Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Japan

  • RW 4 – Japan

    Round 4 is complete, with a lot of different strategies going on and it all started because of a red flag early on in the race.

    But it was Max Verstappen who took the chequered flag first and bounced back after retirement in Australia! His teammate followed behind in 2nd, making it another 1-2 for Red Bull and rounding out the podium is Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Perez, P3: Sainz, P4: Leclerc, P5: Norris, P6: Alonso, P7: Russell, P8: Piastri, P9: Hamilton and P10: Tsunoda.

    A dominating display by Red Bull for both drivers, a third successive pole-to-victory conversion for the Dutchman, while also marking a third win from four races in 2024, boosting his lead in the drivers’ championship.

    A very good result for Ferrari aswell, P3 and P4 for Sainz and Leclerc. A good team effort, especially with Leclerc’s strategy as him and Sainz were on alternate strategies to get the best situation.

    A good result for Fernando Alonso, I don’t think anyone doubts he wont be in the points each race unless it’s something which isn’t his fault. I think people need to start looking at his teammate a bit more aswell, finishing 12th and then moaning about the car, when his teammate scored points? Doesn’t make sense really.

    For Mercedes it was a better weekend than Australia, they at least had both cars finish and both cars in the points. But they really are struggling at the moment, whether it’s strategy or just the car they need to make some improvements as soon as possible.

    A point for Yuki Tsunoda on his home turf. His doing the right thing to get a seat for next year, and making himself look more like a number one driver which is interesting…
    However for his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon had a little coming together, which sent both cars across the gravel and into the barriers at speed, which cause the red flag due to the damage of the tyre barriers. Luckily both drivers were okay, but it’s not what Daniel needed as he knows he needs to prove himself at the moment.

    Haas had a strong showing, just missing out on points with Hulkenberg in P11 and Magnussen in P13. I think the team is just taking every race as it comes at the moment, and will try and capitalise on others misfortune.

    We don’t have long to wait till round 5, as we finally make a return to China, for the Chinese Grand Prix, in two weeks time on the 19th to 21st April.

  • RW 4 – Japan Qualifying

    Qualifying is over for the Japanese Grand Prix and it was Max Verstappen continued his run of pole positions in 2024 as he took P1 on the grid for the Japanese Grand Prix.

    The Dutchman was joined by teammate Sergio Perez in 2nd, making it a 1-2 in qualifying for Red Bull, the team will want to do a copy and paste situation tomorrow and make up for last time out in Australia. Joining them in the top tree is McLaren’s Lando Norris!

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Verstappen, P2: Perez, P3: Norris, P4: Sainz, P5: Alonso, P6: Piastri, P7: Hamilton, P8: Leclerc, P9: Russell and P10: Tsunoda.

    A lovely result for Red Bull, starting as they mean to go on! It was good to see Perez get closer to Verstappen aswell, only ending up 0.066 away from the champion.

    A nice result for McLaren aswell, Lando starting on the second row! Himself and the team will be aiming for a podium tomorrow but anything could happen… Oscar Piastri in P6 a decent result from him aswell.

    Mercedes had an okay result P7 for Hamilton and P9 for Russell, not the best result for the team, but with the track always improving someone has to be worse off.

    Yuki Tsunodaaaa P10 for the Japanese driver, and infront on his home crowd as well!! He will be aiming for points, but with him going P10 he did knock out his teammate Daniel Ricciardo who will be starting P11.

    Quite a big shock i’d say is Lance Stroll being knocked out in Q1, he will be starting P16 quite a big difference between him and Alonso who starts P5. The Canadian has a lot of work to do in the race to be able to score some points.

  • McLaren unveil bespoke livery

    McLaren have unveiled a bespoke livery that will adorn Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s car across the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.

    Designed by Japanese artist MILTZ, the livery highlights the Driven by Change campaign, which returns for its fourth F1 season. The campaign celebrates emerging creatives through the global motorsport platform, providing opportunities to showcase their innovative artwork to the world.

