2009 Japanese Grand Prix Race day at Suzuka

The formation lap begins at Suzuka. The 18 cars on the grid leave without problem, as Red Bull ready Mark Webber for action in the pitlane.

Sebastian Vettel has the harder tyres on his car, which seems a popular choice.

The engines begin to fire with a minute before the formation lap.

The mechanics begin to clear the heavy equipment off the grid.

There are five minutes to go until the formation lap at Suzuka.

Sebastien Buemi pulls on his helmet as the drivers begin their final preparations on the grid.

The track temperature is up to 43 Celsius in the bright sunshine.

Adrian Sutil has a special pair of boots on today celebrating his 50th race. Lewis Hamilton also reaches that mark here.

The crowd rises in respect for the Japanese national anthem, which, believe it or not, is called 'Kimi Ga Yo'.

Jarno Trulli sips from a bottle of water as he waits at the front of his Toyota on the front row.

Suzuka is renowned as one of the best circuits in the world, but has always been limited in overtaking opportunities. Let's take a look at the likely passing spots:

• Turn 1. The KERS-equipped cars will have a great chance to overtake rivals here. Getting good traction out of the final chicane is crucial. Activate the KERS button before the line and nail your rival into the first right-hander.

• 130r. Only the bravest drivers in the world attempt this move. If the car you are battling gets a bad exit out of Spoon, you may have a chance to get close on the run up the hill to the fearsome flat-out left-hander. Fernando Alonso pulled off possibly the bravest overtake of all time when he passed Michael Schumcaher round the outside in the 2005 race.

• The chicane. If your rival has an ill-handling car and isn't confident through the 130r, it is possible to get alongside on the short run to the chicane, but be wary of your competitor turning in and claiming the racing line.

Kazuki Nakajima is making a run through the pits before an additional lap to the grid.

Vettel has arrived on pole and is immediately besieged by a scrum of photographers.

A healthy crowd has been enjoying the weather throughout the day, sampling the upgraded spectator facilities.

Many of them are here in support of Kazuki Nakajima and Toyota driver Jarno Trulli, and will be sent into a frenzy if either driver finishes in the points this afternoon.

Heikki Kovalainen steps out of his McLaren down on the grid.

Polesitter Vettel is now en route to the front of the grid.

Nico Rosberg makes a practice start before heading off to the grid. He is well-placed for another strong finish today.

The Brawn mechanics prepare Jenson Button for the most important race of his life. The championship leader is about to head out for his lap around to the grid.

Sebasatian Vettel is getting comfortable in his Red Bull for a tour to the grid.

The pits are now open for the drivers to make their way around to the grid.

Mark Webber

The fight for the constructors' championship could also be decided this afternoon and, with Mark Webber starting from the pitlane, Red Bull goes into the race with one arm tied behind its back.

Brawn GP has a 42.5 point buffer over its rival, and is looking to end the day 36 or more points ahead. The simple stat going into the race is that if Vettel and Webber fail to score here in Japan, Ross Brawn can start celebrating his first title as a team owner.

At Red Bull, Sebastian Vettel simply has to win the race and Webber must somehow haul his way through the field and finish as high as he can to help take the fight on to Interlagos.

Jenson Button could clinch the world championship today but the chance of him doing so has decreased significantly with the revised grid, leaving him in a fight with heavier cars from 10th.

Here is a reminder that Button will take the crown today if he:

• wins and Rubens Barrichello finishes fourth or worse
• finishes second and Barrichello is sixth or worse
• finishes third and Barrichello is eighth or worse
• finishes fourth and Barrichello does not score

Barrichello starts the race four places higher up the grid than Button and will be looking to at least make the podium today, which will take the fight to his home track at Interlagos in a fortnight.

The pitlane will open in 15 minutes, allowing the drivers to check out the track conditions for the first time today.

There is a lot of work to do at this time. The all-important radio links need to be checked. The driver needs to make sure he is comfortable in the cockpit, and most importantly, they will want to quickly establish the grip level on the circuit

Don't be surprised to see a few drivers coming back into the pits for tweaks to the front wing, before heading round on a second lap to the grid.

