Grand Prix thread 2015 Japanese Grand Prix Chat and Predictions

No Mercedes on the podium, Button to retire, nonsense? Surely...
All normality will resume in Japan.

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Number of times held 40
First held 1963
Most wins (drivers)

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Michael Schumacher (6)
Most wins (constructors)

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McLaren (9)
Circuit length 5.807 km (3.608 mi)
Race length 307.573 km (191.117 mi)
Laps 53

Tyres: Medium and Hard

LIVE ON THE BBC (TIMES-BST)
FP1-2AM
FP2-6AM
SP3-4AM
Q-7AM
R-6AM


7 Points:
di Fredsta!,

6 Points:
DHCanary, dhel,

5 Points:
El_Bando, SgtBhaji, happyal, ched999uk, EternalMSC, Alderpiereld, Max Whiplash, jonnybaws,

4 Points:
exfat,

3 Points:
Paco Montoya, eddie_squidd, St. Slicks of Stoneham, Dell Boy, dicostu333, PaulK,

2 Points:
Smithers, TheJudeanPeoplesFront, Eat Sleep Watch F1 Repeat, ErnieBecclestone, 51LV3R8RR04, BrightLampShade, fevriul,

1 Point:
BojackHCAFCman, StGeordie, TomTom94, allsaintchris, Mystic Nutmeg, cosicave, taeleon, St.
LewisFTW, smhbcfc, WestCoastBoogaloo, Random92, Quagmireuk
​

 

Whatever happens its going to be a sad weekend

 

Very True.

 

Edited and adjusted from my post in the Singapore thread. I think much of what I said there is relevant here.

Firstly, I really don't think Hamilton had the pace to challenge for victory at Singapore. Vettel nailed it. It's that simple. The only way he'd have lost would have been to stick it in the wall or have a disastrous pit-stop. It was also clear Ferrari and Red Bull both turned up with a more compliant chassis than the the championship leaders – especially when evidence suggests Red Bull are significantly under-powered.

Mercedes no longer have it all their own way and I fear Rosberg might be beginning to regret his jocular remarks at the beginning of the season – which even at the time appeared to be tempting fate – when he said to Vettel that he hoped for a bigger challenge from him and Ferrari. I believe those words will yet come back to haunt him. Vettel is now a prospective title challenger and Mercedes appear to have a problem with what I believe has become an under-developed (relative to rivals) chassis. Whilst I doubt Vettel will catch Hamilton*, I believe he has at least a 50/50 chance of snatching runner-up from Rosberg and is very likely to take another victory (or more) this season. Another aspect to this is that Ferrari tend to favour a quite different philosophy to Mercedes. Team orders and strategic thinking for covering their main rivals on track in terms of maximising points for their lead driver has been, is, and I believe always will be the modus operandi for the red team. Of course, it might also be said that Mercedes may eventually feel sufficiently threatened to adopt a similar policy; but it is not the natural way of thinking at Mercedes.

With such a dominant power unit, a degree of complacency within Mercedes was always likely whilst others worked hard(er?) to find incremental improvement. That might be unfair, of course; but it is a gut feeling they may not dominate at Suzuka either. This next circuit is the best test of a complete package on the calendar (slightly more so than the next best: Silverstone and Spa). Yes, it has two long straights – but most of the rest is fast flowing, high-speed curvy stuff which rewards a chassis much more than an engine. Fast curves are not limited by power, they are limited by grip.

*Vettel may close the gap to Hamilton and the run-up to the end of the season could be far closer than most (including me) ever thought seriously about.

 

Agree with your Cosi..
If Ferrari have indeed closed the gap, then the one to suffer will most likely be Rosberg..
But...
Still of the opinion that it was track/layout/tyre specific issue(s) that lead to Merc's downfall at Singapore..
Their car, only a couple of races ago was the class of the field at Spa, wasn't Hamilton the quickest in the middle sector? If they replicate that form then I can't see the others getting close.. also, the Merc's tend to like the harder tyres better, and they'll be running Med/Hards (if it doesn't rain) at Suzuka.
Hopefully, the Ferrari's are on the Merc's tails and the Bulls are close by too.. would like a decent race for once!

