2009 Japanese Grand Prix

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After 2 years absent from the calendar, Suzuka finally returns as the host of the Japanese Grand Prix.
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2009 Formula 1 Fuji Television Japanese Grand Prix​
@ Suzuka Circui​
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picture.php

[YOUTUBEHD]k0MvA1tE0ZU[/YOUTUBEHD]

2006 Results:
1st. Fernando Alonso
2nd. Felipe Massa
3rd. Giancarlo Fisichella

Race Date: October 4 2009
Number of Laps: 53
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Race Distance: 307.573km
Lap Record: 1:31.540-Kimi Raikkonen(2005)
​
Current Standings:
1st. Jenson Button(Brawn-Mercedes)- 84
2nd. Rubens Barichello(Brawn-Mercedes)- 69
3rd. Sebastian Vettel(RBR-Renault)- 59

With only 3 races to go, we touch down at Suzuka circuit for the first time in 2 years. This track has decided championships on a number of occasions like the Ayrton Senna-Alain Prost rivalry 20 years ago, and more recently, Michael Schumacher's blown engine in 2006, which granted Alonso the title. Sebastian Vettel, 24 points away from chapionship leader, Jenson Button, will have to work some magic if he wants to win the title. He needs the best he can get to have a chance.​
 
yeti
I read that turn 1 has more run-off than previous...

C.
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I've heard the same.

I have a love hate relationship with Suzuka. I love to watch a race on it, I love to race on it in GT4 or Tourist Trophy, it's just that the sand will eat you alive. I especially dislike the last chicane on the bike layout. Otherwise it's a great track, MUCH better than Fuji or Motegi.

I really don't know what will happen this weekend, I hope RuBar can win himself another one. Maybe Button will find a sand trap to fill his radiators full of sand. I'm excited though in any case, it's going to be a great race! C'mon Friday practice!!! :D :D :D
 
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LSX
I have a love hate relationship with Suzuka.
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I know what you mean... I've played Suzuka East a hell of a lot - and am pretty good at it - but I can never seem to tie an entire lap together on the full course...

I'm terrible at the R246 bend (or whatever it's called) the high speed one at the end of the back straight... but then again I've only ever driven this with a DS3 - I'm finding (as I learn the G25) that fast corners are much easier with a wheel...

C.
 
For those who watch Super GT, they have had the run off in Suzuka's Turn 1 and Spoon for a while.

Here's a look.


 
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Toyota should perform well here, they do well at Suzuka nearly every year. I may be wrong, but boy did I enjoy the sight of Olivier Panis in third at the start of Suzuka '03. Have at it Timo!
 
L_Hamilton
For those who watch Super GT, they have had the run off in Suzuka and Spoon for a while.

Here's a look.
Click to expand...

Great vid - lots of random fires though!!! That pit dude was running around and all his mates were concentrating on the car!!

Not sure on the official designation - but I take "turn 1" as actually 2 turns... the first one has sand still (the initial kink) - and it looks like "turn 2" has the actual run off...

Wonder if this will make it into GT5...

Any other changes?

C.
 
Oh man am I happy to see Suzuka back. Fuji is a decent track, but is nowhere near Suzuka.

Predictions are: Red Bull on top, followed closely by the Brawns. McLaren won't do so well, and will stay behind the fist two, but still slightly ahead of Ferrari who will be much better this weekend. Force India might make it to Q2.
 
After the intense amount of racing I did last year on this track with Prologue, I love this track. I already did like it, but after running thousands of laps in many different cars and races, I've grown to love every corner. Its a great test of a variety of charateristics of a car and there are a fair few different approaches to gear ratios here.

Strong downforce setups will rule, so Williams, Red Bull, Ferrari and Toro Rosso should do better. Brawn seem to be good everywhere so it goes without saying they should be on top or near it.
I rather hope though that Toyota achieve something here, it would be the perfect place to achieve their first win! But this season its been impossible to predict Toyota's strengths.

Also, the timing is perfect, as I can get up at 5am for the race and then still be able to watch a full day's BTCC from the final round at Brands Hatch too!
 
Ardius
I rather hope though that Toyota achieve something here, it would be the perfect place to achieve their first win! But this season its been impossible to predict Toyota's strengths.
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It seems that this has been their weakness for several years now. 2005 would be a perfect example. Toyota was without any doubt a serious contender among Renault and Mclaren for the championship but throughout the season the others just became better. It seems that everytime they build a superfast car at the start, it gets slower compared to others throughout the season. Whereas a slower car of them, 2008, seems to get better cmopared to the rest throughout the season. I don't know if the car only performs well at certain tracks, but the TF109 that we saw in Melbourne and Bahrain has completely dissapeared unfortunately. If I read correctly, they introduced their last aero-update at Singapore so I hope they get behind their desks for next year soon enough and pull a Brawn-er. It's highly unlikely, but you can't do better than hoping I guess...
 
