F1 2008 Round 16 - Japanese Grand Prix - 10th-12th October 2008

[Cougar]

The 2008 Japanese Grand Prix is the sixteenth race of the 2008 Formula One season. It will be held on the 10th, 11th and 12th October at the recently revised Fuji Speedway, Oyama, Shizuoka. For 20 years the Japanese Grand Prix was held at Suzuka, but in 2007 it returned to Fuji for the first time since 1977.

In 2007, the Pole position, the fastest lap and the race itself were all won by Lewis Hamilton, who extended his lead in the championship to 12 points with 2 races remaining. Fernando Alonso won the 2006 race, almost guaranteeing him the World Championship for that year.

Two other 2008 drivers have won the Japanese Grand Prix. Kimi Räikkönen won the 2005 event driving for McLaren, while Rubens Barrichello won in 2003 to secure team-mate Michael Schumacher the World Title.

The World Championship has been won several times in Japan, with winners James Hunt at the 1976 Japanese Grand Prix; Nelson Piquet in 1987; Ayrton Senna in 1988, 1990 and 1991; Alain Prost in 1989; Damon Hill in 1996; Mika Häkkinen in 1998 and 1999; and Michael Schumacher in 2000 and 2003.

The Grand Prix will see the debut of Bridgestone's Green Striped grooved tyres as part of the FIA's Make Cars Green campaign, an initiative demonstrating that Formula One’s teams and partners are backing the Make Cars Green campaign’s goal to reduce the impact of motoring on the environment.

(Source: WIKI)

[Cougar]

Drivers standings AFTER the SINGAPORE GP (unofficial)

	Driver	Team	Nationality																PTS
1	Hamilton	McLaren-Mercedes		10	4	P13	6	8	10	RET	P10	10	10	4	8	6	2	6	84
2	Massa	Ferrari		RET	RET	10	8	10	6	4	10	P13	6	P17	10	10	3	P13	77
3	Kubica	BMW-Sauber		RET	8	6	5	5	8	10	4	RET	2	1	6	3	6	P11	64
4	Raikkonen	Ferrari		1	10	8	10	6	P9	RET	8	5	3	6	RET	P18	P9	P15	57
5	Heidfeld	BMW-Sauber		8	3	5	P9	4	P14	8	8	5		P10	P9	8	4	3	56
6	Kovalainen	McLaren-Mercedes		4	6	4	RET	P12	1	P9	5	4	4	10	5	P10	8	P10	51
7	Alonso	Renault		5	1	P10	RET	3	P10	RET	1	3	P11	5	RET	5	5	10	38
8	Vettel	STR-Ferrari		RET	RET	RET	RET	P17	4	1	P12	RET	1	RET	3	4	10	4	27
9	Trulli	Toyota		RET	5	3	1	P10	P13	3	6	2	P9	2	4	P16	P13	RET	26
10	Glock	Toyota		RET	RET	P9	P11	P13	P12	5	P11	P12	RET	8	2	P9	P11	5	20
11	Webber	Red Bull-Renault		RET	2	2	4	2	5	P12	3	P10	RET	P9	P12	1	1	RET	20
12	Rosberg	Williams-Toyota		6	P14	1	RET	1	RET	P10	P16	P9	P10	P14	1	P12	P14	8	17
13	Piquet Jnr	Renault		RET	P11	RET	RET	P15	RET	RET	2	RET	8	3	P11	RET	P10	RET	13
14	Barrichello	Honda		DSQ	P13	P11	RET	P14	3	2	P14	6	RET	P16	P16	RET	P17	RET	11
15	Nakajima	Williams-Toyota		3	P17	P14	2	RET	2	RET	P15	1	P14	P13	P15	P14	P12	1	9
16	Coulthard	Red Bull-Renault		RET	P9	P18	P12	P9	RET	6	P9	RET	P13	P11	P17	P11	P16	2	8
17	Bourdais	STR-Ferrari		2	RET	P15	RET	RET	RET	P13	P17	P11	P12	P18	P10	2	P18	P12	4
18	Button	Honda		RET	P10	RET	3	P11	P11	P11	RET	RET	P17	P12	P13	P15	P15	P9	3
19	Fisichella	Force India-Ferrari		RET	P12	P12	P10	RET	RET	RET	P18	RET	P16	P15	P14	P17	RET	P14	0
20	Sutil	Force India-Ferrari		RET	RET	P19	RET	P16	RET	RET	P19	RET	P15	RET	RET	P13	P19	RET	0
21	Sato*	SA		RET	P16	P17	P13	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	0
22	Davidson*	SA		RET	P15	P16	RET	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	DNS	0

Constructors standings

	Team	Points
	McLaren-Mercedes	135

[Cougar]

Japanese GP: Recent Results

Year	1st place	2nd place	3rd place
2007	Lewis Hamilton	Fernando Alonso	Kimi Räikkönen
2006	Fernando Alonso	Felipe Massa	Giancarlo Fisichella
2005	Kimi Räikkönen	Giancarlo Fisichella	Fernando Alonso

	Driver	Laptime
2007 Fastest lap	Lewis Hamilton	1.28.193
2007 pole position	Lewis Hamilton	1:25.368
Lap record	Lewis Hamilton	1:28.193(2007)

Weather Links
BBC Weather: www.weathercity.com
Weather UnderGround: www.wunderground.com
Rainfall Radar: http://www.jma.go.jp

And especially for all those Martins out there!!
GOOGLE EARTH WEATHER HACKS!


