The cancellation of qualifying made yesterday rather strange – and shoehorning a Grand Prix and a qualifying session will surely make today seem equally weird.
Have you set your alarm clock for an early hour to see qualifying and the race? Or are you in a part of the world where the race is on at a convenient time? Let us know in the comments.
And don’t forget to join us for live comments during both qualifying and the race today!
Links
Japanese Grand Prix qualifying (Yas Marina Circuit blog)
Sebastian Vettel: "I realise it’s probably a difficult thing for some of the fans to understand why we can’t drive these cars in such conditions. They probably wonder why we don’t simply put on rain tyres and go on the track. It’s not as easy as that because the cars are very light – 600/700 kilos, which is about half the weight of a road car – and they are very low. So it’s very easy with standing water on the track to have the car aquaplane, where there is no contact between the tyres and the track, and then it becomes undriveable.”
Blogging from Suzuka (Williams)
“Tyre wear in the rain could also be an issue because we have just three sets of intermediates and four sets of wets for the whole weekend. The energy placed through the tyres is much higher at Suzuka than at most other tracks, due to the number of high-speed corners, so the tyres – and particularly the inters – are going to last for less time.”
Comment of the day
BS thinks the complaints over Red Bull’s flexing front wing are wrong:
The rules regarding flexing, just like any of the other rules, are both set and enforced by artificially created circumstances and tests. Flexing of the front wing endplates is both defined and tested in a way that Red Bull manages to design and have their car pass in something that is legit according to the FIA’s demands regarding ‘flexing’.
Saying the FIA is doing a bad job enforcing their rules based on blurry video footage and your personal interpretation of the rules (not the actual parameters by which these rules are governed) reminds me of all the conspiracy theories regarding the moon landing.
It is absolutely no different from last years double diffusers being ‘against the spirit of the rules’. You’re confusing your interpretation (or ‘spirit’) with the actual rules and system by which they are governed. And the FIA would only make a mockery out of itself if they change rules to fit some kind of dogmatic idea of ‘spirit’. These people are highly talented and experienced engineers, it is their very job to do the best possible job within on one side the undeniable laws of physics, and on the other the artificially created means to level out the field.
BS
From the forum
Alexi wonders whether Lewis Hamilton will ever leave McLaren.
Happy birthday!
No F1 Fanatic birthdays today. If you want a birthday shout-out tell us when yours is by emailling me, using Twitter or adding to the list here.
On this day in F1
Olivier Panis’s F1 career came to an end after 157 starts on this day six years ago at Suzuka. The French driver ended his career with Toyota.
He won just one race, the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix, driving for Ligier.
macahan
10th October 2010, 0:09
yesterday was weird for sure… Glad I went to bed “early”. But bummed out the quali is not shown at all “in time” but rather numerous hours time delayed. So check online and find a stream for live view one time OR wait and watch it on big screen.. Alright stupid question live of course. Just need to make sure dinner is started soon so I watch quali after dinner is eaten ;)
One of the FEW times I don’t need to be up at 7am to watch quali and race. YAY.. Like the asian fly aways and of course North and South America races (yet those later are way early still).
US_Peter (@us_peter)
10th October 2010, 0:56
Yep, one of the only times qualifying’s at a very respectable hour and it won’t be on live. Definitely rather watch it live via stream than delayed on the big screen. I’ll probably do both though. You must be East Coast? I think I’ll wait until after quali for dinner out here Pacific Time… Catch you all soon on the live blog!
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
10th October 2010, 0:21
About the flexi wings.
I also think the complains are wrong. It’s just the same with everything done on a F1 car.
Whatever rule FIA impose, teams “bend” it. And by “bending” it, i mean they design parts that are legal, but make the same effect of the part FIA tried to avoid.
How is it possible then that whatever FIA does, cars go faster and faster and faster, even if they are tring to slow the cars down at corners?.
When we saw the early BMW F1.09 in 2008 we all thought the cars were boxes and they would not add too much in them. And now we see Mclaren’s front wing and realize it’s as complex (or even more complex) than the wings used in 2008 (that the FIA wanted to avoid).
It’s the nature of the sport. Red Bull designed a faboulous wing that bends and passes the test made by FIA. Well done to them. Unless they re-write the rule about it next year, teams will either have to get over it or try to copy the thing.
pawelf1
10th October 2010, 0:24
that was a race. I remember it. Everybody was going off. The rain, crashes … Monaco baybe ;D
samuel
10th October 2010, 0:34
Hi everyone,
An exciting day awaits…now’s it’s 6.30 am at my place. Gonna have a quick breakfast and then glue myself to the TV set…see you in another 90 minutes
f1yankee
10th October 2010, 0:36
that’s certainly not BS, from BS
qazuhb
10th October 2010, 0:52
Somebody please tell me at what time the qualifying will happen (GMT would be a nice way to let everybody calculate their local times).
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
10th October 2010, 1:07
it’ll be in less than an hour!
have a look at the official F1 website!
JPQuesado (@joao-pedro-cq)
10th October 2010, 1:01
Here qualifying and race are at the same time as UK. 2 am and 7 am on what’s going to be a strange night to me.
Zecks
10th October 2010, 1:01
Qualifying is 2am uk time and the race is unchanged at 7 am. That is if the weather holds!
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
10th October 2010, 1:07
Ill have dinner watching qualy :P! 10 pm.
And then 3 am for the race.
Becken
10th October 2010, 1:35
Wohooo, same one here, FER!!!! :P
qazuhb
10th October 2010, 1:39
Argentinian time? They will broadcast it thru TyC Sports? I’ll check out NOW! Otherwise i’ll have to follow it online…
Becken
10th October 2010, 1:41
For me, Brazilian time, Qazuhb…
qazuhb
10th October 2010, 1:41
Fox Sports is announcing “El Show de la Fórmula 1” for ten o’clock, I hope this is it!
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
10th October 2010, 1:46
indeed. Tho i don’t know if they’ll skip the “Show…”.
I hate that channel. It’s incredibly difficult to get it right. The “Show…” is never shown at the same hour every saturday.
****** me off…
Alex Bkk (@alex-bkk)
10th October 2010, 1:19
40 odd minutes till Q and from what I’ve read the sun is shinning @ Suzuka. It’s going to be a unique experience having Q and the race in the same day.
Alexi (@)
10th October 2010, 1:40
Just woke up for quali at 3am and then sleep again, for the morning come with the racing at 8am. Not bad at all.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
10th October 2010, 2:04
http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=390496&FS=F1
A Russian Grand Prix (set for 2014) just needs a signature on the contract to happen.
Scalextric
10th October 2010, 3:20
KC: Link for live blog above says Yas Marina circuit. Did they move the Japanese GP to Abu Dhabi to avoid rain??
Scalextric
10th October 2010, 3:27
Duh, now I click on it, it’s another blog, not the live blog. I see.
wasiF1 (@wasif1)
10th October 2010, 4:22
Well explained Vettel.
SouthAussie94 (@mpj1994)
10th October 2010, 10:05
Did anyone watch the Bathurst 1000? The race was a one-two finish for Team Vodafone Triple 8 with Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife winning.
The race started with a large shunt towards the end to the first lap for Fabian Coulthard, a distant relative of David Coulthard, whose car rolled 6 times after a puncture cause him to leave the track at 270km/h.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgVFC-n7RFE