Grand Prix 2024 Japanese Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

what a strange start to the season with Max Verstappen unexpected DNF last time out, as made the championship look extremely close for a season that we had written off on lap 10 of Bahrain GP, as 11 points separate the top 4 drivers & only 4 pts between the top 2 in constructors, with Ferrari bigging up their performance last time out, will normal service resume Or do we have the most unlikely of title battles

The Japanese GP is a fan favorite & beloved by drivers. I've always believed it should be part of a group of races that, to me, ought to be Ring Fenced, including Interlagos, Monaco, Silverstone, Spa, Monza, and perhaps Canada, because their absence would leave a significant void in the F1 calendar. we have got Soichiro Honda to thank for this great circuit as he said in 1959 “I want to have a venue for motor racing, Automobiles cannot be improved if they are not put through their paces on the racing circuit.”

according to racingcircuits.info, Honda then Contacted John Hugenholtz & his son retells the story. “My father went there & had a number of staff to help him & was given the plans of a large site. There was a 3D model of the site as well. As there were quite a number of hills & existing roads between the rice fields, he made a design that would give the least amount of earth to be moved, including the cross-over, which was, and is, very unusual for a circuit. However, my father’s opinion always was that a racing circuit must have a combination of different corners & challenges, so a cross-over was certainly possible. The company’s team analyzed data from famed circuits in Europe to create the model. It determined the land needed to be around 660,000 - 990,000 square meters for a 6km track (a lap’s distance). Suzuka stood out, & while the municipal government supported the project, land acquisition was difficult. Suzuka Town Hall hosted meetings for several nights as Honda representatives and the city’s deputy mayor discussed with the residents. Eventually, everyone agreed.

The Japanese GP has apparently been scheduled in April, nearer to the Chinese weekend. This change aligns with Stefano Domenicali's intention to regionalize the F1 calendar as part of their push for net zero by 2030, & it also enables teams to optimize logistical challenges.. Rumours also surfaced that it was between Singapore & Japan as to which Race moved & Singapore won the battle by unsurprisingly paying more money to host, so they got more say. The placement of this race in the calendar will be odd to me & i assume many other fans because Suzuka is renowned for significantly influencing the championship's outcome & for being the site where many world champions are crowned. There have been numerous iconic moments here from the dramatic events of 1989 and sequel in 1990 where "it happened Immediately" , to Damon Hill's remarkable drive in 1994. The Showdowns between Hakkinen and Schumacher in 1998 and 2000 are unforgettable, as is most recent time when Verstappen won the Championship in 2022. In fact, the title has been decided at Suzuka in 37% of the races held there.

Funnily enough 1 of the reason they say for the reasons it being moved is because it rains in Autumn. so lets check the forecast for this weekend. <checks notes> ah yes Rain, well that went well LOL yes there is chance of rain on friday bThe Main concern is Sunday, with rain expected, ranging from light showers all the way up to Accuweather thats forecasting 16.5mm of rain on race day With two thirds of that occurring between 1 PM and 3 PM local time.

here are the times of european watchers, yet another early wake up call. Actually, for a sport that is traditionally known for taking place on a Sunday afternoon. (european time). we've got to wait until round 7 at imola for the 1st time in 2024 & that will be only 3rd race in the last 17

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Also forgot if you happen to be watching the Sheff Utd v Chelsea game. & you see someone asleep near the halfway line on 3rd row. that will me because getting up at 5.30am & the Kick off at 5.30pm with a 6hr shift in the middle could be interesting LOL
 
Oh dear how sad nevermind.

Anyway, this isn't a picture of Ted's birthday, this is a picture of Ted doing anyting to keep in with the teams and pretend they're his friend so that he can report on all of the fascinating stuff that Netflix haven't shown on "Drive to sleep".
 
Oh dear how sad nevermind.

Anyway, this isn't a picture of Ted's birthday, this is a picture of Ted doing anyting to keep in with the teams and pretend they're his friend so that he can report on all of the fascinating stuff that Netflix haven't shown on "Drive to sleep".
ferrari did bring him that cake

he does get a few bits. he was pretty sure vettel was retiring at the french gp & also he noticed that Masi had been having a few chats with Vice President of Alpine Motorsports, Bruno Famin in Melbourne. which never say never in F1 but i cant think of a more unpopular decision than him as team principal
 
I see in order to maximise Danny Rics chances of retaining his seat little Bull gave Ayumu Iwasa a run out in first practice.

Time to update your CV and linked in Danny.
 
i can see the fickle finger of fate hanging over riccardio already as i said in Australia. he was already under pressure after having a bad start with tsunoda being faster than him in both weekends & then tsunoda 7th & riccardio effectively last as on pace only beating the 2 alpines. but the only thing that makes me think he will not be dumped mid season is i cant see them being ruthless. i think red bull will let him have the farewell he deserves as he is a fan favourite for being such a lovely guy. he will go out through the front door & not the back. earliest you could do that is maybe las vegas. he leaves in glamour of vegas & with plan of letting lawson bed in for final 2 races ahead of full season next yr
 
That's the problem with quick drivers, they sometimes fall off the cliff, why who knows, Vettel did Damon Hill as did Coultard, but he often had brain fade and crashed for no reason, there are probably others who will follow. The problem is that some always hope it will come back, others accept it, best when you've lost it go gracefully.
 
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he wont be pleased but it will be a relief for Riccardio to be so close to tsunoda, after half a second in saudi & 7 tenths in austraila. 0.055 is acceptable, takes the pressure off for 24hrs at least. if he can keep him as honest in the race. then it will less pressure in china, as interestingly Andrew benson was thinking maybe if he continued being as underwhelming he couldve been gone after miami

at least there is a positive, Verstappen was 6 tenths quicker than anyone last time in suzuka. & likes of mclaren have found a second since we last came. & Verstappen's gap last yr now separates the top 8. although ferrari from matching red bull to 4th & 8th which seems they have improved but they still have inconsistent races like Q2 in zandvoort & pole in monza

1 shame is no rain i dont know, whats happening with forecast over there as in 24 hours theyve gone from 94% of heavy rain to 0% chance
 
interesting to see who falls back and who moves forward in tomorrow's race

I expect Alonso to fall back given AM does not seem to be good in race conditions

Curious where Ferrari's pace has gone

As long as Verstappen leads into the first turn its a foregone conclusion
 
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