Agreed, will be a poignant race, given the tragedy that occurred last year...

#JB17

 

I wonder if Mercedes will back Hamilton as number one driver if and when Vettel passes Nico in the championship standings.

I wonder what odds I can get now for Nico finishing third, because I can see it happening. His form is no better than that if we have a hard charging Vettel towards the end of the season. Merc may need to back Hamilton to make sure of the WDC.

 

I am voting Hamilton though. Toto says it was a track specific problem warming up the tyres in Singapore. We will see.

 

Malaysia 2013? Hungary 2014? Abu Dhabi 2014? Putting knackered engines into the second car? Plus all the other coded messages we have heard between Rosberg and his engineer telling him to maintain a gap to Lewis.

 

I think its mad to state Lewis is not already the #1 driver at mercedes since half way through last season. definitely since the start of this season.

 

Since Nico stupidly stuck his wing into his teammates tyre.

 

Mercedes were utterly dominant in Spa and Hamilton had the measure of the field in Monza, I doubt Singapore will be anything more than a one-off in the context of the rest of the season, though it bodes well for the future. Thus, barring bad luck, I pretty much have to back Hamilton, hoping for Vettel to get close enough for some good racing.

 

For the last 18 months there hasn't been a need to have a number 1 and 2 driver, in fact it boosted Mercedes to have them dueling it out. Mercedes are three and a half 1,2's ahead of Ferrari in the constructors, that is all but sown up. The drivers however is getting a bit close for comfort. If Hamilton drives as he has this season they will have no worries, it may get to a point where they're helping Rosberg out to try and score a Mercedes 1,2. It'll take one more stumble from Mercedes before they need to worry.

 

I suppose it depends upon one's definition, Bando. Hamilton is certainly #1 in terms of standings. However, I do not feel he is 'favoured' as such; and certainly not in a way which compares with Ferrari's extended history of it. I even remember the reds favouring Schumacher at a certain second race of the season when he had fallen behind his team mate at the first event! (i.e. not even his points position relative to his team mate would erode his absolute #1 status). This is most definitely not the case for Hamilton. Indeed, it was not until joining Mercedes that Schumacher faced an uncontrived battle. He even managed to out-manoeuvre himself during a misjudged fly-by across the line to finish line!

Unfortunately though, none of these battles – contrived or otherwise – were as significant as the poor chap now faces…

 

It depends whether the Ferrari engine upgrade negates the need for less downforce, ultimately the Merc runs a phenomenal amount of downforce and relys on the pure grunt advantage. Also, we are still none the wiser whether the Merc has been affected by the tyre pressures and what Pirelli will set them at this weekend and the associated implications.

 

The drivers were so dignified, I can't believe the FIA still played that stupid music.

Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated practice session of the year. I expect Mercedes to return to the top but still have a slight inkling that the clampdown on tyre pressures could be hurting them, Hamilton was vehemently against the changes prior to Monza and it's quite rare for him to be so outspoken on such matters. Whatever your opinions on the investigation following the race, there were still some doubts over what actually happened, and then the first weekend we can be sure they were compliant they have their worst race in two years. Even if it just shaves a few tenths off their performance it could put them within striking distance of the Ferraris.

 

Only if you're an idiot.

 

I would say that already do, and have done for some time.

I know on this forum Nico is awful and doesn't deserve the drive, but the simple fact is that he (Nico) was beating, or at least pretty close to Lewis, and then suddenly, right about the time Nico got a telling off, live, during a race, on camera, everything inside the Mercedes team has gone Lewis's way.

Either this is pure luck, or the team are looking after the driver that is their choice as a driver, they fought to sign, and and are paying much, much more than then the one they inherited with the team.

 

Well yeah you'd have to be pretty stupid to take the word of an F1 team as gospel, especially when the subject under discussion is their own cheating, but the FIA and heaps of observers have done just that.

 

Here here.

 

I meant in more overt way, directly using team orders on the track.