Vettel will want to celebrate in style

In the grand scheme of things, whether or not Sebastian Vettel becomes a four-time world champion in Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix is of little consequence.

His coronation has been a foregone conclusion for several races now and the odds are against him clinching the title at Suzuka. But for those with a sense of history - and Vettel himself should be counted among that number - there's a genuine appeal to the championship being secured on the ultra-fast sweeps of this great track.

The title has been sealed at Suzuka no less than 11 times. Back in 1987, when the Honda-owned track staged its first world championship race, Nelson Piquet made sure of his third world title with the help of Williams team-mate Nigel Mansell's heavy shunt during practice. It has been a regular occurrence since, with two infamous collisions between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna now the calling card of the venue.

Vettel himself knows what it's like to win the championship here. In 2011, needing only one more point, his third place behind Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso was more than enough to become a double world champion. But there was a tinge of regret that he could not celebrate from the top step of the podium.

Vettel became champion at Suzuka in 2011 © LAT

In fact, only once has Vettel been able to do so, in Abu Dhabi back in 2010. Make no mistake, the 26-year-old will be determined to make sure that he can seal the deal in style with a victory, whether it happens here or, more likely, in India two weeks down the line.

The mathematics for Vettel are simple. His only chance is to win the race, with Fernando Alonso failing to finish in the top eight. As Red Bull team principal Christian Horner puts it: "The likelihood of winning in Japan is extremely low. When does Fernando Alonso ever finish ninth?"

The answer is very rarely. The last time was in the Chinese Grand Prix in April 2012, meaning that realistically it's going to take an Alonso retirement for Vettel to be able to leave Japan a quadruple champion.

The chances of Vettel not winning, however, are slim. He has raced at Suzuka four times, claiming a clean sweep of pole positions and a trio of victories. As one of the most popular circuits on the calendar, he would love to win here again... not that he ever needs any extra motivation given his lust for stringing together win after win after win.

Perhaps the most interesting question is, if Red Bull is again dominant, just how quick the car is relative to the rest. Last year, the fastest non-Red Bull in qualifying was Kamui Kobayashi's Sauber, which was 0.861s off pole.

WEBBER'S SHOT AT VICTORY

Webber was hit by Grosjean at the first corner last year © XPB

With only five races left in his long F1 career, Mark Webber will see Suzuka as one of his best shots for a swansong victory.

Twice he has pushed team-mate Vettel close in qualifying to take second on the grid, finishing runner-up in the race in 2010 but being booted into a spin by Romain Grosjean on the opening lap last year.

While Vettel has shaded him, Suzuka is a track that suits Webber. He has won here before, sharing a Mercedes with Klaus Ludwig in the FIA GT Championship in 1998 and, along with Interlagos, where he has won twice before and will make his final start, this surely represents his best chance of notching up a 10th grand prix triumph.

Alonso has made it clear that the title is out of reach © XPB

ALONSO'S MIRACLE

After the Korean GP, Alonso suggested it was miraculous that the "red car with the blue helmet" was still in contention for the world championship, no matter how tenuously.

After a difficult weekend in Korea, where he was unable to haul the car into podium contention having done so in Singapore with a great start and run through the first corner, Ferrari showed its true colours with sixth place. Alonso's target for Suzuka is to keep the title fight mathematically alive for at least one more race and get back into the mix for a top-three finish.

More importantly, Ferrari is facing a tough task to hold onto second in the constructors' championship. Having comfortably outscored Mercedes on the medium/low-downforce circuits at Spa and Monza, it's now only one point clear. With financial rewards - as well as pride - at stake, you can expect this battle to be taken very seriously.

Massa didn't do himself many favours in Korea © LAT

PRESSURE BUILDS FOR 2014

With the majority of seats on next year's F1 grid still not officially confirmed, there are plenty of drivers with a point to prove in the closing stages of the season.

Felipe Massa talked of racing more for himself after confirming his exit from Ferrari. But with experience one of his main selling points for next year, making the rookie mistake of spinning at Turn 3 on the opening lap of the race, after failing to factor in that Nico Rosberg would inevitably be turning in, won't have helped his cause.

It's a similar story for Sergio Perez, who has had a perfectly respectable season but not reached the heights you would expect of a McLaren driver even when the pace of the car is taken into account. The team has yet to make a decision on his future, so he needs a good performance here to persuade them.

Both Force India drivers, Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta, made costly mistakes in Korea. With the likes of Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg in the mix for a seat with the team in 2014, and the team's board set to meet soon to discuss options, now would be the time to grab a point or two in a tricky car.

LOTUS WHEELBASE TEST

The new long-wheelbase version of the Lotus E21 claimed second and third place in Korea on its race debut. That's good news for next year, with the longer wheelbase seemingly the path Enstone is now set on.

After difficult weekends at Spa and Monza, Lotus has notched up three podiums in the last two races on tracks with more regular downforce demands, and Suzuka will be a real test of the car's mettle.