Japan preview quotes - Sauber, Red Bull, Lotus & HRT 28 Sep 2012
With packed grandstands full of fervent fans and a track widely considered to be one of the best and most challenging on the calendar, the 2012 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix is one of the most eagerly anticipated races of the season. The drivers and senior team members look ahead to the Suzuka race and discuss their prospects…
Kamui Kobayashi, Sauber
2011 Qualifying - 7th, 2011 Race - 13th
“I’m very much looking forward to my home Grand Prix in Suzuka. I think our car should be very fast there and we also will get new parts on the C31 for the Japanese Grand Prix. I am confident about getting a good result in front of my fellow countrymen. Last year I was seventh on the grid but then had a problem at the start and only finished 13th.The Japanese fans are great and the mood and atmosphere they create is an enormous support. And it is not only me who they cheer for! They are true Formula One fans and that is why I’m really proud of them. Nowhere else will you find the fans being at the circuit so early in the morning and staying for so long at night, no matter what the weather is like. Also regarding the track itself, Suzuka is a very special place. I’m sure a lot of drivers would agree it is a really great circuit. It is a very technical track, really exciting to drive and challenging, especially because it is so difficult to put a perfect lap together there. I would say at most of the circuits it takes no more than 20 to 30 laps to really learn them. Some are getting boring even before that, but in Suzuka you are still learning and improving after you have done hundreds of laps.”
Sergio Perez, Sauber
2011 Qualifying - 17th, 2011 Race - 8th
“I really like the Suzuka Circuit. Last year I drove there for the first time and enjoyed it an awful lot. I finished eighth after having started from 17th because we had a problem in qualifying. After underperforming in Singapore, in Japan I am expecting our car to again to be as good as it used to be and we should be strong in the high-speed corners. The circuit has got some quite nice sections and corner combinations. Thanks to the Japanese fans the atmosphere there is really great and our team gets a lot of support because it is Kamui’s home race. I am very much looking forward to it.”
Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Sauber head of track engineering
“Suzuka is one of the most fascinating and challenging tracks of the season. It’s got a first sector with very technical high-speed corners, and then you encounter the middle sector with the hairpin and the tricky Degner corners, which are relevant for stability. Spoon corner is also quite special. It’s a medium to high-speed corner, leading onto a long straight with the R130 corner, which is flat nowadays but still challenging. Finally there is the slow chicane at the end of the lap where you need good traction. Overall it is a very complex and technical track. It requires a well-balanced car and it is very challenging for the drivers. The tyres will be the hard and the soft compounds, which should be fine for this track. Due to the abrasive surface and the fast corners in the first sector, which put a high load on the tyres, there should be no issues with warming them up. Also we will be introducing a new aero package in Japan, including a new front wing for the C31. Looking at the requirements of this track I expect our car to be very competitive there.”
Mark Webber, Red Bull
2011 Qualifying - 6th, 2011 Race - 4th
“I’m looking forward to the Japanese Grand Prix as it’s an opportunity to get a top result again on a track I enjoy driving on. Qualifying has not been as strong for us recently and we know this has to be improved. We are focusing on that and, once that's better, we can make a strong push towards being better positioned at the end of Grands Prix. The Suzuka Circuit has an incredible combination of corners. You have to be very accurate and rhythm is very important. It’s a good challenge for the drivers.”
Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
2011 Qualifying - 1st, 2011 Race - 3rd
“I love the Suzuka circuit. In short, it has the most amazing corners and brilliant fans, I really like coming here. In 2011 the country experienced unbelievable difficulties, so it was extremely important to try and give them some enjoyment and to show our support for their suffering. I wish I had won in 2011, it was my third Formula One race on my favourite track and it still bothers me a bit that I took my world title with a third place. The track itself is huge and almost every metre of it is special.”
Kimi Raikkonen, Lotus
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
“It’s a good circuit, one that’s quite fast and there are some nice opportunities for overtaking. The best tracks for me are ones with long straights and sharp corners with lots of space for racing on, and Suzuka has that. In 2005 I had one of my best wins there after starting the race near the back of the grid and then taking the lead on the last lap. Winning in that way, you never forget the feeling it gives you while crossing the finish line.
