F1 travels to the Land of the Rising Sun this weekend for the Japanese Grand Prix; one of the most historic on the calendar having witnessed everything from champions being crowned to life-ending accidents. It is also one of the most iconic tracks with turns like 130R, the 'S curves’, and featuring the only crossover on the F1 calendar.
McLaren Honda enter the weekend coming off of a solid performance in Malaysia and are certainly in a much better position than last year when Fernando Alonso uttered his famous “GP2 engine” comment. Having just been fitted with a further updated engine at Malaysia, and with a little luck, Alonso could be in a position for a top 5 finish. Jenson Button will also be capable of scoring points on merit.
Elsewhere on the grid, Lewis Hamilton will desperately be trying to overcome the points gap to Nico Rosberg after victory was snatched from him by an engine failure in Malaysia. If Red Bull can find similar pace relative to Mercedes as they did last weekend, they could even be in contention for the win with the right strategy. From there we can expect Ferrari, Force India, and Williams to be battling with the latter being somewhat of a dark horse for the higher points-paying positions.
US TV SCHEDULE:
Practice 1: Thursday October 6th, 9:00PM
EST
,
NBC
Sports Live Extra
Practice 2: Friday October 7th, 1:00AM
EST
,
NBCSN
Practice 3: Friday October 7th, 11:00PM
EST
,
NBC
Sports Live Extra
Qualifying: Saturday October 8th, 2:00AM
EST
,
NBCSN
Race: Sunday October 9th, 12:00AM
EST
,
NBCSN
CIRCUIT
INFORMATION
Lap data
Lap length: 5.807km (3.608 miles)
Race laps: 53
Race distance: 307.471km (191.054 miles)
Pole position: Left-hand side of the track
Lap record*: 1’31.540 (228.372 kph) by Kimi Raikkonen, 2005
Fastest lap: 1’28.954 (235.011 kph) by Michael Schumacher, 2006
Maximum speed: 314kph (195.11 mph)
DRS
zone/s (race): Pit straight
Distance from grid to turn one: 545m
Car performance
Full throttle: 66%
Longest flat-out section: 994m
Downforce level: High
Gear changes per lap: 48
Fuel use per lap: 1.8kg
Time penalty per lap of fuel: 0.054s
Strategy
Quickest complete pit stop in 2013: 22.551s by Mercedes (see full list)
2016 prime tyre: Hard (2015: Hard)
2016 option tyres: Soft & Medium (2015: Medium)
*Fastest lap set during a Grand Prix
Data sources:
FIA
, Williams, Mercedes
2015 (V6
TURBO
ERA
) RESULTS
Stats
Pole position: Nico Rosberg, 1:32.584
Race laps: 53
Fast race lap: 1:36.145
Podium
1. Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes
2. Nico Rosberg – Mercedes
3. Sebastian Vettel – Ferrari
CURRENT
STANDINGS
Drivers
1. Nico Rosberg, 288
2. Lewis Hamilton, 265
3. Daniel Ricciardo, 204
4. Kimi Raikkonen, 160
5. Sebastian Vettel, 153
Constructors
1. Mercedes
AMG
Petronas F1 Team,553
2. Red Bull Racing, 359
3. Scuderia Ferrari, 313
4. Sahara Force India F1 Team, 124
5. Williams Martini Racing, 121
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