Fuji Speedway
Race Date: 12 Oct 2008
Number of Laps: 67
Circuit Length: 4.563 km
Race Distance: 305.416 km
Lap Record: 1:28.193 - L Hamilton (2007)[/center]
- wikipedia.orgThe 2008 Japanese Grand Prix is the sixteenth race of the 2008 Formula One season. It will be held on 12 October at the recently revised Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Shizuoka. For 20 years the Japanese Grand Prix was held at Suzuka, but in 2007 it returned to Fuji for the first time since 1977.
In 2007, the Pole position, the fastest lap and the race itself were all won by Lewis Hamilton, who extended his lead in the championship to 12 points with 2 races remaining. Fernando Alonso won the 2006 race, almost guaranteeing him the World Championship for that year.
Two other 2008 drivers have won the Japanese Grand Prix. Kimi Räikkönen won the 2005 event driving for McLaren, while Rubens Barrichello won in 2003 to secure team-mate Michael Schumacher the World Title.
The World Championship has been won several times in Japan, with winners James Hunt at the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix; Nelson Piquet in 1987; Ayrton Senna in 1988, 1990 and 1991; Alain Prost in 1989; Damon Hill in 1996; Mika Häkkinen in 1998 and 1999; and Michael Schumacher in 2000 and 2003.
Overview:
Fuji Speedway is a race track standing in the foothills of Mount Fuji, in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. The circuit will host the F1 Japanese Grand Prix once again in 2007, replacing the Suzuka Circuit.
In 2003 the circuit was closed down to accommodate a major reprofiling of the track, using a new design from Hermann Tilke. The track was reopened on 10 April 2005.
Toyota has now won its bid to host a Grand Prix event, replacing the Suzuka Circuit as host to the Japanese Grand Prix in the 2007 Formula One season. It will become the F1 track with the longest straight of the championship, 1.5 km.
The Fuji circuit is well known to fans of the arcade racing game Pole Position, as cars raced on the circuit in the popular loop. Fuji Speedway was thus the first circuit ever to be featured in a video game.
Grand Prix 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.
Video Streams thread.
Weather for Fuji
2007 Winner - Lewis Hamilton
2006 Winner - Fernando Alonso - Suzuka
2005 Winner - Kimi Raikkonen - Suzuka
So, to start of with, who will have the upper hand? McLaren or Ferrari? Can any other teams like Renault spring a surprise?
Changelog:
30/09/08 [iceman1] - added more information