Suzuka Preview: F1's greatest track?

It's not difficult to make a case for Suzuka being the greatest circuit on the Formula 1 calendar.

There are those who would point to Spa, but in corners like Degner and 130R Suzuka has the equal of Eau Rouge and Pouhon. What's more, where modern F1 machinery has to an extent sanitised the challenge of Belgian circuit, the test posed by Suzuka remains undimmed.

More than anyone else, it is the drivers who help identify the standout circuits, and for that reason, we asked them about Suzuka during the build-up to this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix - starting off with the man who has claimed more grand prix victories than anyone else...

Michael Schumacher: "It certainly achieves 10 out of 10 because of the nature of the track, the corner combinations, the speed, the challenge. It has everything that you look for. Even with the modern cars it remains challenging. We've recently been to Spa, which is one of my most loved tracks, but with modern F1 cars in certain areas it's too easy compared to what it used to be. Suzuka remains that kind of challenge because it's not flat-out in all areas."

Jenson Button: "I definitely rate it as one of the best on the calendar. It's like Spa without the run-off areas. It's a very tight, twisty circuit, but it's fast and twisty. It's a track that has everything and in terms of the layout, I love it. The question of what's the best corner is impossible to answer."

Lewis Hamilton: "I don't know whether it's the best track on the calendar, but it's definitely one of the best. It's a fantastic track to drive and it's a circuit with a great history of title deciders. It's just mega to drive. But you need to have really good downforce here."

Fernando Alonso: "We all love to drive here. First, because of the layout. The second thing is the atmosphere with all of the fans enjoying F1 so much. In the good years, the bad years, for qualifying, practice and the race, the grandstands are full of people. The track is very special."

The Esses (Turns 3-7)
The sequence of left and right handers is one of the most challenging in F1. As McLaren sporting director Sam Michael explains, "being able to deliver a strong sector time in the Esses is one of the best indicators of a driver's ability".

Button: "The Esses is a section that I love. It's very tricky, especially in the race when the tyres are going away. When I went there in 2000, I struggled massively on Friday and then on Saturday I sorted myself out and was quickest in that section in qualifying."

Degner
The fifth-gear right-hander is seriously fast and with little margin for error. In 2009, for example, Mark Webber was one of many to shunt here in practice, destroying his chassis.

Webber: "It's hard to recover the car, especially in the Degners. Degner 1 is a corner where it's hard for us to get the car in some sort of order before we make contact with the barrier."

Spoon Curve
Pedro de la Rosa: "Spoon is quite challenging because you can end up wide if you carry too much speed going in. The moment you put two wheels over the first exit kerb, it's difficult to make it back. It's also very much affected by the wind. The most important thing in the second Spoon is to have full throttle on the apex and use all of the exit kerb, which is quite flat. There is also some concrete you can use on the exit. A good exit is important because the straight is very long."

130R
The famous left-hander was remodelled after Allan McNish's massive Toyota crash in 2002. Now, what was once Suzuka's trademark corner is now nothing more than a kink, with the evil bump mid-corner that once caught out drivers a thing of the past. As Narain Karthikeyan, driver of the worst car in the field puts it, "130R is easy now and our car will be flat with the DRS open."

Schumacher: "130R is not a big challenge now. Fifteen years ago, it was but the track has changed. The corner was more narrow. You could still just go flat out. I had a big accident there in 1991, so it wasn't quite flat-out then!

Rosberg: "130R in qualifying is easy flat, so it's a little bit like Eau Rouge. At Suzuka, there are many corners that are more challenging."

Chicane
Most famous for McLaren team-mates Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna colliding in 1989, the chicane is the best overtaking opportunity and a key corner for laptime.

Hamilton: "When you arrive at the last chicane, you think of footage of Ayrton crashing. That was when I just started watching and I remember it from when I was young. Then we saw the Senna film and it brought it into even more perspective."

Button: "You could have a blinding lap, get round to the chicane and undo it all just by locking a wheel under braking, or braking a bit early."

