Japan preview quotes: Michelin
Nick Shorrock, Formula One director: "Suzuka is one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar. In terms of severity it is quite similar to Silverstone - and that is where we tested to prepare tyres for this weekend's race
"Suzuka's figure-of-eight configuration might even things out in terms of wear rates, but it still puts significant mechanical forces through the tyres.
"Following the Silverstone test, our six partners selected a range of compounds and we will have 10 different products available. A small section of the famous Suzuka crossover has been resurfaced since we last raced there, but I don't expect this to make a great deal of difference. The fact that we are using V8 engines, however, has allowed us to reduce the tyre rigidity by up to one step.
"Weather conditions can be very variable in Japan at this time of year, so we had to think very carefully about the possible extremes of temperature in which the tyres might have to perform. We've taken that into account and our excellent performance in China last weekend puts us in a very positive frame of mind for the season's final two Grands Prix."
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