Japanese Grand Prix 2010 - Suzuka

Japanese GP: 2010

Welcome to our Japanese Grand Prix 2010 guide with everything you need to follow events in Suzuka. On this page:
Official results - BBC TV Listings - Ticket Info - Preview Quotes

Results from Japanese Grand Prix 2010

F1 Live Timing | FP1 | FP2 | FP3 | Quali | Race

What weather can we expect in Suzuka?

Suzuka Grand Prix weather forecast.

 

BBC TV/Wen/Red Button Listings (UK Only)

Friday 8 October
Practice one: 0155-0335, BBC Red Button/online
Practice two: 0555-0735, BBC Red Button/online

Saturday 9 October
Practice three: 0255-0405, BBC Red Button/online
Qualifying: 0500-0730, BBC One/online and BBC Radio 5 live sport extra/online
Qualifying re-run: 1300-1415, BBC One

Sunday 10 October
Race: 0600-0915, BBC One/online and BBC Radio 5 live/online
Race re-run: 1400-1600, BBC One

Tickets for 2011 Japanese Grand Prix

Sign up on our dedicated F1 tickets 2011 page or use the form on our Japanese Grand Prix tickets page.

McLaren Preview Quotes

Jenson Button: “I’ve spent such a large part of my Formula 1 career working in Japan that I almost consider it something of a second home nowadays. Tokyo is one of the greatest cities in the world – just an endlessly exciting place to discover and explore, and Suzuka is the perfect venue for the Japanese Grand Prix – one of the world’s truly great circuits, and a supreme challenge for any racing driver.

“I love the whole Suzuka experience – the fact that it’s a real trek to reach from Europe, the amusement park that you walk through to get to the paddock, the incredibly loyal and friendly Japanese fans – who cheer me on all weekend – and the whole atmosphere, which is invariably extremely tense and frantic, because the race always plays such a decisive role in the outcome of world championships.

“I’ve had some great results at Suzuka, but I’ve never won in Japan. I think it’s a circuit that suits my style – it’s all about scrubbing off as little speed as possible through the corners and maintaining a very smooth and precise rhythm: get it wrong and you’re usually scrabbling to regain your momentum for several more corners. It’s a punishing place.

“I think the world championship is still completely open: obviously, there’s no room for mistakes, but any of the top five drivers could easily steal the title. It might seem a disadvantage to be behind in the points standings, but, make no mistake, I know I can win this championship. I’m still as determined as ever to keep the number one on my car for 2011.” 

Lewis Hamilton: “The first two Japanese Grands Prix of my Formula 1 career were held at the Fuji Speedway. While that’s a great circuit, on arrival at Suzuka for the first time last year,  it was clear that this was one of the great racetracks of the world.

“It’s a real driver’s circuit – you need to be committed and precise to do well there, and there’s no room for error either: no Tarmac run-off, and all the barriers are pretty close, so any mistake is going to hurt your chances big-time.

“It’s also a place with a lot of history. Before I first went there, it was a place I always associated with Senna and Prost, and their incredible rivalry. But it only ever existed on the television screen – walking the track for the first time, and knowing I was standing on the same spot of Tarmac where two giants of the sport traded blows was an exciting experience.

“Suzuka is very much unfinished business for me. I raced the best I could last year, but our car just wasn’t fast enough. This year, I’m holding nothing back – I need a strong result to get my title hopes back on track, and that will be my complete focus from the moment I first sit in the cockpit on Friday morning"

“Now is not the time to hold back; now is the time to fight.”

Martin Whitmarsh: “The bald facts show that we’ve only managed to get one car to the finish of each of the last four grands prix. While that doesn’t make for positive reading, it’s perhaps too stark an illustration of our overall competitiveness. And it certainly doesn’t reflect the level of dedication and commitment that’s come from every single team member.

“We have worked with unstinting focus and dedication throughout this whole season. And our current positions in both the drivers’ and constructors’ world championships are just the spur we need to raise our game and attack these final four races of the season with real vigour.

“Of course, any team would tell you that it deserves to have scored more points this season, but we’ve been unusually unfortunate recently. As an organisation, of course, we don’t rely on luck – but I’m optimistic in thinking that our fortunes are due a change, and that we can all raise our game as we head into these final four races.

“Perhaps our recent misfortunes are exactly what’s needed to strengthen our approach and further narrow our focus. We are on the attack: we know all about taking the fight to the end, and I know I can rely on every single individual within this organisation to make sure we’re hitting with absolutely everything we have until the very end of the season.”

Williams Preview Quotes

Sam Michael: "Suzuka is a high downforce circuit with a figure of eight layout. The track has it all, but one of its highlights is the fantastic Esses section. Being able to deliver a strong sector time across that part of the lap is one of the best indicators of a driver’s ability.

Both cars will be running our final upgrade components and we expect to run them all weekend. Our target will be for both FW32s to be fighting for points among the top 8 contenders and to therefore be racing for points."