“It is one of the more difficult tracks and part of racing at Suzuka is that there are usually quite a few accidents. When you are on the limit, a driver will always have some big moments during the weekend at a fast circuit and Suzuka really punishes the driver due to the speed of the track and the small run-off areas. It’s a great circuit; very quick and challenging for both car and driver. You need an aerodynamically strong car there, and a solid car to go through those fast, long sweeping corners. I think that suits the E20.”
Romain Grosjean, Lotus
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
“What a circuit! If we have a good base line set up then we can really enjoy the track. It’s an amazing circuit. I’ve only raced there once but I loved it so I’m really looking forward to going back. It’s difficult to pick one part of the circuit as your favourite. The first sector is brilliant, with turn one, turn three, four and five - it’s crazy! Then you go right under the bridge, then a small hairpin, and next up is the ‘Spoon corner’ which is a nightmare for the drivers. Then you’re flat out, DRS wide open, before the last chicane. A brilliant circuit. Also, I think it’s important to say the fans are absolutely amazing in Japan, and the atmosphere around the track is very special. I love Japanese cuisine, especially sushi, and when I cook at home I often try to put some spices in my dishes that are from Japan.
“There are many challenges over the weekend. We have to get the set-up working perfectly as Suzuka is so demanding and exposes any weakness in the car. You have to complete all the sessions without making any mistakes because the run-offs are small and it’s easy to damage the car if you run wide or get a corner wrong. You need to get on top of the tyres as Suzuka never stops in its demands on them. I think it is a place where you need just a little luck. I hope we have some of that in Japan and everything comes together.”
Eric Boullier, Lotus team principal
“I know that both Romain and Kimi enjoy the Suzuka circuit so we’re all looking forward to the race weekend. Kimi still holds the lap record from back when he won there in 2005, so he should feel confident and we are of course looking to provide him with a car to achieve the best that he can. I could tell you that the target is the podium, which it is somehow, but the relative level of performance between the teams is constantly evolving. We’re bringing a few promising updates including our ‘device’. We think that the track will suit our car, and we’re hoping for a gentle build-up to the race, with no technical drama or dodgy weather.”
James Allison, Lotus technical director
“It’s a track with a wide range of cornering speeds, but there are several very fast turns in the Silverstone mould; in particular Turn 1, the ‘S’ bends and130R. These are features that have suited us so far but it’s a tight season and, as we’ve shown, you really need to hit the ground running in order to have a good weekend.”
Pedro de la Rosa, HRT
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
"Suzuka is a beautiful and spectacular circuit; I would say it’s my favourite track. It’s very quick, you hardly touch the brake, and we’ll be able to make a better evaluation of the difference between the new floor and the old one. It has inclinations, quick, flowing corners and it’s a very long lap. It’s a circuit for aerodynamics and horsepower where the best cars stand out. I’ve got great memories of it because my first victories in Formula Three and Formula 3000 came there and it’s one of the tracks which has brought me most luck in my career because by winning there the doors to Formula One opened. I hope to also have a good performance next weekend.”
Narain Karthikeyan, HRT
2011 Qualifying - n/a, 2011 Race - n/a
"I’m really looking forward to Japan after not being able to finish in Singapore. Suzuka is a very fluid and challenging track. From a physical point of view it’s also tough as it’s very quick. It’s a circuit that I love and one I have fond memories of. I think we’ll take a step forward with the car with regards to Singapore and we’ll be able to better evaluate how the new floor works. We’ve been pretty fast in the last few races but we’ve been missing a bit of luck. But we have to continue working to maintain this positive momentum through to the end of the season.”
Luis Perez-Sala, HRT team principal
"Suzuka is a circuit with a lot of tradition which I raced at during my years as a Formula One driver. It’s quite a technical track that’s very challenging both mechanically and for the driver and it’s also a very attractive circuit because it combines quick corners with quick straights. We’ll be able to further test and evaluate the updates we took to Singapore because we will have more data. We’re confident that we’ll be able to continue with our momentum and it’s another race to continue progressing.”
More to follow.
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