Friday 6th October
Heavy rain
High: 22`C
Low: 19`C
Wind Speed: 8mph
Saturday 7th October
Sunny
High: 24'C
Low: 18'C
Wind Speed: 22mph
Sunday 8th October
Sunny
High: 24'C
Low: 16'C
Wind Speed: 18mph
Renault F1 Team blog wrote:A little reminder of what happened in Suzuka in 2005...
So then, who remembers Suzuka 2005? I wrote a few minutes ago that this was a race for the ages and it truly was.
What's more, it included THE overtaking manoeuvre of the season. The headlines of the race went to Raikkonen as he swept round the outside of Fisi on the final lap. But for the connoisseurs, the real event happened somewhat earlier, when Fernando did the same to Michael Schumacher. Except this time, it happened at 130R... the quickest corner on the circuit.
Below is a jpeg of the onboard as he worked up to it...
But we have some special treats too. You will see below the telemetry trace from that famous lap, to show you how it looked to the 'computers'. I have flipped it on its side to get the best resolution, so please lean your heads 90° to the right as you look at it! First, some explanatory basics:
White trace, wheel speed - so how fast the car is going.
Purple trace, gear - from 1 to 6 in the R25.
Pink trace, steering angle - going up means turning left, going down is turning right. See the big peak in the middle? That's the left-hand hairpin after going under the bridge.
Turquoise trace, brake pedal force - the big spikes come every time Fernando brakes.
Blue trace, throttle - how much loud pedal Gonzo is using.
And the moment of beauty comes just after the 4608 meter mark. At approximately 4.8km into the lap, the pink trace spikes upwards very quickly - that legendary aggressive Alonso turn-in. The throttle trace dips to to about 45% throttle. And there is a dab, barely a hint, of brake - just a touch for confidence. The dab happens as Fernando turns in, slamming across the path of Michael Schumacher. He is off the throttle for maybe a second. Then off again - and onto the next victim.
It is a special insight into just what makes 'Magic' Alonso...