Fuel

The second half of the grid is an unexpected jumble of men and machines.

Heikki Kovalainen starts 11th and should be another man to worry Button as his KERS-assisted launch could see him past the Brawn.

Jaime Alguersuari has a good grid slot and a heavy car on a weekend where Toro Rosso is making excellent use of its Red Bull Technologies car. Team-mate Buemi is right behind him.

Kovalainen and Buemi plan a more traditional two-stop race, after failing to complete the final qualifying segment, rather than the forward-biased (early first stop) strategies used by those completing the shootout.

Behind them are a gaggle of one-stoppers and pitlane starter Webber, all with a long afternoon in prospect.

Fuel

Sebastian Vettel is clearly the man to beat today, with the German and his Red Bull on top form around the high-speed swoops of this circuit. Fuel loads are very evenly matched at the sharp end of the grid, with Truli and Hamilton due to pit a lap before Vettel. Heidfeld and Raikkonen will be stopping perhaps a lap later than the polesitter.

A minimal difference in fuel loads across the top six means little chance of position changes at the stops, so the start will be critical for those looking to move up the order. Clearly the danger men are Hamilton and Raikkonen in the KERS-equipped cars, with the former in with a chance of the win if he can barge past Vettel into the first corner.

Rubens Barrichello has been fortunate in the application of grid penalties and now starts sixth, well ahead of title rival Button.

Two key men in this race will be Rosberg and Kubica, who move up to seventh and ninth with heavy cars thanks to the raft of grid penalties. These two are sure to hold back lighter cars behind, such as the penalised and very light Sutil, as well as - critically - Button's Brawn. Rosberg and Kubica are well-placed to take strong points finishes while also frustrating many lighter rivals in the early stages.

Here is the revised grid, and starting weights, going into today's race:

Pos Driver Weight (kg) 1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 658.5 2. Trulli Toyota 655.5 3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 656.0 4. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber 660.0 5. Raikkonen Ferrari 661.0 6. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 660.5 * 7. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 684.5 8. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 650.0 * 9. Kubica BMW-Sauber 686.0 10. Button Brawn-Mercedes 658.5 * 11. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 675.0 ** 12. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 682.5 13. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 665.4 * 14. Fisichella Ferrari 661.5 15. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 695.7 16. Alonso Renault 689.5 * 17. Grosjean Renault 691.8 18. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 682.5 ** 19. Webber Red Bull-Renault - *** 20. Glock Toyota - **** * Five-place grid penalty ** Five-place grid penalty for changing gearbox *** New chassis so will start from the pitlane **** Will not start due to injury

Fans

Motor racing enthusiasts love to debate and discuss the action on track, and the live forum at the bottom of the screen is your chance to let everyone know your thoughts on events as they unfold at the circuit.

• Can Sebastian Vettel convert pole position into race victory this afternoon?

• Will the Brawn drivers make it into the points? It will be fascinating to watch the title battle taking place further down the field.

• What can Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber do from the rear of the field?

Tell the world what you think.

Click the SHOW LIVE FORUM link in the red bar at the bottom of your browser window if you'd like to join the debate.

Timo Glock

There were many stories involving drivers from practice and qualifying on Saturday. Here are the full list of casualties in chronological order:

• Mark Webber crashed at Degner two during Saturday morning practice. The chassis was damaged and he was unable to take part in qualifying. With a rebuilt chassis he will start the race from the pitlane.

• Tonio Liuzzi's gearbox was changed shortly before the start of the qualifying session. The Italian went on to finish 18th on the timesheet, but takes a five place grid penalty into the race, which actually doesn't move him any further back.

• Timo Glock is not fit enough to take part in today's 53-lap encounter, having sustained a cut to his leg. Toyota will run just one car for Jarno Trulli in today's race. Kamui Kobayashi, Toyota's third driver, is not eligible to replace Glock as he did not take part in Saturday morning practice.

