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
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
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
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