    For McLaren’s special design, MILTZ’s artwork is inspired by Edomoji, a traditional Japanese calligraphy, which he fuses with modern art and culture.
    On the McLaren MCL38 he has used this to represent the speed of a Formula 1 car in the form of a dragon racing through the clouds.

    When I first became a freelance artist, I never thought an opportunity like this was possible – this is the biggest international project I have ever done! As I continue to build my profile as an artist, I want my artwork to champion the rich traditions of Japanese writing culture, such as Edomoji, but with a modern twist. From my work with local businesses in Japan to the McLaren Formula 1 Team, there are so many beautiful stories to tell through art.

    MILTZ on the livery.

  • RW 4 – Tyre Selection

    Formula 1 returns to Japan just over six months after its last visit to the country, with this years Japanese Grand Prix takes place in April for the first time in history.
    Normally, Suzuka has frequently crowned world champions – both drivers’ and manufacturers’ standings. The last two years have been no exceptions, in 2022 Max Verstappen sealed his second title at the venue and last year Red Bull were crowned constructors’ champions.

    Suzuka is a true classic with the 5.807 kilometre track testing every driver’s talent with a demanding layout characterised by a figure-eight layout which is unique in Formula 1.

    The track also tests the tyres both in terms of wear as well as the forces and loads to which they are subjected throughout the variety of corners that make the lap.
    As usual Pirelli has selected the hardest trio of compounds: C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium), C3 (Soft).

    A two-stopper is the most common strategy due to the energy gong through the tyres and the stress to which they are subjected. However, lower temperatures might mean a one-stop strategy become possible.
    Not only this, a one-stopper also decreases the effectiveness of the undercut, which is usually very useful at Suzuka.

  • F1 to race in Japan until 2029

    Formula 1 has announced a five-year extension with the Japanese Grand Prix that will see the Suzuka circuit remain on the F1 Calendar until 2029.

    The high-speed 18 corner Suzuka Circuit is a favourite of drivers and fans alike, with the iconic ‘S’ Curves and 130R amongst the highlights at what is one of F1’s most celebrated tracks.
    Suzuka has played host to many memorable moments in Formula 1, with 12 drivers’ championships settled there, including most recently in 2022 when Max Verstappen sealed his second consecutive title.

    In 2024, the Japanese Grand Prix will move to a new slot in April – between races in Australia and China – as part of F1’s effort to rationalise its calendar, creating a more efficient flow of races and reducing the distance that freight travels around the world as part of its journey to become net zero carbon by 2030.

    This new slot will also see Formula 1 visit Japan during the world-famous cherry blossom season, offering fans the opportunity to take in fantastic racing and see one of the earth’s most iconic natural spectacles.

    Last year’s Japanese Grand Prix was attended by 222,000 passionate fans across the race weekend, up from 200,000 in 2022.
    It also saw more than 20,000 people attend the first F1 Fan Festival in downtown Tokyo, with appearances by drivers including Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez, Esteban Ocon and hometown hero Yuki Tsunoda.

    Suzuka is a special circuit and part of the fabric of the sport, so I am delighted that F1 will continue to race there until at least 2029. As we prepare to return to Japan earlier than usual this season, I would like to express my huge gratitude to the promoter and team at Honda MobilityLand for supporting our effort towards greater calendar rationalisation as we look to make the sport more sustainable. Our fans in Japan embrace Formula 1 with a unique passion and we look forward to working with the promoter to give fans the experience they deserve for years to come.

    Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1.

    I am pleased that we will be able to continue hosting the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka Circuit from 2025 onwards. I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Mr. Stefano Domenicali and other related Formula 1 members. We aim to create a sustainable future and currently we are preparing to welcome many fans for the 2024 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix in April, the first time the event will be held in the spring season. We will continue to work together with the local communities and government agencies, including Mie Prefecture and Suzuka City, so that Suzuka can continue to be loved by fans around the world and contribute to the prosperity of motorsports culture and industrial development.