Weather

Key Singapore Stats

• In the last three years Sebastian Vettel has been the man to beat, scoring two victories and three poles. He led almost every lap in 2009 and '10, while last year he led at the start but, not needing to win to secure the title, slipped back to third at the flag.

• In contrast to his team-mate, Mark Webber has claimed just one podium at Suzuka, and one front row start, from eight grands prix. He has also spent just one lap in the lead - two years ago, and only when Vettel pitted.

• Lewis Hamilton also has just one podium to his credit at Suzuka, back in 2009 (when he suffered from a KERS issue from mid-race). The Japanese circuit is one of three at which Hamilton has not started on the front row, along with Barcelona and Buddh.

• Fernando Alonso is the only driver on the current grid who has triumphed at both Suzuka (2006) and at Fuji (2008). He has never qualified inside the top three at Suzuka, but has finished on the podium in the last two years.

• After finishing fifth in 2009, Nico Rosberg has encountered misfortune in the past two editions of the Japanese Grand Prix. In 2010 a wheel fell off after a rim broke, while last year he was hit by a hydraulic failure in qualifying and had to start 23rd. He fought back to finish 10th, only his second points finish at Suzuka.

• Kimi Raikkonen recorded one of his greatest comebacks at Suzuka, winning from 17th on the grid in 2005. He climbed onto the podium four more times (finishing second in 2003 and third in '02, '07 and '08) and since 2002 has scored points in Japan every time he's raced.

• Curiously, Bruno Senna fared better with HRT in 2010 (when he finished 15th) than last year with Renault (16th).

• Lotus scored its last win at the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix (which was held at Fuji), when the team was still named Renault and Fernando Alonso was driving. After the Spaniard left the team has never finished higher than ninth, courtesy of Vitaly Petrov last year.

• Force India has never finished in the points at Suzuka. The team only broke into the top 10 once in qualifying, when Adrian Sutil finished eighth in 2009.

• Since 2007 Sauber has missed the points only twice in Japan: for a mechanical problem with Nick Heidfeld in 2007 and last year when Kamui Kobayashi finished 13th.

Famous Five Japanese Grands Prix

1976

Niki Lauda was just three points ahead of James Hunt heading into the 1976 finale at Fuji, an advantage he would surrender in unusual fashion. Qualifying only added to the tension, with Hunt second and Lauda third behind poleman Mario Andretti.

Come Sunday the weather deteriorated however, and with streams pouring over the track and thick fog there was debate as to whether the race would start. Though some drivers were not happy, it eventually went ahead.

The decisive moment in both the race and the championship came at the end of the second tour when Lauda pulled into the pits and withdrew. The title was still not over however, with Hunt - having to finish fourth to claim the crown - falling from a strong position to fifth due to a late stop. With just over one lap remaining he made his way into third, but crossed the line not knowing the 1976 title was his.

1988

Twelve years on, another title showdown loomed, although Suzuka had by now taken over grand prix-hosting rights. The fight boiled down to a straight one between McLaren team-mates Senna and Prost, with the Brazilian drawing first blood by claiming his 13th pole of the season, ahead of the Frenchman.

Things did not go to plan at the start however, as he stalled his car and was swallowed by the field. He was able to bump-start, but did so at the loss of 13 places - and with Prost now assuming the lead.

Rather than the undoing of his title bid, the setback proved the catalyst for a breathtaking recovery. By the end of the first lap Senna was eighth; by the sixth he had moved into fourth. His charge to the front was complete when he demoted Prost from the lead on lap 28, before romping home 13s ahead of his Frenchman - troubled by a gearbox issue - to claim his first world championship crown.

1994

The 1994 race stands as the last time aggregate timing was used to decide an F1 grand prix. It also provided us with one of Damon Hill's finest drives, beating rain-master Michael Schumacher in torrential conditions.

A multitude of drivers had already aquaplaned out when, on lap 13, Martin Brundle spun out and collided with a marshal who had been dealing with Gianni Morbidelli's stricken car. The marshal's leg was broken, and the race was immediately halted.