• The stewards were unhappy with Sebastien Buemi for driving a damaged car back to the pits at the end of Q2, impeding other drivers as he toured slowly. The Toro Rosso driver was handed a five place grid penalty.

• Fernando Alonso, Rubens Barrichello, Jenson Button and Adrian Sutil failed to slow down and respect yellow flag signals at the exit of Spoon where Buemi had his altercation with the wall. All four drivers were demoted five places on the grid later in the afternoon.

• And finally, Heikki Kovalainen's gearbox has been changed following his incident at Degner two early in Q3. The Finn also receives a five place grid penalty.

Porsche Carrera Cup Japan

The Porsche Carrera Cup Japan was the only event on an unusually sparse supporting bill for the grand prix here at Suzuka.

Round nine of the series was completed after qualifying yesterday, with a further 10-lap encounter this morning rounding out the season.

Japan's Carrera Cup is the fastest single-make series in the country, visiting tracks such as Fuji Speedway, Sugo and Okayama before supporting Formula 1 this weekend with an 18-strong field of 911 GT3 Cup machines.

The drivers' parade is drawing to a close, with the fans supporting their heroes as they tour the circuit in classic cars.

Lewis Hamilton will hope for better reliability this afternoon, however, after his vintage Mercedes broke down. The world champion is now sharing a ride with former team-mate Fernando Alonso.

Weather will be a factor today for the teams, drivers and spectators alike as wall to wall sunshine warms up Suzuka.

The maximum air temperature will reach 26 degrees Celsius in the sunshine, and the track temperature could possibly nudge the 40 degree mark sometime during the race, giving the teams a challenge in terms of tyre management.

Sebastian Vettel

One of the most bizarre qualifying sessions in Formula 1 history ended with Sebastian Vettel claiming his third pole position of the season as the field floundered around him.

Sebastien Buemi started the chaos when he spun on his first qualifying attempt, rear-ending his Toro Rosso into the barriers at Degner two. He was able to return to the pits for repairs, eventually making it through to the second phase. Kovalainen spun and was fortunate to escape while Tonio Liuzzi lost an uphill struggle, having just had his gearbox replaced.

Segment two saw more action. Jaime Alguersuari went one better than team-mate Buemi as he nosed his Toro Rosso heavily into the same barrier at the second Degner. That brought out the first of three red flags as the Spaniard was escorted away. The action resumed, but moments later Timo Glock crashed at the final corner leading on to the pit straight. The German was injured and the session was stopped for a second time.

Buemi - not content with amusing the spectators in the first section - then ran wide exiting spoon during the final Q2 scramble to make the top ten. His STR 4 shed its front wing and deposited mud over the circuit, but that and a clear yellow light warning didn't persuade several drivers to slow down and the madness continued as they set quick lap times.

It was clear that there would be penalties later ...

As it was, Alonso, Rosberg and Kubica were out, Alguersuari was buried in the hedge and Glock was being airlifted to hospital for checks. It was turning into one of those days.

And still it wasn't over. Heikki Kovalainen spun for the second time at Degner two as the quickest ten drivers contested the top places. This brought out the red flags for a third time. The contact looked to be light, but as the McLaren was lifted away it was clear the Finn had done considerable damage to the left rear corner.

Finally, Sebastian Vettel grabbed the pole with both hands as Trulli scored a front row spot for Toyota at their home race. It was certainly a qualifying session to remember.

Vettel grabs pole in disrupted qualifying

Suzuka

Hello everyone and welcome to AUTOSPORT Live for round 15 of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship - the Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix.

So far Suzuka has given us a memorable event. We have seen origami boats floating down the pitlane, driver changes, spins, incidents and some great driving. Today's 53-lap race should provide more of the same, with a jumbled grid, and could be just as exciting as that wonderful 2005 race here.

The race itself starts at 05:00 GMT, but before then we will review Saturday's action at the circuit incase you missed it, take a look at this morning's support racing as well as looking at the weather forecast. We'll also analyse the fuel weights and what they may mean for the first stint of the race.