Sep 28, 2011
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The venue for the last Grand Prix was built to get the world to notice Singapore and encourage tourism, whereas Suzuka was designed by a Dutchman, John Hugenholtz, for a Japanese car company, Honda, to test its cars to the limit or beyond, and it shows.
Suzuka is 5.8 kilometres of loveliness including just about every type of corner you can throw at a four-wheeled vehicle on tarmac. While the danger factor has been diluted a bit over the years on safety grounds, it still has more thrills than you can shake a (chop) stick at. The iconic corners are the 130R and Spoon, but the place where lap time can be won or lost more than any other is the Esses that come after the first corner: only about three quarters of a kilometre in length, you need a car that switches direction instantly and maintains a flowing speed through it. Get the first part wrong and you can drop half a second over the lap, a huge amount of time for such a short bit of road. There have been 26 Japanese GPs to date and only four of those were won by drivers who have not worn the World Champion’s crown, which tells you something about the degree of difficulty involved. If this all sounds like motor racing paradise, then it is a bit misleading, because the one thing that has been in short supply at this circuit is overtaking. The final chicane definitely does not help in this regard, but the fast flowing nature of the place is the main reason why getting ahead of another car is no laughing matter.
However, that’s likely to change this year thanks to the holy trinity that is DRS, KERS and Pirelli tyres. The Italian company is bringing its Soft and Medium compounds to this abrasive track and tyre management will once again be a critical factor. It has been known to rain in Japan and that just adds to the degree of difficulty and the amount of nerve required for the men in the cockpits. Having drivers who know the circuit is definitely useful and both Sébastien and Jaime found that out the hard way on their first visit two years ago, spending more time in the gravel trap than on the tarmac. After a less than brilliant Singapore, we will be hoping to make a step forward in performance terms, to continue our own championship fight with Sauber. The battle for the actual championship title is very likely to be resolved in Japan, given that Sebastian Vettel “only” needs to finish tenth to retain his crown. Suzuka would be a fitting venue to clinch the title, as it has been the scene of so many great championship wins and hilarious post-race celebrations, including fork lift truck driving, TV and fridge tossing and talking to trees outside the Log Cabin. Japan has gone through a very tough time recently with a mix of natural and man-made disasters and while Scuderia Toro Rosso and the other teams have all been involved in fundraising activities to help the victims in the aftermath of the earthquake, nothing matches actually turning up and putting on what will hopefully be a great motor race for F1 fans at the track and in the rest of Japan.
Credit: Toro Rosso (www.scuderiatororosso.com)
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