    Tsuyoshi Saito, President and Representative Director of Honda Mobilityland Corporation.

  • China and India join USA & Japan to stage Formula E races

    The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship today announced a return to China and India for the milestone 10th season, which makes it the only motorsport to stage events during 2024 in the world’s three most populous countries: China, India and USA.

    Shanghai and Hyderabad were confirmed as host cities in Season 10 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship following approval at the FIA World Motorsport Council meeting on 19th October.

    Formula E will race for the first time in Shanghai at the Shanghai International Circuit with a double-header of races on Saturday 25th May and Sunday 26th May 2024.
    The first ever Formula E race was held in Beijing on 13th September 2015 with a second instalment following a year later. Sanya then hosted the most recent Chinese E-Prix in 2019, with Formula E also racing in Hong Kong on four occasions over three seasons between Seasons 2 and 5.

    Hyderabad will host Formula E again on Saturday 10th February 2024, with the support from the Telangana Government and Minister K. T. Rama Rao and following the 31,000 capacity sold out-debut race in February this year.

    There are two more updates to the Season 10 calendar. The event planned for Jakarta on Saturday 8th June will not go ahead following the announcement of a campaigning period in the Indonesian presidential elections during most of June.
    This would impact the logistics of delivering a race on the streets of the capital city at the same time.

    The second update is a likely venue change in Italy for Rounds 7 and 8. This follows a review by experts at Formula E and the FIA into the Season 9 races in Rome, where the new faster cars reached the limits of the narrow, sharp turning circuit in Rome.
    Formula E is exploring alternative venues, including permanent circuit to maintain an event in the key Italian market. An update on the venue is expected before the end of the year.

    Without doubt our Season 10 calendar is the most compelling yet for drivers, teams, fans and viewers around the world. We are taking Formula E to Shanghai for the first time and are honoured to return to India thanks to the support of the Telangana Government and Minister K. T. Rama Rao. The combination of street circuits, which is in Formula E’s DNA, and established race tracks will allow drivers to push the capabilities of the GEN3 car harder and further after a first season that beat all expectations with triple-digit overtakes in most races and the world championship titles decided on the final weekend.

    Alberto Longo, Co-Founder & Chief Championship Officer, Formula E.

    Formula E will lead global motorsport next season as the only world championship to race in the three biggest markets of China, India and the USA. Together with our debut on the streets of Tokyo and races in other major global markets like Brazil, Germany, Saudi Arabia and the UK, we have built a calendar that has the potential to engage billions of people in the exciting, entertaining, electric future of motorsport.

    Jeff Dodds, CEO, Formula E.

  • RND 17 – Japanese Grand Prix

    The Japanese Grand Prix is officially over, and I’d say it was definitely one to remember, with 5 drivers retiring and a dominating drive by a certain driver!

    It was Max Verstappen who was victorious in Japan which secured Red Bull back-to-back constructors’ titles! Lando Norris managed to hold onto P2, and Oscar Piastri grabs P3, his first podium in F1!

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Norris, P3: Piastri, P4: Leclerc, P5: Hamilton, P6: Sainz, P7: Russell, P8: Alonso, P9: Ocon and P10: Gasly.

    To start things off, lets go with the reigning World Champion, what a drive by the Dutchman! He almost got pipped by Lando Norris at the start but Verstappen done well to hold him off.

    Now McLaren, what a team, and the drivers, wow. They are unstoppable at the moment, and Oscar Piastri getting his first podium aswell, an achievement they should all be proud off!

    Now onto one of the retirees, Sergio Perez, what on earth was he doing? He first banged wheel with Hamilton and then had an incident with Magnussen which forced the Mexican driver to pit again for a second front wing after that he then retired.

    Onto the Mercedes, somebody definitely put something in their water today, or maybe it was the fact that Toto Wolff wasn’t there? But they were fighting today, where it came too close for comfort, but at the end they played the team game and got a decent amount of points!

    The Ferrari’s had a decent race, they are now only 20 points away from Mercedes who are in P2 in the Constructors, so the Italian team will be wanting to close in on them and continue with good points haul.

