Japanese Grand Prix
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Fuji Speedway |
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| Laps | 53 |
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| Circuit length | 5.81 km (3.61 miles) |
| Race length | 307.57 km (191.12 miles) |
| Most wins by single driver | Michael Schumacher (6) |
| Most wins by single constructor | Ferrari (7) McLaren (7) |
| Last race (2006): | |
| Winner | Fernando Alonso |
| Winning team | Renault |
| Winning time | 1:23:52.413 |
| Pole time | 1:29.599 |
| Pole driver | Felipe Massa |
| Pole team | Ferrari |
| Fastest lap | 1:32.676 |
| Fastest lap driver | Fernando Alonso |
| Fastest lap team | Renault |
Since its first inclusion in the Formula One Championship, the Japanese Grand Prix has become synonymous with excitement and controversy. Its traditional place at the end of the season means this event has seen a great number of Championship crowns being won and lost. As a result of this, and due to the exciting and challenging layout of Suzuka Circuit, the Japanese Grand Prix is one of the most-loved races in the Formula One season. In the twenty Japanese Grands Prix (1976-1977; 1987-2004), eleven have seen the title destiny decided (1976, 1987-1991, 1996, 1998-2000, and 2003), with 5 of those events (1976, 1996, 1998-1999 and 2003) being last race Championship deciders. In 2004 the Brazilian Grand Prix replaced the Japanese Grand Prix as the last race of the season.
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[edit] History
The first Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, in 1976, was held at the Fuji Speedway, 40 miles west of Yokohama. The race was to become famous for the title decider between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. In monsoon conditions, Lauda, who had survived a near-fatal crash at the German Grand Prix earlier in the season, withdrew from the race stating that his life was more important than the championship. Hunt scored the 3rd position he needed to win the title by the slender margin of one point. Hunt returned the next year to win the 2nd Japanese Grand Prix, but a collision between Gilles Villeneuve and Ronnie Peterson during the race saw Villeneuve's Ferrari somersault into a restricted area, killing a marshal. The race did not reappear on the Formula One calendar for another decade.
On Formula 1's return to Japan in 1987, the Grand Prix found a new venue at Suzuka Circuit, 50 miles south west of Nagoya. The circuit, set inside a funfair, was designed by Dutchman John Hugenholtz and owned by Honda, who used it as a test track. Most notable initially for its layout—Suzuka is the only figure-eight race track to appear on the F1 calendar—immediately it saw another World Title decided, as Nigel Mansell crashed his Williams-Honda in practice, handing the crown to his teammate Nelson Piquet.
Suzuka will always be chiefly remembered, however, for the legendary feud between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. During the 1989 Grand Prix, Senna tried to overtake Prost to keep his Championship hopes alive, only for Prost to shut the door as he had stated before the race, saying he would not be giving up the position simply for McLaren not to be embaressed by a double retirement. Prost was beached and got out of his car promptly, knowing he had won the championship whilst Senna got a push from the marshalls. However, it was deemed he had cut the chicane and eventually disqualified after making his way up to the lead and being first on the track. He was infuriated by the decision, as shown in a video of the pre-race drivers' briefing the following year[1], as fellow driver Nelson Piquet argued it was dangerous for a driver to go against the traffic just to make the chicane. At the insuing 1990 Japanese Grand Prix, Senna mimmicked Prost's statement of the previous year saying he would not move over if Prost attempted to overtake in the first corner, resulting in the two crashing out and thus hadning Senna his second world championship. Both drivers have been accused of crashing into the other deliberately and thus the two situations as well as their comments after both incidents have tainted both driver's reputations in the eyes of most but die hard fans.
The late 20th and early 21st century have seen a number of other, rather more sporting duels for the Championship at Suzuka, most memorably those between Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen. The most notable of these was at the 2000 race, where Schumacher took advantage of his superior speed in damp conditions during a mid-race rain shower to secure the race win and his first World Title for Ferrari — his third in all, making up for his lost championship after stalling on the grid for the race despite being confident he would win it (even sporting a new, chrome helmet design that read "World Champion").
At the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix, Michael Schumacher endured one of the most trying races in his illustrious career but managed to secure the point he needed to take his sixth World Championship, beating the record held by Juan Manuel Fangio. At the 2006 event Michael Suchumacher led until an engine failure virtually ended his chances of an eighth championship.
The qualifying session for the 2004 Japanese Grand Prix, due to have been held on 9 October, was postponed until race day after a typhoon hit Suzuka. This led to the idea of holding qualifying sessions on a Sunday morning (an idea that was abandoned half-way through the following year).
It was announced on March 24, 2006 by the FIA that that future races will again be held at the redesigned Fuji Speedway in the Shizuoka Prefecture[2]. This has been met with mixed response, as both being a classic motorsporting track like Suzuka, it is unlikely to be as like with drivers, especially as it has been redesigned by famous (or in some opinions, infamous) track designer Hermann Tilke, whose tracks have all been met with very mixed responses.
[edit] Winners of the Japanese Grand Prix
Events which were not part of the Formula One World Championhip are indicated by a pink background.
[edit] External link
[edit] References
- ^ http://youtube.com/watch?v=Fzd4bronUaA
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/motorsport/formula_one/4839966.stm
| Races in the Formula One championship: |
| 2007 championship Grand Prix events: Australian | Malaysian | Bahrain | Spanish | Monaco | Canadian | U.S. | French | British |
| Past championship Grand Prix events: Argentine | Austrian | Dutch | European | Indy 500 | Las Vegas | Luxembourg | Mexican | Morocco |
