Japan F1 Grand Prix

The sport’s greatest champion bids farewell to Suzuka

Photo by Phil Giles

The Formula 1 Japan Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Mie Prefecture on October 8 will be farewell time in two major respects: first, it will be the final Japan appearance of F1’s greatest driver, Michael Schumacher (and his penultimate GP); second, it will be the last Japan Grand Prix at the Suzuka for a while, as the event will move to the refurbished Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka Prefecture next year.

Perhaps most significantly, it could be the race that determines this year’s championship. Since the Japan Grand Prix joined the F1 calendar, half the championships have been decided in Japan. With three races left (as of time of writing), the contest could not have been closer, with Schumacher trailing defending champion and this year’s leader Fernando Alonso by a mere two points. Even if Alonso wins the China Grand Prix on October 1 and Schumacher fails to gain any points, either driver could still take the championship in the two remaining races: here, and the Brazilian Grand Prix on October 22.

Schumacher will be the favorite in Suzuka because he has won at the circuit seven times, including five of the last six races; he’s also the guy in form. Alonso started strong in 2006, finishing first or second in the first nine grands prix. After picking up just eight points in his first three races of the season, Schumacher started to come on and, going into China, had won four of six grands prix. Compare that to the dismal form—by his standards—of Alonso over the same six grands prix. The Spaniard picked up just 24 points compared to his German rival’s 47, and he failed to finish in Hungary and Italy.

Of course, Schumacher will want to end his incredible career with a championship title, and you can expect him to use all his guile/brutality/skill to try to deal with the opposition. The Japanese fans, though, will only be supporting one guy at Suzuka. The fantasists will be hoping for some local glory in the form of Team Super Aguri, the Honda offshoot that offers employment to Japanese F1 drivers. Takuma Sato will no doubt go all out to gain a point or two (his best finish this year, so far, is 12th), but with the driver’s reputation for recklessness, that could have negative consequences rather than positive. The challenge for Schumacher and Alonso will come from elsewhere, with the in-form Jenson Button (Honda) of the UK and Brazilian Felipe Massa (Ferrari) the men most likely to snatch victory away from the championship leaders.

The retirement of the unique Honda-owned Suzuka track will leave many sad. It’s long at 5.864km, with plenty of overtaking opportunities and a rare figure-eight configuration. Unfortunately, it’s also far from Tokyo. The Toyota-owned Fuji Speedway, on the slopes of Mt. Fuji itself, is 4.563km with just 10 turns and a massive finishing straightaway. The new stand alongside that stretch will afford spectators a pretty good view of the action, but whether or not it will replace Suzuka in the fans’ affections remains to be seen.

Suzuka Circuit, Oct 8. See sports listings for details.

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