Formula One: Japanese Grand Prix Preview

Sebastian Vettel and Alonso will start the Formula One weekend in Japan as favourites to take the win at the Suzuka circuit. The German and the Spaniard were the two last winners of the last two Japan GPs. Vettel won last year and Alonso the previous year and they will both try to repeat the victories, having in mind the world title fight.

This time it might be tougher for Vettel to win in Japan, despite the aerodynamic excellence of the Red Bull RB6, as his team-mate Mark Webber will be trying to return to his winning trail and increase his current score of 202 points, which give him pole position in the championship standings.

The biggest challenge for the Red Bulls seems to come from the Ferrari of Alonso that has gathered more points than anyone from the last five races and he says: “This win means a lot to keep in the fight in the championship. We know there are still four races to go but it seems we can be competitive in any track, so thanks to the team. Great job at the factory. Great job at the track as well getting 100 per cent of our potential all the time, so let’s see in the remaining races. Forza Ferrari!

After a slow start, no one thought that Alonso would be now fighting for the title, with only 11 points behind Mark Webber. “Anything can happen in these four races, any of us can win two or three consecutive races and put you in a very good position or you have one or two retirements and you are completely out of it, you are mathematically out of the championship.”

For Alonso the most important thing in Suzuka is “to keep concentration, keep the focus and as I said, the chances for all of us are more or less the same. It will depend on how these four races go, hopefully with no mistakes, with very high concentration from all the team and hopefully we keep the same way and keep momentum in Japan as well.”

As for Vettel he thinks that the Suzuka circuit should suit the team’s RB6, but they will still have to prove it on track. “I think we have a very competitive car this year on all circuits, so we can be confident. Last year was very good and I think we should get a good result again. Ferrari has made a step forward in the last couple of races, so they will be strong and don’t forget McLaren. There are still a lot of drivers fighting for the title and they are very close to each other, it’s tight and a lot of things can still happen,” says the German driver.

Webber will start his challenge in Japan optimistic: “we can do well in Japan and the team did well there last year. The momentum is currently with Ferrari going into the race, as they have had two victories on the bounce, but the points situation is still very open. It’s nice that I have a little buffer, it’s not very big but it’s something I would rather have than not. Suzuka is a track that all the drivers love and I’m looking forward to it. I think we will be very competitive; we need to go there and get the maximum out of what we have.”

In Japan the McLaren will be willing to better their performance to comeback into a more solid title contention. Hamilton will definitely want to finish the race after two retirements at Monza and Singapore.

"I'm 20 points behind Mark, and that's a reasonable gap, but it's not an insurmountable one," Hamilton says. "I guess I'll just have to keep my head down and hope for the best. I'm not going to think specifically about the world championship right now, I'm just going to try to enjoy the rest of the season - and whatever happens, happens. But I'll keep fighting to the end, because it's the only way I know.”

Hamilton promises to give his maximum on track as he knows that he needs a strong result to recover his title hopes.

As for Button he still thinks that it is possible to win the word title this year: “I think the world championship is still completely open: obviously, there’s no room for mistakes, but any of the top five drivers could easily steal the title. It might seem a disadvantage to be behind in the points standings, but, make no mistake, I know I can win this championship. I’m still as determined as ever to keep the number one on my car for 2011.”