Oracle Red Bull Racing

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Corner 1

A big corner. Taken at around 250km/h in seventh gear, T1 is pretty much flat and that means full commitment. There’s a long run, too, from the start to Turn 1, over 330 metres, so plenty of time for a good starter to make a move, or for a bad starter to recover, as was the case with Max last year. Max didn’t get away well from pole on the wet track and Charles Leclerc was past as they approached the braking zone. Max barely feathered the brake pedal, stayed wide and passed the Ferrari around the outside to take the lead.

Corners 3-7

If there’s a place to really see an F1 driver at work, it’s Suzuka’s famed ‘Esses’. A series of high speed, incredibly rapid left-to-right changes of direction (all taken at over 200km/h) the Esses require a well balanced car and supreme precision. Lap time stands or falls by what a driver can achieve here.

Corners 8-9

Degner 1 and 2! This pair of technical demanding corners routinely catch out even the best drivers. Accelerating from Turn 7 up to 250 km/h through the right-hander Turn 8, drivers then brake down 120km/h and drop to third gear for the next tight right-hander of Degner 2. Again, it requires great balance and precision and is a wonderful place to get a picture of an F1 car on the limit.

Corners 16-17

Another prime overtaking spot. Passing through the flat out 130R, slip streaming your rival all the way to this tight 80 km/h second gear chicane, if you don’t pass here, make sure to get a good exit and run through T18 to set up a move down the main straight and into T1.

Getting back on track in Japan

Rising sun, reset Bulls. The darkness of Marina Bay is over, and a new day dawns. It’s time to shake off the Singapore slump and get ready for one of the true icons of F1 – Suzuka. It is a circuit for Champions. And we’ve crowned them here.

In 2011, Sebastian Vettel sealed his second title. And last year, Max repeated that feat with a stunning drive to victory in a storm-tossed, shortened race, almost half a minute clear of the field.

The omens look good. But will the RB19 be back on song in Suzuka? There’s only one way to find out…

JAPANESE GRAND PRIX RACE HUB

Getting back on track in Japan

JAPANESE GRAND PRIX RACE HUB

SESSION TIMES (LOCAL)

FP1 22nd ‌Sept ‌11:30 ‌- ‌12.30

FP2 22nd ‌Sept ‌15:00 ‌- ‌16:00

FP3 23rd ‌Sept ‌11:30 ‌- ‌12.30

QUALI 23rd ‌Sept ‌15:00 ‌- ‌16:00

RACE 24th ‌Sept ‌14:00 ‌

WEEKEND WEATHER

It’s always fun to drive in Suzuka as it has a lot of high-speed corners. I also have fond memories, winning my second Drivers’ Championship here.

Suzuka is a circuit we all love. We need to get back to the victory this weekend, that can be the only target for us, I am confident and I look forward to it.

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