Grapevine: More News from the Paddock

Springing a Leak

Several journalists spotted concerning signs that the Suzuka circuit may not be as well prepared as expected for the imminent typhoon when the tunnel to the media centre sprung a leak on Friday morning. The walls of the narrow passage, which leads under the circuit from the funfair, were cracked in two places at the entrance and water was gushing through the concrete and into the drains below. Not great news with predictions of a metre of rain on its way!

100 Not Out

BAR celebrated their 100th Grand Prix weekend in Japan and made the most of the occasion as they come to the end of their most successful year ever. The team made its debut in 1999 and has scored a total of 175 points - but a massive 105 of them have come in the 16 races so far this year. Team principal David Richards, who helped create the turn-around when he joined at the start of the 2002 season, said: "BAR has come a long way in its first 100 races. It is a tribute to every member of the team that we should celebrate this landmark when we are at the most successful point in our history. We look forward to the next 100."

The team marked the occasion by putting up a poster which contained passport photos of all their staff members - except the three drivers - and also created Lucky Tribe postcards with little drawings of 99 white cars and one red one printed on the front. Four of the six drivers the team has run were driving at Suzuka with current drivers Jenson Button and Takuma Sato joined on the grid by former BAR drivers Jacques Villeneuve, now with Renault, and Olivier Panis, of Toyota. Ricardo Zonta missed his chance to be the team's fifth former driver on the grid when Jarno Trulli replaced him in the second Toyota while Finn Mika Salo, who drove three races for the team in 1999, was the only other former BAR driver to be missing.

Voyages of Discovery

The Formula One paddock was full of adventure stories when its members reconvened for the Japanese Grand Prix, because several of them had taken the opportunity to take a look around China before flying over to Japan.

The Bridgestone press officer took the opportunity to look around Shanghai then flew up Beijing to explore the Forbidden City and the Great Wall before plunging back into the company's busy pre-Japanese media conference schedule, while her opposite number at Renault spent some time looking around Chinese gardens in and around Shanghai with some other members of his team. Some of the Jaguar team also shot up to Beijing before heading to Suzuka but had limited time to explore the city before having to set up for the next race. Williams went one step further and put up a display of photos showing their mechanics' trails as they took a look around China. So, it seems, it was not only the new race circuit that was a success in Formula One's newest venue.