the dull sections (probably laps 2-52).


This is a live race for me, however it's a 6.10am start, trust me when I tell you I won't be giving up my Sunday lie in to see the start. I'll record it and watch it 'as live' when I'm ready. At least that way if I get bored I can skim through some of it I suppose. I never would have said that at one time, I'm disappointed I feel that way about F1 now.

Only two more live races this season for anyone who watches via C4, USA and Abu Dhabi.
 
hence the saying about "lunatics running the asylum" F1Brits_90

I don't know any other sport in the world that lets the players have so much say in the rules of the game and one thing that has been proven time and time again is that it doesn't work.

So true & this a sport with some of smartest
People in sport. Yet the sport is ran so poorly & they are oblivous to obvious for decades

Saying I'll be stupidly up to watch it live at 6.10am. Before i go to work
 
This is a live race for me, however it's a 6.10am start, trust me when I tell you I won't be giving up my Sunday lie in to see the start. I'll record it and watch it 'as live' when I'm ready. At least that way if I get bored I can skim through some of it I suppose. I never would have said that at one time, I'm disappointed I feel that way about F1 now.

There are always seasons like this. This was a good season for 2/3rd of the season.....it is just that the situation is now becoming clear. That said, when Nigel Mansell, who was my favorite driver at the time, won the world championship in 1992, I did not watch most of those races either. It was absolutely dreadful season and the Williams were in a different universe. The same the most of the 2011-2013 seasons, where you knew about half way through the season who was going to win. I didn't watch most of those seasons either.

The bigger problem is that I think Ferrari has shot their wad. Next season is not looking promising. For the other eight teams on the grid (including the new Red Bull-Honda), it is a building season. Formula could be pretty dreadful for 2019 and 2020.
 
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