JAPANESE GRAND PRIX PREVIEW
After 20 years of racing at the Suzuka circuit in Japan,
Formula One changes tack this weekend and re-visits Fuji Speedway.
Fuji hosted the first ever Japanese Grand Prix in 1976, but
its time on the calendar was short lived and the race was
dropped a year later due to safety concerns. Brought by Toyota
in 2000 and given a major facelift by renowned architect,
Hermann Tilke, today’s facility stands tall among its
rivals with a challenging new track layout and modern infrastructure.
Located just 60 miles outside the hustle of Tokyo and with
the stunning Mount Fuji as its backdrop, this year’s
new venue, which none of today’s F1 drivers have experience
of, will no doubt prompt some exciting action for the first
of a pair of Asian races. Currently lying fourth in the Constructors’
Championship with just three races remaining, AT&T Williams
will be looking to extend its lead over its main rivals and
close the gap to Renault in front of a home crowd for engine
partner, Toyota.
Nico Rosberg
I am looking forward to racing at Fuji Speedway. With the
huge renovation work and design input from Hermann Tilke,
the legendary Fuji should now be a pretty cool track. Not
having been to Fuji before, I have done some practice in a
simulator, but the real learning happens when you are out
on the track. For me, less than a dozen laps will be enough
to start feeling comfortable. At Fuji Speedway, we'll be on
Toyota's home ground, so it would be great if we could do
well there in front of the Japanese audience.
I'll be flying out to Tokyo a week early for sponsor events
and to recover from the jet lag. Dealing with the big time
difference is not only about sleeping, but also about eating.
You sometimes wake up at 4am and your body is screaming for
a huge steak! Anyway, it's an unknown track, but again I am
confident we can do well and continue our form of the last
few races.
Alex Wurz
I very much like going to oversees races and particularly
to Japan because I love the culture there. This time, though,
it will be a bit of an unknown trip for me, not because we’re
going to a new track, but because my wife Julia is expecting
our third son and he’s scheduled to arrive in the days
between Japan and China. Naturally then, I’m leaving
home with a bit of an uncomfortable feeling.
As for the circuit, I always like driving new tracks and
usually manage to learn them quite quickly. Fuji Speedway
will certainly be a challenge when it comes to set-up and
aero settings because the long fast straight, combined with
the slow speed last sector, demands a big compromise. From
a Championship perspective, we will have to wait and see where
we stand in comparison to the others, but I hope to be able
to snatch some points.
Sam Michael, Technical Director, Williams F1
Fuji is effectively a new circuit for Formula One as the
circuit layout we will race on next weekend is quite different
to what was used last time F1 raced there 30 years ago. The
old track layout prompted higher speeds and had only three
or four corners between the long straights. The new layout
mainly consists of slow speed corners and has a lot of changes
of direction. The one very long straight could influence the
amount of rear wing that we run here. As it’s a new
layout, I’m sure there will be some changes needed after
Friday’s practice sessions. The only thing that hasn’t
changed is Mount Fuji itself which still provides a spectacular
backdrop.
Weather forecasts predict rain for most of the weekend. This
can obviously always change, but we will expect it regardless.
Fuji also has high altitudes; it’s approximately 570m
above sea level, which is close to that in Brazil. This causes
a loss of downforce, drag and engine power because the air
is not as dense. Fuji Speedway, Japan
The Fuji Speedway is a relative unknown, with any available
data the result of intensive simulation work carried out by
the teams in the comfort of their factories. Drivers will
therefore spend around three laps of Friday’s first
practice session experimenting with braking distances and
cornering speeds in order to identify the most efficient racing
lines around the 4.563km lap.
33% of every one of those laps is dominated by the start
/ finish stretch. Measuring 1.5km in length, it’s the
longest straight driven all season, one on which drivers will
reach top speeds of 315km/h and spend almost 20 full seconds
on the throttle. The end of the straight is then met by a
hairpin at turn one, followed by a series of six left and
ten right-hand low speed winding loops and gradient changes
before the drivers journey back onto the start/finish straight.
Set-up direction will ultimately be dictated by Fuji’s
long straight. In theory, therefore, a high downforce configuration,
to carry speed and assist overtaking, coupled with strong
brakes and a balanced ride through the winding corners, will
be the optimum operating level for this weekend’s Japanese
Grand Prix at the Fuji Speedway.
KEY RACE DATA
RACE DISTANCE / LAPS 4.563kms / 2.835 miles. 67 laps = 305.721kms
/ 189.975 miles
RACE START TIME Local: 13.30, BST: 04.30
2005 FASTEST LAP No data available
2005 POLE SITTER No data available
2005 RACE WINNER No data available
PIT-STOP SCHEDULE No data available
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