Japanese Grand Prix Time Table

DAY	LOCAL Time	UK Time
Fri 26th September 2008
Friday Practice 1	10:00-11:30	02:00-03:30
Friday Practice2	14:00-15:30	06:00:07:30
Sat 27th September 2008
Saturday Practice	11:00-12:00	03:00-04:00
Qualifying	14:00	06:00
Sun 28th September 2008
Race	13:30	05:30

Japanese Grand Prix LIVE Chat

Please don't forget to join us in the ten-tenths chat room for live coverage of the Grand Prix!

You can log-in through the web here

You can also access the chat using a dedicated client.

If you're using Firefox, download the Chatzilla addon as the best alternative
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/16

Else, download any other IRC client, e.g. http://www.icechat.net/site/

The IRC server is irc.phishy.net, and the room is #motorsport (type "/join #motorsport" without the quotes when you're connected).
If you need any help in joining the chat room.. PM me and I'll try and help if I can.


Other Links

Live Timing
Race Schedule (and other f1 news)
Direct link to 2008 F1 Predictions - Round 16, Japan
All other F1 Predictions Contests
Spotters Guides
Weatherbonk WEBCAM ... Nice name!
Mt FUJI WEBCAM
Mt FUJI WEBCAM

Sorry about the multiple posts... Seems there is a limit on the amount of text you can post at one time
OK Thats all from me! Enjoy! Those that are still watching

[Born Racer]

I don't know what to make of this circuit yet. Due to the rain last year, the jury is still out on it. Last year's race was a bit of an epic, wasn't it? Hopefully there won't be such prolonged tooling around behind the safety car.

[Marcel ten Caat]

Formula One will show its support for the FIA’s Make Cars Green campaign by running on specially prepared green-grooved tyres at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Green-grooved tyres...something tells me that needs extra paint, which has to be produced and that is not done in a "green" way :-)

[RaiseYourFist]

Looking at patterns from last year and this year I think Hamilton is going to have a bad race (ex last year canada, hungary - won, this year - big problems in both)

[danny87]

Yikes.

[Cougar]

Hmmm maybe old stock tyres just gone mouldy?

[Bononi]

Arghhh... I love green (my team color) but this is ridiculous...

[bdwoody]

does max or bernie have a relative that works at crown or dulux that had 45 gallons of green paint to get rid of ??????

[Knowlesy]

Nice work Cougar, although [pedant]Kovalainen finished second last year, not Alonso. [/pedant]

Here's hoping for a race with similar conditions to last year. Actually, maybe slightly less severe lest we start under safety car conditions.

[Marbot]

Doesn't look to be much in the way of rain I'm afraid.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/e...n.shtml#no_url

[rich07]

Nice work Cougar as always, looking forward to watching this after Bathurst!!

[Dutton]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Here's hoping for a race with similar conditions to last year. Actually, maybe slightly less severe lest we start under safety car conditions.

Well, these days, it doesn't take much rain for the race to be started under SC: Spa 1997 began the slippery slope. I totally agree about less severe conditions though, given I really do not want to watch great swaths of the race being run under SC. I still think they should've red-flagged the thing last year if they figured it so undriveable. It is just a bit daft running SC for so long, IMO (either that or it didn't actually run as long as I seem to remember).

Beyond that, well, I'm just wanting a Ferrari 1-2 with a Mclaren double-DNF. Some harmless way for them to score no points would do nicely. A terrific race thrown into the bargain would be most magnificent, of course.

[Cougar]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Nice work Cougar, although [pedant]Kovalainen finished second last year, not Alonso. [/pedant]...

Oops Not sure how I managed that... I'll try harder ... You can have your old job back if you like

[Born Racer]

I'm just wanting a Ferrari 1-2 with a Mclaren double-DNF.

I'd like a McLaren 1-2. It's about time.

[Marbot]

I'd like to see a Honda one-two....ooh look...a flying pig!

[Knowlesy]

Originally Posted by Born Racer

I'd like a McLaren 1-2. It's about time.

Hmm, Kovalainen, podium? Umm.....

[Neil22]

Massa, Massa, Massa, Rah! Rah! Rah!

[RaiseYourFist]

Glock set a monster time in FP2, he was probably quite light but that is still an amazing time especially his sector 2 and sector 3.

[Sodemo]

Last year the safety car ran for about 20 laps give or take a few.

[BootsOntheSide]

Such a waste of racing time when you think about it. A few laps to clear the track would've been needed in any situation, but we lose too much racing due to excessive TV-oriented use of the safety car. At least it hasn't gone as far as the DTM and its support races, which have a set time limit which continues during a red flag

[Super Hans]

Originally Posted by Knowlesy

Hmm, Kovalainen, podium? Umm.....

He'll be more than a match for Lewis once he hits his stride. Just you wait and see.

[Icebaby]

Anyone but Hamilton in the top 8 and I'll be happy...personally would love neither Hamilton or Massa to win the championship. A BMW driver would be appropriate.

[RaiseYourFist]

Originally Posted by Icebaby

Anyone but Hamilton in the top 8 and I'll be happy...personally would love neither Hamilton or Massa to win the championship. A BMW driver would be appropriate.

Would you offer an explanation on why you think either Kubica or Heidfeld are more appropriate to win the WDC?