    The next race isn’t for another two weeks, where we head to Qatar for Round 18, where the Sprint returns on the 6th to 8th October!

  • RND 17 – Suzuka Qualifying

    We are officially half way through Round 17, as qualifying is over and we get to take a look at how it went.

    It was Max Verstappen who was back on pole position and he was joined by Oscar Piastri on the front row, and Lando Norris made it both McLaren’s in the top three.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Piastri, P3: Norris, P4: Leclerc, P5: Perez, P6: Sainz, P7: Hamilton, P8: Russell, P9: Tsunoda and P10: Alonso.

    It’s great to see Max back on pole, after two races where it’s been Carlos Sainz. The Dutchman has definitely come back with a bit of fire underneath him this week, as he didn’t have the best weekend last time out in Singapore.

    Great result from the McLaren’s wow, this new package they have got is something else clearly! I think the teams above them like Aston Martin and Ferrari and possibly Mercedes are probably going to be in a bit of a bother if McLaren keeps getting good results like this.

    A good result for Yuki Tsunoda in front of his home crowd, especially with his new contract. He starts in the top 10 and will be looking to score more points for the team and boost them up in the constructors championship.
    A mention for his teammate too, Lawson just missing out in P11.

    Another bad result for Logan Sargeant, crashing out in Q1 giving his team a lot of work to do before the race tomorrow… I think his starting to write his own fate unfortunately.

    A bit of a shocker from Alpine too, Ocon starting in 14th and Gasly in 12th. They’ve definitely been pushed down the grid more and more as the season goes on, but they’ve got an opportunity this week to try and get a few more points.

    Not the best result for Aston Martin, Stroll starting 17th, and Alonso 10th, they have had a strong start to the season but the more it goes on it’s not the best, hopefully we will be seeing a big points haul soon!

    My Predictions-

    My top five predictions for the race are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Norris, P3: Perez, P4: Hamilton and P5: Piastri.

    I feel like we may get a little bit of a crazy race, maybe not as much as last weekend but enough for a 4 way fight for the win.

    We could possibly see a safety car appearance and teams will be wanting that as its predicted to be a two stop race so the teams will be wanting that too.

  • Japan Tyre Selection

    The tyres have been chosen for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix as we arrive for Round 17 and our second race of the double header!

    The tyres chosen for Suzuka are: C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium) and C3 (Soft).

    The Japanese Grand Prix could spring a few surprises due to the high temperatures recorded last week, with highs of up to 33 degrees centigrade.
    If this continues, tyre degradation could become an important factor.

    Weather conditions have heavily influenced the Grand Prix. On four occasions (2004, 2009, 2010 and 2019) qualifying has been held on Sunday morning due to torrential rain or the threat of a typhoon.

    In 2022, it was the race which was interrupted due to torrential rain on the first lap. The restart occurred three hours later, with only 45 minutes to go due to the maximum allowed race duration.
    In total, 28 laps were completed, with the drivers only using the intermediate and full wet tyres.

    The asphalt at Suzuka features some of the highest levels of roughness and abrasion seen all season. Wear and degradation are important factors in determining the run plan for free practice as well as race strategy.

    The Japanese Grand Prix takes place on one of the most fascinating and demanding tracks in Formula 1 history: Suzuka, with its unique figure of eight layout. This historic venue is a drivers’ favourite, being absolutely thrilling to drive in today’s ultra-competitive single-seaters. With its very significant lateral and vertical loads, Suzuka is as demanding on tyres as it is on drivers. These demands are equally distributed across all four wheels, with 10 right-handers and eight left-handers throughout the six-kilometre lap. As a result of these challenging characteristics, we bring some of the hardest tyres in the 2023 range to Japan: C1, C2, and C3. This is only nominally the same as last year’s selection on account of the new C1 compound, which was introduced this season to slot in between the C2 and former C1 (now called C0). On Friday, all the teams will get the chance to test a new version of the C2 compound, with a view to homologating it for next season. This latest evolution should provide more grip than the current C2, and so fit in more coherently between the C1 and C3. For the first two free practice sessions, each driver will have two additional sets of tyres, compared to the usual 13 sets per weekend. This test is part of a development programme that was recently defined for 2024 and will continue with a new C4 compound to be tested on track during the Mexican Grand Prix weekend.

