Race Week at Suzuka, Japan
It's Race Week in Suzuka, Japan!
Japanese GP History: The Japanese Grand Prix officially joined the Formula One World Championship in 1976. The first two official races were held at Fuji, with another two occurring at the same venue in 2007 and 2008. All other races have taken place at the Suzuka Circuit. McLaren holds the record for the most wins at the Japanese Grand Prix, with nine victories. Lewis Hamilton has won the race five times, putting him one win behind Michael Schumacher, who holds the record with six wins. Since its return after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, the Grand Prix has attracted crowds of over 200,000 spectators.
About the Track: Suzuka is an eighteen-turn 5.81km/3.61 miles dedicated race circuit. Suzuka is best known for its breathtaking views, famous Ferris wheel, high speed, and technical corners like 130R and the bridge corner. Designed as a Honda test track in 1962 by Dutchman John Hugenholtz, the track has a memorable figure-of-eight layout. The race is 53 laps.
TOP TAKEAWAYS
MCLAREN: Unless something changes, this could be a title year for McLaren, possibly even for a 1-2 in the drivers and constructors. At least for the first few races, I don't anticipate anyone being able to dethrone McLaren without some exceptional race strategy and a bit of luck. The most exciting moments may come when the two teammates compete against each other on the final lap, and that scenario could be intriguing.
Mercedes. George is filling the gap between the last top-tier cars and the start of the next group. So far, he has driven brilliantly and displayed exceptional consistency. If he can maintain this performance, he will likely secure a spot on the podium's top step at least once this season. Kimi, meanwhile, is the last of the fast drivers, still in the top group and ahead of the mid-pack. He is starting to find his rhythm. Mercedes is strong, and maintaining consistency is crucial; finishing second in the Constructors' Championship is very feasible.
Red Bull. The biggest news in F1 this season is the Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda driver switch within the first three races of the season. Liam has had such a bad start to the season I can't say I'm surprised. Will Yuki shine in this bright spotlight? Max is right there, consistently. How will this teammate drama affect the team? Since the post-COVID Japanese GP return in 2022, Max Verstappen has set the pole and won all three races; Max has Suzuka on speed dial, and I expect a podium or better.
Williams. With a bit of help from the disqualifications in China, Williams had its first double points finish of the season. Alex is currently performing at Peak Albon, and Sainz is figuring out the new team. I expect this to be more common this season; Williams currently finds itself in fourth place. What is a realistic place for Williams to finish this season? It might be hard to fend off a surging Ferrari, but fifth place in the constructors should be the target.
Ferrari. After the highs of China on Saturday, a Lewis Hamilton pole, and victory in the sprint race, the Sunday race was way more brutal for the Ferrari team. Both cars were disqualified; one was underweight, and the other had too much wear on the skidplate—double ouchie. Ferrari would like to shake that one off quickly and never look back; this could be a turning point early for the Ferrari time; they need to fire on all cylinders and be pristine from here out.
Haas. We saw a different Haas team in China; this version looks way more like the team of 2024. A double-point finish, ocon with a top 5 after the DQs, was a much-needed step in the right direction. Haas is still TBD; a few more weekends will reveal if Haas can fight for a top 5 in the constructors.
Aston Martin. Surprisingly, Lance Stroll is cruising early in the 2025 season with back-to-back points finishes. Alonso has struggled slightly with the car, so we expect an upswing in overall team performance when Alonso gets back into typical form.
Stake-Sauber. After Hulkenberg's absolute masterclass in Australia, China looked more in line with what to expect from Stake. While both drivers have gotten the most out of the cars, the expectations are slightly outside the points. It's still unclear where Stake will slot out in the mid-pack; Suzuka, which has been known to have rain, could bring some fortunate weather circumstances for the team.
VCARB. The recent driver switch at Red Bull means that Liam Lawson will return to VCARB for the Japan GP. This is a critical opportunity for Lawson, as it is a fresh start. While I don't believe that his brief stint with Red Bull will significantly affect his career, he needs to demonstrate that he can be competitive and outperform the promising rookie, Isack Hajar, who has already shown flashes of brilliance this season despite having a setback in Australia. The upcoming VCARB races should be fascinating to watch.
Alpine. While Pierre was one of the cars disqualified for being underweight, the real attention is focused on Jack Doohan to see if he can turn around his F1 career, or we might see an RB-style driver switch. Both drivers need an excellent Japanese GP: Pierre to spark that points hunt and Jack to prove he's the right guy for the Alpine seat.
