2020 Japanese Grand Prix Weekend Information

?? THE 2020 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 

ROUND 17. 9th – 11th October.

1035TH F1 GRAND PRIX | 46TH JAPANESE GRAND PRIX | 32nd GRAND PRIX AT SUZUKA

2019 POLESITTER: SEBASTIAN VETTEL | 2019 WINNER: VALTTERI BOTTAS

  WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Friday 9th October
Free Practice 1 (11am Local Time/ 3am UK Time)
Free Practice 2 (3pm Local Time/ 7am UK Time)

Saturday 10th October
Free Practice 3 (12pm Local Time/ 4am UK Time)
Qualifying (3pm Local Time/ 7am UK Time)

Sunday 11th October
The 2020 Japanese Grand Prix (1:10pm Local Time/ 5:10am UK Time)

  WEEKEND NOTES

  • Information about the race weekend, such as DRS zones and track changes, will be posted here.

?? WEEKEND MILESTONES AND RECORDS

  • A win for Lewis Hamilton this weekend would see him equal Michael Schumacher’s record tally of six Japanese Grand Prix victories. While Schumacher took all of his victories at Suzuka, Hamilton has won here only four times so far – the same number of times as Sebastian Vettel.
  • If Valtteri Bottas wins this weekend, he will become the fifth driver to have taken back-to-back wins at the Suzuka circuit.
  • Ferrari and McLaren are currently tied for most wins at Suzuka with seven apiece. Either team could set a new outright record this weekend, or Mercedes could equal their existing tallies.
  • Both Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel could equal Michael Schumacher’s record of nine podium finishes at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend. Vettel can also equal Schumacher’s record of most Suzuka podiums.
  • If both Ferrari drivers finish on the podium, they will equal McLaren’s tally of 25 podium finishes at the Japanese Grand Prix. It would also see them equal McLaren’s record of 22 podiums at the Suzuka circuit.

You can find more information about the records which could be beaten this weekend in our Milestones and Records to Beat post.

  ALL THE INFO

Click the links below to see all the stats and circuit history you could need ahead of the race!

 2019 RACE RECAP

While Typhoon Hagibis affected the Suzuka schedule, Ferrari locked out the front row in Sunday qualifying, before Valtteri Bottas won and ensured the destiny of the 2019 championships in Mercedes’ favour.

The onset of Typhoon Hagibis led to an unusual Japanese Grand Prix weekend, with Saturday’s running cancelled and qualifying moved to Sunday morning. The weather was dry when qualifying finally began, but that didn’t prevent two Red Flag periods in Q1. The first was a result of Robert Kubica hitting the wall on the main straight in the Williams, and the second was for Kevin Magnussen who crashed in the same place. Ferrari locked-out the front row, with Sebastian Vettel starting from pole position. Vettel made a poor start, and Valtteri Bottas swooped around both Ferrari drivers to take the lead. Charles Leclerc collided with Max Verstappen, sending the Red Bull driver into a spin. With damage flying from Leclerc’s car, he was called in to pit and the pair did battle again after they had both pitted. Verstappen ultimately retired from the race, while his team-mate Alex Albon made an ambitious move on Lando Norris into the final chicane. As the race reached half distance, Lewis Hamilton questioned how he was so far down on the leading pair of Bottas and Vettel. After the pit stops, Hamilton was on Vettel’s tail. He attempted an overtake at the first turn, but stayed behind the Ferrari. Sergio Perez crashed out of a points-paying position on the final lap – or at least he would have done, if the chequered flag had not been shown a lap early. Bottas won the race, with Vettel and Hamilton completing the podium. The result ensured that Mercedes would win a sixth consecutive Constructors’ Championship, and also ensured that the 2019 World Champion would be either Hamilton or Bottas.



  PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULES

The world’s media will have the opportunity to talk to the drivers on the Thursday before the race. Appearing in the Drivers’ Press Conference for this race weekend will be:

TBC

The media also be talking to prominent members of Formula 1’s teams on Friday. Appearing in the Teams’ Press Conference for this race weekend will be:

TBC

  DRIVER STEWARD

Each weekend a former Formula 1 driver, or a driver from another prominent series of motorsport, joins the stewards to help judge any incidents from a drivers’ perspective. The Driver Steward this weekend will be TBC.

  WEATHER FORECAST

The weather forecast for the week ahead at the circuit currently looks like this:

[wpc-weather id=”4449″/]

  FASTEST EVER LAP

  TYRE CHOICES

Pirelli are yet to reveal which tyre compounds will be used for the Japanese Grand Prix weekend. Each driver’s selection of tyres will be announced closer to the event.

  RECENT FASTEST LAPS IN EACH SESSION

2017 2018 2019
Free Practice 1 1:29.166 (Sebastian Vettel)
 1:28.691 (Lewis Hamilton) 1:28.731 (Valtteri Bottas)
Free Practice 2 1:48.719 (Lewis Hamilton)
 1:28.217 (Lewis Hamilton) 1:27.785 (Valtteri Bottas)
Free Practice 3 1:29.055 (Valtteri Bottas)
 1:29.599 (Lewis Hamilton) –
Qualifying 1:27.319 (Lewis Hamilton)
 1:27.760 (Lewis Hamilton) 1:27.064 (Sebastian Vettel)
Grand Prix 1:33.144 Valtteri Bottas) 1:32.318 (Sebastian Vettel) 1:30.983 (Lewis Hamilton)

 



 

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