    Mario Isola, Pirelli Head of Motorsport.
    Preview for the Formula 1 Lenovo Japanese Grand Prix 2023. Number of laps: 53. Race distance: 307.471km. Circuit length: 5.807km. Lap record: 1:30.983s by Lewis Hamilton in 2019. Tyre characteristics from 1 (minimum) to 5 (maximum): Traction 3, Asphalt grip 3, Asphalt abrasion 4, Track evolution 3, Tyre stress 5, Braking 2, Lateral 5, Downforce 4. Lateral energy on tyres: Front left 3, Front right 4, Rear left 5, Rear right 5. Longitudinal energy on tyres: front left 1, front right 1, rear left 2, rear right 2. Compounds: C1 Hard, C2 Medium, C3 Soft. EOS camber limit: minus 2.75 degrees front, minus 1.5 degrees rear. Minimum starting pressures for slicks: 25psi front and 23psi rear, subject to changes after FP2.
  • Round 18- Japanese GP

    Round 18- Japanese GP

    The Japanese Grand Prix finally comes to an end after it looking like it almost didn’t happen due to the rain. Lights went out at 6am (BST) and we got half a lap of racing before there was a safety car and then on lap 3, the race then got red flagged.

    But it was Max Verstappen who took the win in Japan, and secured himself a second world title! Sergio Perez comes home in 2nd making it a 1-2 for Red Bull and Charles Leclerc finishes 3rd after being penalised for cutting the chicane…

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Perez, P3: Leclerc, P4: Ocon, P5: Hamilton, P6: Vettel, P7: Alonso, P8: Russell, P9: Latifi and P10: Norris.

    First lap incident was Carlos Sainz, who spun round and then hit the barriers. As well as this Alex Albon couldn’t move from 2nd and had to pull to one side of the track.

    It was a very weird race, obviously having the race red flagged for over 2 hours so we only ended up with around 40 minutes of racing! But not only that there was a recovery vehicle on track whilst Pierre was also on the track.

    Completely unacceptable that they allowed this to happen, even more so at a track where a driver collided with a vehicle back in 2014 at the Japanese GP and then died in 2015. Jules Bianchi lost control of his car in very wet conditions and collided with a recovery vehicle.

    Honestly im so shocked, but I am also glad to see that drivers and team principles agree that the recovery vehicle shouldn’t of been on the track. But the FIA have announced that they have launched an investigation into by releasing a statement of the following- “While it is normal practice to recover cars under Safety Car and Red Flag conditions, due to the particular circumstances and also taking into account feedback from of a number of drivers, the FIA has launched a thorough review of the events involving the deployment of recovery vehicles during the Japanese Grand Prix. This is part of the common practice of analysis of all race incidents to ensure continual improvements of processes and procedures.”

    But on another note, Max Verstappen is world champion for the second time in a row, after an absolute stellar of a season and winning it with 4 races to the end! He now has to focus on the Constructors as Red Bull haven’t won it yet, but it can be won in Austin.

    Now we have to wait until the 21st to 23rd of October for Round 19 but it is the first of a double header and we are heading to the States!

  • Japanese Grand Prix

    Round 18 is here and we are in Japan for the first time in 3 years! This weekend is the first home Grand Prix for Yuki Tsunoda! As well as, Honda’s logo making a return this weekend on the Red Bull’s and Alpha Tauri’s. Its to be said it will be continuing until at least the end of season.

    Can Max Verstappen have a better weekend and clinch the title this weekend? Will Ferrari have another strong weekend? And what can Mercedes do, will they be in the fight for a podium?

