Japanese GP Preview
The second race of this Far East double-header is the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. The famous figure of eight. The circuit, the only one on the calendar featuring a figure of eight.
As the Formula 1 circuit heads to Suzuka, Japan, following the end of Max Verstappen and Red Bull's winning streak at Marina Bay, questions arise about Red Bull's performance. The team struggled to find the right setup in Singapore, opening opportunities for other teams to compete. Carlos Sainz secured his second F1 victory for Ferrari, marking a significant win since his first at Silverstone in 2022.
Is Red Bull Lagging?
Followed by a heartbreaking weekend in Singapore the entire paddock awaits for the comeback. You see the nature of the track in Singapore involves bumps where you are expected to increase the height with the ground and lose some performance otherwise it would damage the floor resulting in FIA violation. With such a complicated floor design of Red Bull which helps them to have a great downforce, the track typically doesn’t suit the car hence the lack of performance but with Suzuka on the way it looks like a perfect track to redeem for the lost weekend.
"We've had those outliers in Singapore in the years where we (Mercedes) almost won every race and then we came here and it wasn't really good. I expect them to be back," Wolff said.
One thing that was to look out for was the new technical directive (TD18) regarding flexi wings but that only made Red Bull lose one-tenth of a second. The pace of the car at the circuit highly pointed at the wrong set-up window that the car was in.
“We knew coming here it would be expected to have closer competition,” Horner said. “But I think it took us a bit by surprise, just how far out we were on Friday. “I think that we were just not in the right operating window for the car, particularly over a single lap. And when you're not there, then the tyres feel horrible. Everything just doesn't work.”
Along with this, we would be able to see whether Redbull wraps up the constructors championship this weekend. Currently, they are 308 points ahead of Mercedes and to earn the title they need to be ahead at least by a margin of 309 points. This means they have to stay ahead of Mercedes by one point by the end of the weekend to win the Constructors Championship.
Alpha Tauri’s “Experienced” Drivers
Liam Lawson, the New Zealander had an amazing weekend scoring his first-ever points in F1 landing P9 in the race. Coming to Japan where he has already raced during the Japanese Super Formula expectations hang over him to bag some points for the team yet again.
Despite his performance, there have been rumours that Red Bull is gonna keep him on the sidelines for 2024 and consider him an option for 2025.
Having driven three weekends, the New Zealander has had more impressive performances compared to Yuki Tsunoda or their previous driver Nyck De Vries.
For the previous two races, the Japanese driver experienced severe bad luck. Firstly the Italian GP where he could not even start the race due to engine failure in the formation lap. In the previous race, due to the misjudgement of Perez, he clattered into Tsunoda which resulted in yet another DNF.
Coming to home track, fans expect him to turn this into a redemption race. With his earlier experience at the circuit, it would be beneficial for the team to bag some points this weekend.
McLaren Magic
The upgrade package in Singapore really seemed to work for the team aiding Norris to earn P2 in the race whereas his teammate who didn’t receive the package would be receiving it this weekend. McLaren managed to develop the car best this year, from not being able to finish races at the beginning of the year to competing for podium places. Norris has been at the top of his form post-summer break. Also, there would be some pressure on the rookie to perform since his contract was extended till the 2026 season. This would be Piastri’s first race at Suzuka, unlike Lawson who already has experience on that track. It would be a thrilling race to see how the two rookies perform.
The Australian concluded, "My car will carry the Stealth Mode livery again, as well as some new parts, which is exciting. I had a good pace in Singapore, made up 10 positions, so I'm hoping to improve on that performance and finish in the points again."
The Red Team Kit
The Suzuka track is very different from Monza or Silverstone consisting of high-speed corners with medium-low aero setups. While the team might have scored a win in Singapore it won’t be easy in Japan, especially with the high temperatures that have been recorded past week.
The tyre degradation issues have not been cured for the team. The track in Suzuka is more demanding in terms of how much energy is put on tyres, especially front ones.
This tyre degradation issue would also play a key role in how the team chases Mercedes down to gain that second spot in the Constructor’s table.
“To be “careful” one has to manage the tyres, limiting the amount of energy going through them so as to optimise race stint length. That can mean giving up a bit of performance over each single lap to reduce the average degradation thus allowing a quicker overall stint.”
Mercedes' Quest to Maintain Second Place
After a thrilling weekend for Ferrari, the gap between Ferrari and Mercedes has been reduced to 24 points but with both of the drivers totally in the form, it would be difficult for Ferrari to chase the team down and come as P2 in the Championship.
Along with this, the tyre degradation issue of the red team would help Mercedes retain their position in the table.
Another thing to look out for would be how the young Brit contributes to standings after a heartbreaking DNF in the last couple of laps the previous weekend. It would be highly important for him to perform this weekend and earn as many points as possible for the team.
Alonso’s Podium Streak
The past two races have been a nightmare for Alonso barely finishing in points at Monza while his teammate couldn’t race in Singapore due to a crash in qualifying. Coming to Suzuka we hope to see both of the drivers fighting for points as McLaren is on their toes to grab that fourth place in constructors. With both the drivers in their form, it would be very crucial for AMR to run after those points. Especially the Lance who haven’t been able to perform post-summer break at all. It would be a chance for him to prove that he isn’t just there because of his daddy’s money but rather can be beneficial for the team.
Another thing that would be interesting is the new helmet that Alonso would be bringing in which is heavily inspired by the samurai culture in Japan.
"It's a very special helmet this weekend and it has a lot of symbolic parts to it. I am a fan of samurai culture and that is one of the things that inspires me. On the back of the helmet, the design is similar to my samurai tattoo. It's nice to be able to do this design and use it here this weekend."
Weather Forecast
The race week starts with hot temperatures with an average of 30 degrees Celcius. Managing tyres for the team would be crucial or they have to multi-stop race instead of a two-stop. There are shower predictions, especially in FP1 and FP2 but the chances of rains would be higher as the weekend proceeds.
Last year due to rain the race was delayed by 3 hours and in the last 45 minutes only 28 laps race were done awarding drivers half points. It would be a show of how the race proceeds if the shower comes down. Would there be a full race or just like last year laps would be cut down? We will just have to wait and see how the rest unfolds.
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