'Bee hotels' and a figure-eight turn: What to expect at Japanese Grand Prix
After Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. broke Red Bull's season-long winning streak last weekend in Singapore, the floodgates have opened in Formula 1. Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes all look capable of race wins. Aston Martin and Alpine, meanwhile, look capable of making podiums. For the first time in a long time, the F1 field is wide-open.
There's no better track to show that than Suzuka, home of the Japanese Grand Prix. It's one of the most beloved tracks in motorsports, adored by everyone from Ayrton Senna to Lewis Hamilton. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel loves it so much that he's based his first post-retirement environmental initiative there. He invited all of the drivers out to the grand opening of his "bee hotels" on Suzuka's second turn.
Built by Honda as a test track for its experimental vehicles, Japan's Suzuka circuit has been on the F1 Grand Prix calendar since 1987. It's one of the few circuits with a "crossover" element. The track loops under itself to create a wild figure-eight at turn 15. It's a track of long straights, fast corners and squiggles and loops along its 3.6-mile run. Most drivers adore it for its speed and technicality.
The Japanese Grand Prix's spot in the back half of the F1 season means it's one of the earliest races in which a team or driver could potentially clinch the championship. Max Verstappen secured his second straight title at Suzuka last season, albeit in strange circumstances. The race was delayed so long for inclement weather that no one was entirely sure if he'd won until well after the checkered flag waved.
Verstappen can't clinch his third title in Japan this season. The earliest he'll be able to win it is the sprint race in Qatar. His Red Bull team, however, could clinch the Constructor's Championship — the annual trophy for building the best car, given to factory teams rather than drivers — by outscoring Mercedes and Ferrari.
Many believe that's a likely outcome. Even Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton told the media Thursday that "if they [Red Bull] are not 30 seconds ahead like they have been in the past, then something's up."
Suzuka is expected to be one of Red Bull's strongest tracks of the season and one of its competitors weakest — all signs point to the Austrian team lifting its second straight Constructors Trophy on the home soil of Honda, its engine partner.
The Japanese Grand Prix is expected to be a special weekend for Alpha Tauri's Yuki Tsunoda, too, and not just because it's his home race. He's expected to confirm a new contract with Alpha Tauri that will keep him at the Italian team for at least one more season.
F1 fans have been waiting for this, and will greet it with waves of positivity. Tsunoda is a beloved figure in the sport and one of the funniest and shoutiest drivers on the grid.
"Everyone likes Yuki," Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko said, "even if no one can blow their top quite like he does."
The Japanese Grand Prix will begin Sunday at 1 a.m. ET.
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