Japanese Grand Prix: Preview

The Japanese Grand Prix is one of the most popular venues on the Formula 1 calendar owing to the challenge posed by the rollercoaster 5.8 km circuit, located in the Mie Prefecture on Honshu’s eastern coast. Japan first joined Formula 1’s circus in 1976, at Fuji Speedway, but it was not until 1987 that the figure-of-eight Suzuka circuit welcomed the championship. 

Suzuka’s place towards the end of the season meant it was the scene of several iconic title-deciding moments in Formula 1 history. The likes of Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Mika Häkkinen and Sebastian Vettel have all been crowned World Champion at Suzuka. 

Suzuka is revered throughout the world as one of motorsport’s finest permanent circuits, with drivers barely having time to breathe through the lap, as they walk a tightrope while pushing their machines to the limit. The first sector is dominated by the Esses, a sequence of narrow sweeping medium- and high-speed corners that rise and plummet, while corners such as Spoon and 130R require total commitment. 

The peril is enhanced by the proximity of the grass, gravel traps and barriers, meaning mistakes are regularly punished. Suzuka is also the only circuit on the calendar to feature a flyover, with drivers passing underneath the entry to 130R as they negotiate the exit of Degner 2.   

Kevin Magnussen has participated in five Japanese grands prix, including its most recent running in 2019 with Haas F1 Team, while this year’s event will be Mick Schumacher’s first experience of the figure-of-eight venue. 

Guenther Steiner – Team Principal

Qualifying for the Singapore Grand Prix ultimately proved to be the highlight of the weekend for the team – with Kevin back in Q3 taking P9 and Mick claiming P13 on his Singapore debut. With the challenging conditions we saw throughout the session – just how well executed was the team’s operation on the Saturday, what stood out for you in particular?

“The entire race weekend, I think it was one of the best, or the best, executed weekends this year. Starting on Friday, we didn’t have any issues because we knew we had to stay out there to get laps for the drivers so they could learn the track. On Saturday with the changing conditions, we couldn’t have done anything different or better.

"It was the same on the choices of tire and the strategy on Sunday. Going back, we would do the same, the only thing we would change would be to get Mick in a lap later as we know now that there would’ve been a safety car but of course we didn’t know that then. It was very good and it gives us confidence that we can handle difficult weather situations.” 

 

Sunday’s race turned out to be fruitless with Magnussen taking an early black and orange flag, and subsequent mandatory pit stop. How do you respond to such incidents, both live in-race, and then later in review of the race. How does the team reset after an event like Sunday’s?

“When something like this happens in the race, it’s very frustrating and obviously I get very upset about it because first of all, we put ourselves in this position and then we get help from the FIA to be put into an even worse position, having to come in to change a part which is not a safety issue. If I didn’t feel emotional about it, I shouldn’t be sitting here in my opinion.

"I care, I care about the team and there were two instances which went against us. One inflicted by ourselves and one inflicted by somebody outside which was completely unjust. On how we recover, we just have to rethink about what we can do better next time. I think we shouldn’t have put ourselves in that position, but time heals all wounds and we’ll be ready for Japan.” 

The battle for seventh in the Constructors’ Championship has become a clear three-way fight between the team and Aston Martin and AlphaTauri – just three points the overall difference heading to Japan this week. What do the final five races of the season offer the team in terms of likely performance and competitiveness to keep fighting for that position?

“I think if we can do a good job, all of us do a good job, we can still fight for seventh. We were in a position to score points in Singapore, we just messed it up. We need to look at ourselves and at what happened, and then get better from there. I think in the races coming up, our car is not worse than the others we are competing with.”

 

Finally, we return to Japan and the legendary Suzuka Circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend. Japan has a long Formula 1 history and the enthusiasm of the fans is world renowned. Can you share your memories of racing there over the past seasons with Haas F1 Team?

“For me, it’s one of my favorite circuits as it’s a cool race track and the fans are so passionate about it. I think our car should be good at this track, we just have to execute. I think it’s very good that we get back to Japan, I really like it.”