With only 15 drivers left, it was decided to restart the race, with the second half of the race to be added to the times as they stood at the race's halt. Schumacher therefore led. While an early pitstop dropped him back behind Hill, there was a point when he was running second on the road, but was the race's actual leader on aggregate. That advantage evaporated when he had to pit for a second time, and though he charged back from 14 seconds back, Hill hung on to win by 3.4s.

1995

A year on Michael Schumacher was not to be denied, the German taking his first Suzuka win in seemingly dominant fashion, having also claimed pole and set the fastest lap.

The race is also remembered however for one of Jean Alesi's finest drives. Starting on the front row alongside Schumacher, Alesi received a 10-second penalty for jumping the lights and dropped from second to 10th. After working his way back up the order he pitted early for slicks, only to spin trying to pass Pedro Lamy on the outside of the final chicane, dropping to 15th.

Still Alesi wasn't finished. He charged back once more, and by lap 11 was sixth again, passing Damon Hill on the damp outside line into the Chicane. He was soon on Schumacher's tail, but had to give up second place when his engine blew on lap 25.

2005

Ten years on, Suzuka produced another thrilling Japanese Grand Prix as Raikkonen claimed an astonishing victory from 17th on the grid. In contrast to Alesi in 1995, Raikkonen's race ended in fitting fashion, the Finn passing Giancarlo Fisichella around the outside on the last lap to seal victory.

Raikkonen had not been the only driver caught out by heavy rain in qualifying, but come Sunday conditions had improved considerably. His fightback was not instant however as he ran wide at the chicane just as team-mate Juan Pablo Montoya was eased off by Jacques Villeneuve. The safety car came out, and Raikkonen was only 12th.

When the track went green Raikkonen began scrapping his way through traffic, passing Christian Klien and Michael Schumacher and then jumping Mark Webber in the pits.

At this point Fisichella was still a heavy favourite to win, his lead stretched out to 20 seconds, but after the final round of stops he struggled for pace and Raikkonen closed. His cause aided by a backmarker blocking Fisichella, Raikkonen was just 0.2s behind Fisichella as the pair entered the final lap. He dived for the outside at Turn 1 and made the move stick, sealing a fine victory in perfect fashion.

From the forum

Kimi has had a strong comeback year, dont get me wrong. Very consistent, pretty damn quick fairly often. But I dont think some people, myself included, think that he's got everything from the car over the whole season. For all his consistency and being the only front championship runner with no DNFs, he's still behind Alonso by 45 points in a car that I think has been better overall.

That consistency has kept him in the back of everybody's mind and up the championship table, but the lack of a win in a car that many think is capable of it seems to stop a lot of people from believing Kimi is actually a threat for the title. I mean, Kimi's third in the standings right now, but its not out of the realm of reasonableness to think he could drop to fifth or even sixth in the standings by the end of the year. That can still be considered a positive, but it depends on your perspective and your expectations.
Seanspeed

Technical arguments dawn on F1 again. McLaren developed a front wing that has a secret: given sufficient aero force it rotates around its horizontal axis. Red Bull brought a more extreme version to Singapore. In Suzuka the FIA wants to have a closer look.
It will be interesting to see how the technical delegates react. If the wings rotate, they will be banned. Otherwise a new cost race would start.
KnucklesAgain

Opposite to many F1 fans, I don't particularly enjoy this track. I respect that it's a real challenge for drivers and that many F1 fans have great memories connected with this track. But I've not. I watch F1 since 2006, so I missed the 2005 race there. But after 2005 I didn't find any race there to be particularly enjoyable or interesting. And it's not in the top five of F1 circuits than I enjoy the most and that I can't wait for.

Anyway, I expect Maldonado to have a strong qualifying session here. Just as many times this year, Williams' car should like all fast corners here, as it was really competitive at Barcelona and Spa, and Pastor is usually very quick on challenging tracks, as he qualified second in Singapore and third in Belgium this year, and had outperformed Rubens last year in Monaco, Belgium, Singapore and Japan as well.
Anderis

*Key stats supplied by FORIX collaborator Michele Merlino.

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