The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold

Mercedes has wrestled with what concept is best for its Formula 1 car since the beginning of the new ground effect ruleset. And while it is yet to truly emerge as a consistent frontrunner again, it now appears to be digging in the right place with its development path to truly strike gold

Updated Oct 2, 2023, 6:54 AM

As one of the best circuits on the Formula 1 calendar, Suzuka is not only an amazing driver challenge, but it also exposes the strengths and weaknesses of cars like few other places. In fact, what tends to happen, is that the opening sequence of the track – as the cars snake left and right several times through the Esses all the way up to the Degner Curves – tends to exaggerate performance characteristics.

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Author Jonathan Noble

Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.