Rubens Barrichello: " I love going to this race, it’s in my top three of all the tracks we visit. It’s a big effort to get there, especially from Brazil, but you quickly forget about that when you engage first gear and leave the garage for the first time. Suzuka is a lovely circuit. It’s a very high speed track and has lots of high speed corners. You really have to be on it all the time.

I’m fortunate enough to have raced in Japan since 1993 and it’s wonderful to keep going back. We will have to wait and see how we go but I am optimistic that we can do well again this weekend."

Nico Hülkenberg: "I’ve never been to Japan before. I’ve heard good things about it though so I’m really looking forward to this trip. As I obviously haven’t driven the track before either, I’ve been preparing on the simulator at the factory. I’ve also been going through data with my engineers to be in the best position I can be when I get there.

It looks like it’s going to be a fun track to drive. I think it will be important to get a good rhythm in the corners and there will be some challenging areas, but I like that. I’ll have the new diffuser in Japan so that will help me. We will have to wait until Friday to see where we are and go from there, but I’m looking forward to another good weekend and bringing some more points home for the team."

Force India Preview Quotes

Dr Vijay Mallya: "Singapore was a so-so event for us as we saw: qualifying was disappointing, but we were happy with the way things went eventually in the race in that we scored points and demonstrated a good race pace. Adrian finished eighth on the road, which was a credible achievement after starting 15th. It was unfortunate for Tonio but it was a racing incident that can, and does, happen.

The next race is Suzuka and I'm looking forward to it as I feel we have a chance to be a bit more competitive - I would hope we could show a level of performance similar to Spa this year. Our car favours the low downforce tracks slightly more than the high such as Singapore, and whether it's wet or dry, both drivers love it, which gives extra confidence.

I'm not going to repeat our objective as everyone knows what we want and need to achieve in terms of points to maintain position. We are giving ourselves every tool we have available - we have another aero development package to put on the car with a couple of bodywork tweaks to eke out every possible performance advantage. The drivers are fully motivated as well - we all know what's at stake.

Adrian Sutil : "Suzuka one of my favourite circuits, so I always look forward to going there. Plus going back to Japan always feels a little like going home as I lived there for a year in 2006 when I was competing in Japanese F3. I have really good memories of my time in the country. I raced at Suzuka four times that year and then also went out in free practice with Midland so along with Silverstone and Hockenheim, it's my 'home' race as there's so much history there.

The track itself is a real driver's circuit. There is just about every corner you could imagine and each one presents its own challenges. The 130R is just awesome. You're just flat out in seventh and it bends so you are completely on the limit. It really rewards you if you get it right - I can remember last year taking it in the wet at almost dry level of speed, just the best feeling.

Last year we had a pretty promising event in Suzuka. I was fourth on the grid, which was really good, but then we had all the penalties for the yellow flag incident so I started eighth and the race didn't turn out really well. But all the same the pace was there and we could again show everyone that we were serious racers. I believe it should be possible to have a decent result there this year. Although the car is more competitive on all types of tracks now, we do still have more of an advantage on the low downforce configurations so I would hope we'd be as competitive as we were at Spa and Monza this year. Top ten in qualifying and then in the race are possible and we've got to do it as the pressure is really on to keep sixth in the constructors' championship."

Tonio Liuzzi: "I know Suzuka well as I raced there in 2006 and then again last year. It's one of the old-school circuits still left in the championship like Spa and Monza - it's a real man's circuit and one of the toughest of the year. We saw last year that the wet conditions can also really upset the balance so it takes every bit of concentration you have and you must be on the top of your game. I really enjoy the high-speed technical corners, especially the first sequence where you have to be very accurate.

Based on our performance since the summer break I would say our car is better suited to this kind of circuit than the high downforce tracks, so I believe this will be one of our big chances to increase the gap to Williams. I was disappointed to go out so early in Singapore and not be able to help the team, but it was a racing incident that we just have to accept and hope won't happen again at this really important stage in the season.

We've got a couple of new aero tweaks to improve our performance this race so that will be a big help in this battle, but most importantly it will be pulling together as a team and really focussing on what we have to do this race."

Sauber Preview Quotes

Kamui Kobayashi: ”I am Japanese and therefore the Suzuka round is my home race, although I have not spent too much time in Japan over the last seven years. I was 17-years-old the last time I raced in Japan. Of course I know the circuit quite well after having driven there last year for Toyota in free practice before the Grand Prix. I find the circuit very nice, and I really like every inch of it. It is a challenging track over the entire lap. I think our car will be good in Suzuka. It is very exciting for me to be going there, and I know there will be a lot of supporters. There is a special area for my fans, and the 2000 tickets were sold out quickly. I left for Japan straight after the race in Singapore. Beside the race preparation, the food and the Japanese Spa treatments are something to look forward to.”

