Race Preview 2013 11 – 13 OCTOBER 2013

Following a thrilling and hard fought race in Korea, the CIRCUIT DATA F1 teams have packed up and made the short trip to SUZUKA CIRCUIT and the mighty Suzuka circuit, home of the FIA Length of lap: 5.807km Japanese Grand Prix, the 15th round of Lap record: 1:31.540 (Kimi Räikkönen, the 2013 World Championship. McLaren, 2005) Start/finish line offset:0.300km Suzuka is a firm favourite with drivers. The circuit Total number of race laps: 53 deliver thrills, with part of the allure being the level of Total race distance: 307.471km risk a fast lap demands. Suzuka has teeth: from the Pitlane speed limits: Degner curves to the still-fearsome 130R, it’s a circuit 80km/h throughout the weekend. that demands high concentration. CHANGES TO THE CIRCUIT SINCE 2012 The challenge is as great for engineers as for drivers. ►The artificial grass around the The quest for lap time is a highly technical exercise, outside of Turn One now starts approximately 50m earlier, with a number of differing set-up requirements to be replacing a damaged verge. reconciled. Suzuka isn’t easily categorised, featuring ►The verge on the left in Turn swift changes of direction at the spectator-friendly 10 has been levelled and taken Esses, sinuous curves through Dunlop and Spoon, up to the tyre barrier and wall, which have also been raised. high-speed sections and heavy-braking, low-speed ►A new debris fence has been corners at the Hairpin and Casio Triangle. The great installed on the left between laps require both man and machine to be on the limit. Turns Nine and 10. ►A new opening has been Championship leader is the provided on the left in Turn 11. This allows a gravel recovery presumptive favourite to deliver those great laps. The vehicle to be positioned there driver’s form is excellent on arrival at instead of a large crane. the circuit he calls “the greatest in the world.” Coming ►The verge on the right to this race he has three successive poles and four approaching Turn 13 has been laid with a one-metre wide strip successive victories. In addition, his record at Suzuka of artificial grass, replacing a is excellent. From four visits, he has four poles and verge prone to erosion. three victories . He missed out on victory in 2011, ►The last part of the tyre barrier driving conservatively to third – but that was enough to around the outside of Turn 14 has been extended right, to the secure a second Drivers’ World Championship. end of the guardrail. Seventy-seven points clear of in the DRS ZONES 2013 title-race, he has an outside chance of claiming ►The DRS zone at Suzuka is on the start-finish straight. The his fourth championship this weekend. Should detection point is 50m before Vettel win and Alonso finish no better than ninth, the Turn 16, with activation 100m German will do what only Juan-Manuel Fangio and before the control line. have done before and win World Championships in four consecutive years. ROUND 15 START TIME 15:00 Local - 06:00 GMT

RACE DATE: 13 OCT 2013 CIRCUIT LENGTH: 5.807KM

CIRCUIT NAME: SUZUKA CIRCUIT RACE DISTANCE: 307.471KM

NUMBER OF LAPS: 53 LAP RECORD: 1:31.540 - K Raikkonen [2005]

230 295 70 95 260 5 6 2 2 6 2.0 0.1 -2.0 -2.1 -1.4

DRS DRS 285 11 DETECTION ACTIVATION 6 18 -0.3 16 17 T3 14 13 T1 10 30.4 18.8 12 1:29.8 7 15 300 7 6 0.1 8 Pit 185 305 T2 5 Lane 4 7 40.4 9 4 2.1 0.1 210 5 1 3.6 3 2 140 260 210 3 6 5 -2.5 -4.5 1.0

240 160 5 4 2.0 -2.2

Timing Speed Braking Sector Sector 1 Circuit Start Finish Kmh T3 150 Sector Safety Medical Lateral 18.8 Time Sector 2 Car Car Marshals 3 G-force Gear -1.0 1:29.8 Lap Time Light Run-off Gravel Sector 3 Panels Areas Traps

