• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Japanese Grand Prix Preview

Oct 7, 2008 - 11:03 PM

October 12, 2008
Fuji Speedway
Oyama, Japan

Race 15 of 17 in Grand Prix Series

Laps: 67
Track length: 2.835 miles
Race length: 190 miles


DRIVERS TO WATCH
----------------

Fernando Alonso (Spain)
Team: Renault
2008 Points: 38 (7th)

Two-time champion has struggled in return to Renault, but won at
Singapore; had just three top fives all season - fourth places 
at the season opener at Australia, Hungary and Italy prior to 
win; retired in Spain and Canada and has a pair of sixth and 
eighth place finishes; had a tumultuous 2007 season with McLaren, 
but still managed to finish third overall; had the same points 
as teammate Lewis Hamilton, but lost the tiebreaker for second 
place; won four times last season, but relationship with team 
and Hamilton deteriorated after Ferrari spy scandal affair and 
returned to Renault for 2008 season; won consecutive titles in 
2005-06 with Renault; won six races in 2006 and seven in 2005;
retired from this race last season.


Lewis Hamilton (Britain)
Team: McLaren
2008 Points: 84 (1st)

Ran third at Singapore and leads Felipe Massa by seven points 
atop the standings; finished second at the Grand Prix of Europe
and won the British and German Grands Prix; was involved in a 
pit road incident with Kimi Raikkonen and retired from the 
Canadian Grand Prix; opened the season with a dominant win at 
Australia then ran fifth at Malaysia and 13th in Bahrain; 
bounced back to finish second at Turkey; had a stunning rookie 
season, scoring podiums in his first nine races; won four times 
and captured six poles to outperform more heralded former 
teammate Fernando Alonso; was the favorite to win the 
championship last year until errors in final two rounds dropped 
him to second place behind Raikkonen; retired from the race at 
China to give his teammate and Raikkonen the chance to steal the 
crown; won at Japan to open a 12-point lead over Alonso with 
two races left; made history at Canada where he became the first 
black driver to win a Formula One race; followed that victory 
in Canada by winning the United States Grand Prix; won this race
last season. 


Nick Heidfeld (Germany)
Team: BMW Sauber
2008 Points: 56 (5th)

Ran second to teammate Robert Kubica at Canada; finished 5.4 
seconds behind Hamilton to claim second at Australia and was 
runner-up to Hamilton in Britain; was sixth at Malaysia, fourth 
in Bahrain and Germany, and fifth in Turkey; finished sixth at 
Singapore and remained fifth in the standings; was the best of 
the rest behind the Ferrari and McLaren drivers last year after 
an impressively consistent season for BMW, finishing fifth 
overall; did not win last season as best race of the season was 
at Canada where he finished second; had consecutive fourth-place 
finishes at Italy and Turkey and was third in Hungary; opened 
the year with three consecutive fourth place finishes at 
Australia, Malaysia and Bahrain; forced to retire at Spain and 
the United States Grand Prix; has nine top-five finishes in 17 
starts last year; finished 14th here last year.


Robert Kubica (Poland)
Team: BMW Sauber
2008 Points: 64 (3rd)

Won his first race at Canada and took over the top spot in the
standings; win at Canada was made more impressive after he was 
injured in a scary crash at the same track a year ago; followed
win by running fifth in France; finished 11th at Singapore and 
currently sits third in the standings, 20 points behind Lewis
Hamilton; finished sixth overall last year in his first full 
Formula One season; opened the season by retiring at Australia, 
but has finished in the top five in every race since, except 
Singapore; ran second at both Malaysia and Monaco; was third at 
Bahrain and fourth at both Spain and Turkey; ran seventh here
last year.


Felipe Massa (Brazil)
Team: Ferrari
2008 Points: 77 (2nd)

Picked up his fourth win of the season at the Grand Prix of 
Europe then ran sixth at Italy to move within a point of leader 
Lewis Hamilton; followed that up with a pit road mishap at
Singapore and finished 13th to fall seven points back; rebounded 
from an awful start to the season by winning at Bahrain and 
Turkey; completed only 29 laps before retiring at Australia with 
engine issues; also retired at Malaysia by spinning out early; 
posted three wins and six poles last season, but reliability 
issues and a disqualification in Canada put him out of title 
contention and he wound up fourth; contract with Ferrari runs 
until 2010; retired from the Italian Grand Prix with suspension 
problems, dropping to fourth place in the standings; last year 
bounced back from a 13th-place finish at Hungary by winning in 
Turkey; had 11 top five finishes in 17 starts last season; ran
sixth here last year.


Kimi Raikkonen (Finland)
Team: Ferrari
2008 Points: 57 (4th)

Retired from the Grand Prix of Europe with engine issues and ran
ninth at Italy, falling to fourth in the standings; remained 
there after running 15th at Singapore; retired at Canada after a 
pit road incident with Lewis Hamilton then finished second at 
France, fourth in Great Britain and sixth at Germany; opened 
defense of his title by running eighth at Australia, completing 
just 53 laps before having engine problems; bounced back to win 
at Malaysia, ran second at Bahrain and third in Turkey; won 
first appearance for Ferrari in Australia last season then went 
on to win five more times; biggest win came at the season-ending 
event at Brazil, which gave him his first drivers title by a 
single point over Hamilton; trailed Hamilton by seven points 
entering final race; had 14 top-five finishes in 17 starts last 
season; joined Ferrari after spending five years with McLaren 
where he went winless in 2006; ran third here last season.


2007 Top 10
-----------
 1. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, McLaren-Mercedes 
 2. Heikki Kovalainen, Finland, Renault 
 3. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Ferrari 
 4. David Coulthard, Great Britain, Red Bull-Renault 
 5. Giancarlo Fisichella, Italy, Renault    
 6. Felipe Massa, Brazil, Ferrari  
 7. Robert Kubica, Poland, BMW  
 8. Adrian Sutil, Germany, Spyker-Ferrari  
 9. Vitantonio Liuzzi, Italy, STR-Ferrari    
10. Rubens Barrichello, Brazil, Honda  

Past Champions 
-------------- 
2007 Lewis Hamilton, McLaren-Mercedes
2006 Fernando Alonso, Renault
2005 Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren 
2004 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari 
2003 Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari 
2002 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari 
2001 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari 
2000 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari 
1999 Mika Hakkinen, McLaren-Mercedes 
1998 Mika Hakkinen, McLaren-Mercedes 
1997 Michael Schumacher, Ferrari 
1996 Damon Hill, Williams 
1995 Michael Schumacher, Benetton 
1994 Damon Hill, Williams 
1993 Ayrton Senna, McLaren 
1992 Riccardo Patrese, Williams 
1991 Nelson Piquet, Benetton 
1990 Alessandro Nannini, Benetton 
1989 Ayrton Senna, McLaren 
1988 Gerhard Berger, Ferrari