Nick Heidfeld: “I am really looking forward to the race in Suzuka. It is my favourite of all Formula One circuits and, on what will be my second race weekend with the team, of course I will know a lot more about the car, which should help. On top of that I just love going to Japan. This time I will not be visiting Tokyo, but even Suzuka, where actually there is not much going on, is still the Japan I enjoy. I like the food, the culture and the excitement of the fans. They enjoy the Japanese Grand Prix so much, and this is very nice to see. The Suzuka lap has a very nice flow and a great variety of characteristics. The “Esses” in the first sector are especially beautiful. If you get these S corners right it is incredible fun.”

James Key: “It’s great to go to Suzuka, which is Kamui’s home race. It’s a personal favourite of mine as well. I have some fond memories from past events, and the atmosphere there is excellent. I’m sure Kamui will have a lot of support from his fans. As far as the track is concerned, it’s a favourite with the drivers and teams. It’s one of those high speed circuits with a lot of high speed corners and sharp changes of direction. It’s quite technical, and it’s a good challenge for the drivers and the engineers to set up the car. I’m hoping it’s a circuit which suits our car better than recent ones, but you never know until you get there. Hopefully it will be a little easier to find a good balance on Friday. As far as the car is concerned, we are taking the updates we’ve had in Singapore. We will do further work on them to try and get more out of them in Suzuka, which is a slightly more normal circuit than Singapore. Also we will have a few additional new items which we will test on Friday.”

Lotus Preview Quotes

Heikki Kovalainen: “First I want to thank the boys at Williams for their help with the little incident that brought my Singapore GP to an end. I’ve had an amazing response to putting out the fire, and while it was clearly the best way to stop what would have been a very dangerous situation, if I’d come into the pits, it was a pretty spectacular end to a great race. We were racing Michael and Sebastien for position, and made the right call to fight them as hard as we could. It didn’t pay off this time, but not taking the easy option of just getting the car home shows what we’re made of, and that’s a very good feeling."

“After the race the whole team flew into Kuala Lumpur in a team-branded AirAsia plane. That was pretty cool – getting on board an aircraft with my race number at the back, and all the seats in green and yellow - it shows just how dedicated AirAsia are to our team, and it was an awesome feeling taking off and landing back at the team’s other home in KL. I had a couple of days staying with our Chief Exec and managed to get some golf in, and then went for a few days of relaxation before making the trip to Japan. I love Japan – it’s a bit mad, but in a really good way. The fans are pretty hardcore – they know more about the drivers than we do, and the track itself is obviously great to race on. I think we’ll do pretty well there. It’s quick, and you need a good rhythm to get the best lap times, but experience and concentration play a big part, and I can’t wait to get back in the car.”

Jarno Trulli: “After what had been a very busy Singapore race I joined the team for the flight to KL before heading back to Europe. Seeing how everyone responded to ‘our’ plane was really cool. It’s the sort of thing that makes the guys in the team very proud and seeing how excited all the AirAsia staff were about seeing us on board was very special. 
“Coming back to Japan is something I’m looking forward to. I really like the track and last year was on the podium in second place. I know we won’t be repeating that this year, but I think we’ll be ok. Everyone in the team is pumped up for the final few races, and we want to focus on beating our nearest rivals. We’re in a good fight, and the fans are being given some great action to keep an eye on further down the grid, so we’ll do our best to reward them.”

Mike Gascoyne: “Suzuka is a classic race venue, one that really brings out the best in the car and the drivers. The team have had a bit of time off to recharge their batteries since Singapore, and I think they’ll get to Japan ready to get straight back to work and help us secure tenth place. As most of the efforts back at the factory have now been focused on the 2011 car for several months, we won’t be bringing any new updates to Japan, but it’s obviously good to see that even though our direct rivals are continuing to update their cars, we can still take the fight to them. Singapore was a great battle, and had Heikki not had to do his fireman act, we would have finished comfortably ahead of Virgin. We want to continue that next weekend and we’re aiming to put on as strong a performance at Suzuka as we did in Singapore.”

Tony Fernandes: “I’m just about over the excitement of the Singapore race! Seeing Heikki stay so cool under pressure really drove it home to me just how tough the drivers are – first making the decision to fight Michael and Buemi, and not let them pass just to bring the car home, lifted the spirits of everyone in the team after what had been a very long, hot weekend. Then having the clarity of thought to pull over in the right place, get out and sort out the problem - I think that gained him a whole new level of respect and it’s that fighting spirit that we love. Maybe less of the fire fighting in future, but not one bit less of the aggression. 

"This has already been an incredible season, and it is a credit to everyone in our team that there is so much interest around the world in our future. We have achieved so much in one year, and, while nothing in life worth having is easy, when we savour victory the taste will be that much sweeter. For every single person who has given us support, praise and encouragement we thank you. We will leave no stone unturned to be the best." 

Posted by James Wilson. - Follow him on twitter @enterf1.

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