Japanese GP Fast Facts ►There have been 28 F1 Japanese Grand Prix a year earlier. It secured ►’s third place for Grands Prix. Fuji hosted the race in him the Drivers’ World Championship, Sauber in 2012 made him the first 1976 and 1977. The race returned at beginning a string of titles that have Japanese driver on the podium in Suzuka in 1987 where it stayed until been settled at this race. Nelson Japan since for Lola- 2006. The 2007 and 2008 races were Piquet (1987), (1989), Lamborghini in 1990. Kobayashi’s held at a much-modified Fuji, with the Senna (1988, 1990, 1991), Damon was the first podium for a Japanese race reverting to Suzuka in 2009. Hill (1996), Häkkinen (1998, 1999) driver since finished ►Michael Schumacher is the stand-out Schumacher (2000, 2003) and third at the 2004 US Grand Prix. driver at Suzuka with six victories. Sebastian Vettel (2011) all secured ►Suzuka strongly favours the front The seven-times Champion took his championships here. row. In 24 races, the winner has first Suzuka victory for Benetton in ►Schumacher twice clinched the title at come from the front row 20 times. 1995 and followed it with wins for the Japanese GP but three times in Fernando Alonso (2006) won from in 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, Japan. He became champion in 1995 fifth, (1989) and and 2004 after a win at Aida. (1990) from sixth. ►McLaren have the best record of any ►Piquet’s championship triumph in The anomalous statistic is Kimi team at the Japanese Grand Prix with 1987 was by default. Title rival Nigel Räikkönen’s mesmerising charge nine victories. took the Mansell aggravated a back injury in from 17th in 2005, overtaking first in 1977 at Fuji, followed by wins qualifying. He was ruled out of the Giancarlo Fisichella on the final lap at Suzuka for (1988, race and Piquet had the title before for the lead. 1993), (1991), Mika the grand prix began. ►Last year, Vettel won the race with Häkkinen (1998, 1999) and Kimi ►One of Suzuka’s quirks is the figure- pole, fastest lap and victory having Räikkönen (2005). eight layout. The current F1 calendar led every lap of the race. It was his won at Fuji in 2007, and Jenson has 13 clockwise circuits, five anti- second ‘grand chelem’. Recently he’s Button at Suzuka in 2011. clockwise and this John Hugenholtz- recorded a third in Singapore and ►James Hunt’s win at Fuji in 1977 designed track which does the first a fourth last week in Korea. He is has been overshadowed by his third half of the lap clockwise and the halfway to equalling Jim Clark, who place at the inaugural F1 Japanese second half anti-clockwise. collected eight. Japanese GP Championship Standings (Drivers)

Australia Malaysia China Bahrain Monaco Canada GB Hungary Singapore Korea Japan India Abu Dhabi USA Brazil POINTS

1. Sebastian Vettel 15 25 12 25 12 18 25 0 25 15 25 25 25 25 ------272

2. Fernando Alonso 18 0 25 4 25 6 18 15 12 10 18 18 18 8 ------195

3. Kimi Raikkonen 25 6 18 18 18 1 2 10 18 18 0 0 15 18 ------167

4. Lewis Hamilton 10 15 15 10 0 12 15 12 10 25 15 2 10 10 ------161

5. 8 18 0 6 10 15 12 18 6 12 10 15 0 0 ------130

6. 0 12 0 2 8 25 10 25 2 0 12 8 12 6 ------122

7. 12 10 8 0 15 0 4 8 0 4 6 12 8 2 ------89

8. 1 8 2 15 0 0 0 0 15 8 4 4 0 15 ------72

9. 2 0 10 1 4 8 0 0 8 6 8 1 6 4 ------58

10. 4 0 4 12 6 2 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 ------36

11. Nico Hulkenberg 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 10 2 12 ------31

12. 6 0 0 0 0 10 1 6 0 0 2 0 1 0 ------26

13. Sergio Perez 0 2 0 8 2 0 0 0 4 2 0 0 4 1 ------23

14. 0 0 6 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 1 6 0 0 ------18

15. Jean-Eric Vergne 0 1 0 0 0 4 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ------13

16. Pastor Maldonado 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 ------1

17. Esteban Gutierrez 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ------0

18. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ------0

19. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ------0

20. Charles Pic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ------0

21. Giedo van der Garde 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ------0

22. Max Chilton 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ------0 Japanese GP Championship Standings (Constructors)

Australia Malaysia China Bahrain Spain Monaco Canada GB Germany Hungary Belgium Italy Singapore Korea Japan India Abu Dhabi USA Brazil POINTS

1. Infiniti Red Bull Racing 23 43 12 31 22 33 37 18 31 27 35 40 25 25 ------402

2. 30 10 33 4 40 6 22 23 12 14 24 30 26 10 ------284

3. Mercedes AMG F1 Team 10 27 15 12 8 37 25 37 12 25 27 10 22 16 ------283

4. Team 26 14 20 33 18 1 2 10 33 26 4 4 15 33 ------239

5. Vodafone McLaren Mercedes 2 2 10 9 6 8 0 0 12 8 8 1 10 5 ------81

6. Sahara F1 Team 10 0 4 12 6 12 7 8 0 0 2 0 1 0 ------62

7. Sauber F1 Team 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 10 2 12 ------31

8. Scuderia Toro Rosso 0 1 6 0 1 4 8 4 0 0 1 6 0 0 ------31

9. Williams F1 Team 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 ------1

10. Marussia F1 Team 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ------0

11. Caterham F1 Team 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ------0 Japanese GP Formula One Timetable & FIA Media Schedule

THURSDAY Press conference 15.00

FRIDAY Practice session 1 10.00-11.30 Practice session 2 14.00-15.30 Press conference 16.00

SATURDAY Practice session 3 11.00-12.00 Qualifying 14.00-15.00 Followed by unilateral and press conference

SUNDAY Drivers’ Parade 13.30 Race 15.00 Followed by podium interviews and press conference

ADDITIONAL MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES

QUALIFYING All drivers eliminated in Q1 or Q2 are available for media interviews immediately after the end of each session, as are drivers who participated in Q3, but who are not required for the post- qualifying press conference. The TV pen interview area will be located in the paddock, adjacent to the entrance to the media centre.

RACE Any driver retiring before the end of the race is available at the team’s garage/hospitality. In addition, during the race every team will make available at least one senior spokesperson for interview by officially accredited TV crews. A list of those nominated will be made available in the media centre.

FIA COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT [email protected] T +33 1 43 12 58 15