Oh crap. Please, please, please can we not have a repeat of Phanfone 2014. Hopefully this is all gone well ahead of Sunday’s race - I can live with no Practice on Saturday and Qualifying on Sunday.
I am hoping that they have learnt their lesson, They broke so many rules in 2014, and honestly the sport can not handle another serious injury/death.
what happend in 2014?
A typhoon also hit the circuit during the 2014 event, with Typhoon Phanfone disrupting proceedings. That race went ahead despite heavy rain, with the event marred by the crash that befell Jules Bianchi in the dwindling light. Bianchi suffered critical head injuries and never regained consciousness – he passed away in hospital nine months later.
thanks I do remember reading about the crash
The sad thing was the accident before that, wasnt so bad. But the moment Jules slid off at the same point it was like it went in slow motion. He never stood a chance
Okay, that’s pretty damn cool. The detail on these cars is really quite phenomenal.
I love the team vibe of the “new” McLaren. They were super serious in the Ron Dennis days. Now they’ve become the fun team instead of the humdrum team. 
I agree, it helps that they have a clever marketing team who is making the team feel human and approachable.
And they struck gold with Lando - he is the perfect guy to bridge the gap between the old and new - he impresses the old on track and the new with his attitude and social media
And don’t forget the pubes…
2019 Japanese Grand Prix Preview
The “Just the Facts, Jack” Edition
Due to the unforeseen disruption of my plan to do this after dinner last night, and with little time before the race weekend starts (it’s already Thursday evening in the Land of the Rising Sun) we’re going to have to make do with a Just the Facts version of the Preview Report, cobbled together on my phone between hospital waiting rooms, highway traffic jams, and varsity parking lots.
スーパーフォーミュラ1レーシングファンの皆さん、こんにちは！ 日本での第35回F1グランプリの鈴鹿へようこそ。
Sūpāfōmyura 1 rēshingufan no minasan, kon’nichiwa! Nihon de no dai 35-kai F1 guranpuri no Suzuka e yōkoso.
Hello super Formula 1 racing fans! Welcome to Suzuka for the 35th running of the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Japan.
The Race
Historically, Japan has been one of the last races of the season, and as such the Japanese Grand Prix has been the venue for many title-deciding races, with 13 World Champions being crowned there over the 34 World Championship Japanese Grands Prix that have been hosted.
This year, while Lewis Hamilton cannot mathematically claim the drivers title in Japan (although he probably will cement his grasp on it some more), his Mercedes team can (and again, probably will) be crowned 2019 F1 Constructors Champions for a remarkable sixth straight year.
The Circuit
From the thrilling 5 turn “S-Curves” complex, to the iconic and never-ending Spoon Curve, and the unique cross-over figure 8 layout, the Suzuka Kokusai Rēsing Kōsu is a truly legendary old-school racing circuit.
The Suzuka International Racing Course is located in Ino, Suzuka City, in the Mie Prefecture of Japan. The circuit is operated by Mobilityland Corporation, a subsidiary of the Honda Motor Company. It has capacity for 155,000 of the most passionate motorsport loving fans anywhere in the world, most of whom would love nothing more than to see their beloved Honda triumph on home soil.
Originally Designed as a Honda test track in 1962 by John “Hans” Hugenholtz, Suzuka is one of few circuits in the world to have a “figure eight” layout, with the 1.2 km back straight passing over the front section by means of an overpass.
Suzuka, openly touted by F1 drivers and fans as one of the most enjoyed, is also one of the oldest remaining tracks of the Formula One World Championship, and so has a long history of races as venue of the Japanese Grand Prix since 1987.
Here’s Pierre Gasly’s Guide to the Suzuka Circuit:
The Tyres
Suzuka is one of the most popular circuits on the calendar thanks to its well-known corners, some of them quite extreme, that provide big emotions for both drivers and fans. To cope with these incredible loads, Pirelli has nominated the hardest combination of tyres in its range: C1 as the White hard compound, C2 as the Yellow medium, and C3 as the Red soft.
- The compound nominated this year are a step harder than the medium, soft and supersoft tyres that were chosen last year. This should enable drivers to push to the maximum during every stint, rather than resort to pace management to make a one-stopper work.
- Lateral demands are the defining characteristic of Suzuka (rather than longitudinal forces) thanks to long and fast corners such as 130R and Spoon. There is a distinct flow to the track that is all about carrying momentum: the braking demands, for example, are relatively low.
- The asphalt at Suzuka is among the roughest and most abrasive of the year, which increases tyre wear and degradation.
- Last year the race was won by Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton with one stop, going from soft to medium. The same strategy was adopted by his team made Valtteri Bottas in second, while third-placed Max Verstappen went from supersoft to soft.
- Suzuka is well-known for its variable weather, with typhoons possible at this time of year. Overnight rain often has the effect of ‘resetting’ the track by washing away any rubber laid down: last year quite a lot of track evolution was noted.
- By coincidence, Suzuka is extremely similar to Sochi in terms of overall lap length and time, but the nature and character of the two tracks is very different.
The Weather
As already mentioned in the thread, the big worry on the weather front for this weekend is the forecasted arrival of Typhoon Hagibis which is scheduled to make landfall in the south of the island nation on Saturday and travel northwards across the entirety of the main island.
The fastest sustained winds of the storm, as estimated by satellites, are in excess of 255 kilometers per hour, equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane, and give Hagibis the rather oxymoronic title of “Super Typhoon”. And while it is expected to weaken significantly by the weekend, Japan and Tokyo are still bracing for the worst.
Rugby World Cup organizers have announced cancellations of matches scheduled in high risk areas, and F1 race organizers are preparing for the possibility of no running taking place at all on Saturday, and having the Qualifying session moved to Sunday morning.
Whatever happens, let’s hope sanity prevails over profits and broadcast revenues, and that all concerned put safety ahead of everything else.
On the positive side, things do look nice for some racing on Sunday, and if the drivers go into race mode on a green circuit with little practice time on circuit, the race could be quite spicy.
The Schedule
The Nipponese might be a super intelligent, technologically advanced nation, but they’ve got a really kak time zone for SA race fans. If things are run to schedule, here’s what your early mornings for the weekend look like:
If changes or delays happen they will most likely happen in the wee small hours of Sunday morning. Insomniacs rejoice!
That’s all I’ve got right now folks. If things settled down a little I’ll be back to tidy this up and maybe add a little more, but it should be enough to tide you over until next time.
Until then, Yoi rēsu to sayōnara!
thanks GregRedd highlight of a race weekend 
I lol’d, yawn time to get up early again.