Just a week after the Singapore GP, Formula 1 is back as a protagonist this weekend in Suzuka for the Japanese GP. The country of the Rising Sun is hosting a Formula 1 World Championship race for the 48th time, alternating between the Fuji circuit and that of Suzuka, the current home of the Grand Prix.
The Japanese circuit, one of the most technical and challenging of the entire world championship, together with the circuits of Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone, is in particular one of the most demanding for the tyres, forced to support large lateral loads due to the many medium-speed corners -high mileage, which generate a lot of energy.
Its characteristic figure-8 shape, the only track in the world championship with this layout, however, makes the loads between the right and left tires almost balanced.
MegaRide chart for the Japanese GP
Photo by: MegaRide
The various medium-high mileage corners, the first sector snake and hairpin bends generate a lot of energy in the tyres, as shown in the graph above. The most critical sections are the snake in the first sector, turns 3-7, the hairpin in turn 14, “Spoon”, and the “130R”, turn 15.
Due to the high loads, especially those in a lateral direction, and the quite abrasive asphalt, Pirelli is forced to use one of the hardest sets of the entire range, namely the C1-C2-C3 compounds.
The possibility to test the new C2 Pirelli 2024 compound is foreseen in the two free practice sessions (each driver will have two trains allocated more than the usual 13) with the aim of obtaining a stiffer front and limiting the typical understeer linked to the current tires.
The strategies will be very important since the track offers few overtaking opportunities even if the weather, highly unpredictable in this period of the year, where heavy storms are not uncommon, could mix the cards in play favoring spectacle and unpredictability in a stage, already in itself, very demanding. Suffice it to say that since 2014, the Japanese race has not been completed three times due to adverse weather conditions.
MegaRide chart for the Japanese GP
Photo by: MegaRide
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