Japanese Grand Prix Preview: Party Time for Vettel and Red Bull

There are a number of reasons why the Japanese Grand Prix is a massive highlight on the Formula One calendar. The circuit is fantastic and many of the drivers rate it as one of their top three tracks in the sport. The wide, flowing corners feed beautifully into each other, creating a natural rhythm to the track—except for the final chicane of course. But even that right-left flick provides plenty of entertainment, as it’s the best overtaking spot around Suzuka’s 3.609 miles.

The S Curves are among the most feted in all of motorsport. Drivers can’t make a mistake in one of the corners or it’ll throw them off course for the next one, and the one after that. The circuit allows a Formula One car to thoroughly flex its muscles. Many cars can drive fast in a straight line—many road cars can drive faster than a Formula One car along a runway. It’s the cornering ability of an F1 car that’s astonishing to witness and a track like Suzuka, with its fast and flowing corners, shows off this ability fantastically. It’s little wonder that the drivers relish it. And with the DRS, qualifying should have some added spice.

The history of the race also makes it a thrilling event to watch. It has been the venue of many title deciders and is likely to be so again this weekend. Sebastian Vettel only needs a solitary point to wrap up the 2011 title. While he’ll be thrilled to wrap it up, the prospect of a hat-trick of wins at Suzuka will also get this record obsessed young German excited. This has only been accomplished at Suzuka once before, when Michael Schumacher won the 2000-2002 races. Indeed, only Schumacher has won the Japanese Grand Prix more than twice. But Schumacher’s record of six wins is likely to be safe for at least a little longer.

Another reason why the Japanese Grand Prix is particularly special is the early morning start time for European viewers. Getting up at six A.M. is something of a ritual, especially for older fans that have watched the sport since the 1980s, when there were only a couple of early races each season (Japan and Australia). These days the effect is somewhat diluted with further races in Malaysia, China and Korea.

To accommodate the European viewer, the race start time has traditionally been later than most other races, beginning at three P.M. local time. This means that by the end of the race the cars cast long shadows along the track as the sun begins to dip in the sky, again a feature unique to Suzuka..

Weather has often been another contributory factor to the Japanese Grand Prix weekend. The sun frequently shines, but when it doesn’t the rain can be epic. The 1994 race was a thriller—the Alesi-Mansell battle was gripping—but the conditions made the race immensely dangerous.

In 2004, the tail of Typhoon Ma-on cancelled all the Saturday action, and in 2010 torrential rain washed qualifying out. In both years, the passionate Japanese fans were treated to a race-morning qualifying session. However, the weather forecast this year calls for bright sunshine on both Saturday and Sunday.

With Vettel almost guaranteed to win the Drivers’ Championship this weekend (he only needs one point or for Jenson Button to not win), the real fight is for second position. Currently three points separate Button, Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber. Also of interest will be Lewis Hamilton’s performance. He’s under a lot of pressure from fans, media, his fellow drivers and perhaps his team too. Can he haul himself back into the battle for P2? Will he be able to keep his nose clean?

The battle between Force India, Renault, Sauber and Toro Rosso is worth watching too, with each team’s performance swinging around race by race. Both Renault and Sauber claim to have substantial upgrade packages to add on to their cars this weekend.

But mostly, sit back and enjoy the thrill of watching Formula One cars on the limit around the legendary rollercoaster Suzuka circuit.