I'm interested to know about their staff changes over the years, because its an area I've not heard much about for Toyota and I'm wondering if it explains their distinctly average performance over the years. Teams like Jaguar and Arrows stood still precisely for this reason - constant changes in staff never kept any kind of consistencey.
Otherwise I don't know what they are doing wrong, though at Bahrain they fell down on strategy.

Their current driver line-up is strong, though before they fell down in this area. I think perhaps Trulli is best putting his experience to use at a new team now though and getting in someone with more potential. Glock is great and should win a race one day, but I think they need a stronger team leader.
 
I don't think their staff has had any major changes. The last changes in the Toyota I know of are the exit of Ralf Schumacher and Mike Gascoyne. Other than that I think the team is still the same.
 
Right... For this time around, I'd say that the competition is starting to get nervous...

I really do put some high hopes for the BMW to be successful here as this circuit has a lot of sweeping corner especially on the first sector... BMW really good in such corners...

Now for the rest of the field, it's still a fight... RBR certainly sounds good in here but who knows... Ferrari is a question mark over here, no success in Singapore, but will it be good at least a top 8 finishing here??? Toyota as the only Japanese car manufacturer available in F1 really going to put some hot stuff this weekend, because they've been fast throughout this year... So for my conclusion, this is gonna be an another fantastic race to watch in the season... I've never seen the run-off area at the first corner but it does sounds good for the drivers...
 
Apparently the pit exit now comes out at after turn 1, rather than before. To me it sounds a bit odd, but what do I know?

EDIT: L_Hamilton's video seems to prove otherwise, so I'm not sure where F1-Live got their information... But anyway, looking forward to watching the Japanese GP at Suzuka again. Unfortunately I'll have to record the race, because I have to work. 👎
 
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Great to see Suzuka back, one of the old guard that seems to have been around on the F1 calender forever.

Looking forward to seeing how the cars go through the flowing sequence of bends after T2 anf through the 130R. Hopefully Rubiniho can do the biz but if he doesn't, let's have a victory for Hamilton.

Don't think Jenson will win the title this weekend but you never know.

COME ON RUBENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Would not KERS cars get the nod here? I suspect Hamilton to be strong here... Rain, perhaps? There will be guys racing for their seats next year from here out. Toyota? Sorry, Bram. They need better talent in their seats. Trulli & Glock have it, but not enough. Toyota can afford the best, yet, are too cheap! But I respect your die-hard loyalty.
 
Better talent is not the right word to describe their scenario. Trulli is still a very fast driver for his age, has an incedible amount of experience, and has shown throughout the season that he still has what it takes to bring Toyota one step further. As for Glock, I can only see positive things unfolding for the young german. For me it is clear that F1 is his home, and he has shown so much improvement since he joined Toyota that I'd love to see him take Toyota's first victory here in Japan.

Unfortunately Trulli might not race this weekend as he is very ill at the moment. Apparently he caught a virus in Singapore, which would explain his bad performance. Here's to hoping he gets better 👍
 
One of my favorite tracks, I'm glad it's back on the calendar. It will be aired at 2AM over here but I'll surely gonna watch it!
 
finally a race that fits around my schedule. get off work at midnight and home at 1am for the race. sadly i dont think ferrari is going to do well here. raikonen has sad in the past that the ferrari is lacking downforce and thats there biggest problem and with no more improvements being made to the car thats not going to change. so hopefully the iceman can fight his way into the top 8 and score some points. hoping the vettle can pick up a win here with Rubens on the podium and hopefully jenson out of the points. that would make the final few races that more interesting
 
Practice 1 and 2 will be over by the time I get to work tomorrow...

Looking forward to seeing how things are shaping up.

C.
 
I'm REALLY looking forward to the race this weekend, especially considering the amount of time I've spent driving it on Prolouge :lol:

I suspect will see RBR on top this weekend, as I believe this circuit will really suit them well and they have a talented driver line up to attack this difficult track...not to mention they supposedly have upgrades coming for every race until the end of the season. I believe Brawn and Mclaren will also do quite well here 👍 I'm hoping Toyota put in a strong showing at their home Grand Prix...which their capable of doing as long as they can get the tires to work :scared:
 
This 3 sets of Inters is ridiculous...

If the entire weekend was a bit wet - then no-one would be using practice because they'd need the 3 sets for the race...

If it's wet this race - then they will be using 1 set for Quali - and then for first stint - and they will be forced to 1 stop.

They get more than 3 sets of dry tyres - why do they only get 3 sets of inters?

C.
 
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L_Hamilton
Serious BMW fan is serious. :grumpy:
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Well yes it may sound funny but after what they've been through this year, yet it's not a funny stuff to laugh at them... I will say poor them that everything has gone wrong through the whole year... :(

I am serious... Yeah you're not a BMW fan after all...
 

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