    Who needs a good weekend?

    Mercedes need a good weekend, especially after Singapore only scoring a few points. But with Russell taking his engine penalty last weekend he will be starting further up the grid this weekend… hopefully!

    Alpine need a good weekend aswell, a double DNF for the team after reliability issues, and we are getting to the end of the season where these things happen, but its not normally this early on… Alpine have now been overtook in the Constructors by McLaren after they had a double points finish last weekend.

    Haas will also be wanting a good weekend aswell, as they were also overtook in the Constructors by Aston Martin but there is just three points between them, to make it worse for Haas they have Alpha Tauri behind them in the constructors and they are both level on points, so a good points finish for the team will help.

    Predictions-

    My top five for qualifying are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Leclerc, P3: Perez, P4: Hamilton and P5: Russell.

    I feel like this weekend could be quite surprising for us, we know Lewis loves this track and has a good track record round here. So would it be that much of a surprise if he put it on pole? Or even the front row?

    Times for the weekend-

    Friday 7th-

    • Free Practice 1- 04:00am – 05:00am (BST)
    • Free Practice 2- 07:00am – 08:30am

    Saturday 8th-

    • Free Practice 3- 04:00am – 05:00am
    • Qualifying- 07:00am – 08:00am

    Sunday 9th-

    • Race- 06:00am

  • Tokyo targets Formula E race for Season 10

    Japan has taken the first positive step towards hosting a round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship after Formula E and Tokya Metropolitan Government today signed an agreement with the goal of delivering a race in Tokyo.

    Governor of Tokyo, Yuriko Koike and Jamie Reigle, CEO Formula E met this morning at an official signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the headquarters of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

    The agreement will see Tokyo city authorities and Formula E work together with an objective of bringing a race to Tokyo in spring 2024, subject to FIA approval in the area around Tokyo Big Sight, the largest international exhibition centre in Japan.

    I am excited and honoured to stand alongside Governor Koike and announce the collaborative partnership between Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Formula E. Together we will work to bring a Formula E race to the city in 2024 in support of the Zero Emission Tokyo commitment. Tokyo is an iconic world city, recognised as an innovator in consumer technology, a leader in the automotive industry and a global cultural trendsetter. Formula E is delighted to partner with Tokyo Metropolitan Government to establish the city as a reference in zero emissions initiatives.

    Jamie Reigle.

    Nissan was among the first to commit to Formula E’s new Gen3 era, which is set to get underway with testing in Valencia in December, before the lights go out on the Season 9 opener in Mexico City on 14th January.

    We are very enthusiastic about this announcement from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Formula E. As the first Japanese automaker participating in the championship, we would be delighted to have an E-Prix in Tokyo in 2024. In addition, from this season we will be competing as one team for the first time, following the acquisition of e.dams earlier this year, and we would love to have the opportunity to race with our own racing team in our home market.

    The Japanese outfit’s Managing Director, Tommaso Volpe talking on the excitement of Japan possibly joining the calendar for the first time in Season 10.

    The planned schedule for next season currently features 18 races between January and July 2023 on street circuits in 13 cities, beating the previous record of 16 races in 10 different cities.

  • Japanese GP Cancelled

    Another change has hit the 2021 calendar, we now won’t be going to the Suzuka Circuit in Japan on the 8th to 10th October.

    The race which was cancelled last year due to Covid-19, was meant to be the third race out of a triple header this year.

    A statement from Formula 1 read: “Following ongoing discussions with the promoter and authorities in Japan the decision has been taken by the Japanese government to cancel the race this season due to ongoing complexities of the pandemic in the country.”

    What could replace it?

    Well, there is a long list of circuits which are happy to jump in and take their place. Some of them which come to mind are: Nurburgring, Mugello, Hockenheim and Indianapolis.

    My Opinion-

    It is such a shame that we won’t be at the Suzuka Circuit this year, but we can all understand the reasons why! Obviously a shame for the fans too with how passionate they are and they will have to wait another year to see some F1 cars back on track…