Alex Wurz:
"I very much like going to oversees races and particularly to Japan because I love the culture there. This time, though, it will be a bit of an unknown trip for me, not because we’re going to a new track, but because my wife Julia is expecting our third son and he’s scheduled to arrive in the days between Japan and China. Naturally then, I’m leaving home with a bit of an uncomfortable feeling.
As for the circuit, I always like driving new tracks and usually manage to learn them quite quickly. Fuji Speedway will certainly be a challenge when it comes to set-up and aero settings because the long fast straight, combined with the slow speed last sector, demands a big compromise. From a Championship perspective, we will have to wait and see where we stand in comparison to the others, but I hope to be able to snatch some points."

Sam Michael Technical Director:
"Fuji is effectively a new circuit for Formula One as the circuit layout we will race on next weekend is quite different to what was used last time F1 raced there 30 years ago. The old track layout prompted higher speeds and had only three or four corners between the long straights. The new layout mainly consists of slow speed corners and has a lot of changes of direction. The one very long straight could influence the amount of rear wing that we run here. As it’s a new layout, I’m sure there will be some changes needed after Friday’s practice sessions. The only thing that hasn’t changed is Mount Fuji itself which still provides a spectacular backdrop.

Weather forecasts predict rain for most of the weekend. This can obviously always change, but we will expect it regardless. Fuji also has high altitudes; it’s approximately 570m above sea level, which is close to that in Brazil. This causes a loss of downforce, drag and engine power because the air is not as dense."

Fuji Speedway, Japan:
The Fuji Speedway is a relative unknown, with any available data the result of intensive simulation work carried out by the teams in the comfort of their factories. Drivers will therefore spend around three laps of Friday’s first practice session experimenting with braking distances and cornering speeds in order to identify the most efficient racing lines around the 4.563km lap.

33% of every one of those laps is dominated by the start / finish stretch. Measuring 1.5km in length, it’s the longest straight driven all season, one on which drivers will reach top speeds of 315km/h and spend almost 20 full seconds on the throttle. The end of the straight is then met by a hairpin at turn one, followed by a series of six left and ten right-hand low speed winding loops and gradient changes before the drivers journey back onto the start/finish straight.

Set-up direction will ultimately be dictated by Fuji’s long straight. In theory, therefore, a high downforce configuration, to carry speed and assist overtaking, coupled with strong brakes and a balanced ride through the winding corners, will be the optimum operating level for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at the Fuji Speedway.