2012 Japanese GP - Suzuka

[raymondu999]

2011




Strategy
2012 tyres - Hard (prime, silver) and Soft (option, yellow)
2011 tyres - Medium (prime, white) and Soft (option, yellow)

2011 Pole lap
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCxcXsqjWdY[/youtube]

2011 comparison with Button (0.009s off)
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKTelG0Ir8g[/youtube]

[Bomber_Pilot]

That was fast

[NonNewtonic]

Here we come another Red Bull track

[SamH123]

Singapore was surely a bad track for Mclaren

It's going to be all Hamilton/Mclaren I would have thought

[JimClarkFan]

Best track in F1, love this place. Hope Ferrari can be more competitive here, expect Mclaren to take pole.

[raymondu999]

I think this will be interesting in terms of balancing out tyre deg and quali pace. Perhaps we could almost see a situation where being quickest in quali means you're slowest in the race (relative to your close competition)

[SamH123]

I think this will be interesting in terms of balancing out tyre deg and quali pace. Perhaps we could almost see a situation where being quickest in quali means you're slowest in the race (relative to your close competition)

That sounds interesting. Why might that be more significant at Suzuka than other places?

[raymondu999]

Fast corners. Adding more downforce might give you a better outright laptime, but burn your tires in the race as you carry so much pace through the apexes. See Red Bull in 2011

[SamH123]

Ah yeah, Suzuka really is so flowing and so fast for so much of the track isn't it

(Expect Merc to be battling with Marussia )

[raymondu999]

Absolutely. I remember Red Bulls visibly took rear wing off AoA after friday. Their cars had so much downforce that they were so bad on the tyres

[Guisson]

Vettel had always done Well here the last 3 years ( Win in 2009, Win in 2010, 3rd in 2011)
I expect him to be strong and battle again with Hammy And Button
Mclaren can theoretically make a 1-2
Lotus maybe in Good position with their DDRS
Ferrari ..Should I say Fernando will be there as well
*How unlucky I am , I will miss FP1/2/3 because of School *

[stefan_]

Two words - "the device".

If I don't see it in this race weekend I will throw my TV out the window.

[raymondu999]

I'll be waiting outside your window. You know... Just in case it doesn't come up

[JimClarkFan]

Two words - "the device".

If I don't see it in this race weekend I will throw my TV out the window.

Totally unaware.

[godlameroso]

Suzuka is the track that separates the best drivers from the ordinary ones. The track is glass smooth compared to the venue we just left, and might see cars with good downforce but bad relative mechanical do well here. This is a very challenging circuit it is very easy to miss your turn in for the first sector, and this forces you to use more slip angle than you might otherwise need killing your tires, now you can set up for this, but it invariably affects the way you handle the Degners and the two slow speed turns. Sector one is all high speed, cars barely go below 170kph. Sector two is the hairpin and spoon which stresses mechanical suspension and power delivery. Sector three is the 130R, a flat out corner but might require lifting in the race to conserve tires, and the casio triangle, probably the most difficult chicane in the calendar, the road slightly narrows and veers right, it's bumpy on approach, and the exit must be planned in advance as good traction is essential to get a good lap as Vettel demonstrated.