Suzuka, a track filled with history for McLaren

Martin Whitmarsh, the director of the McLaren team, is delighted to return to Suzuka, a historic track for the Woking team – having notably seen Ayrton Senna win three world championship titles: « Suzuka is a very special circuit, a place where some of the greatest chapters in McLaren’s history have been written over the past 25 years. Of all our successes here, I look back on Jenson’s victory last year with particular fondness and satisfaction. It was a very intense afternoon, and the victory was a great team effort – Jenson drove with the measured aggression we expect from him, and the team’s support was superb.

His 2011 victory was also a very special moment for Jenson Button: « All my Grand Prix victories have been special, but winning at Suzuka in 2011, for the first Grand Prix held in Japan since the terrible tsunami in March, was an achievement that still makes me incredibly proud and leaves a lasting impression. As everyone knows, Japan means a lot to me. It’s a place I adore, I’ve been there so many times – for business or pleasure – and I always feel amazed and moved by this country. »

The 2009 world champion appreciates the Suzuka circuit even though it is more than demanding for the drivers and allows no mistakes: « Suzuka is clearly a circuit that grabs you by the guts. There are no possible compromises; like a street circuit, it doesn’t allow for the slightest mistake, punishing you if you place a wheel in the wrong spot at any point in the circuit. But it’s also very fast – there’s only one line through the esses that determine the first section; the Degner corners are taken blindly, hidden in the dip of the track, and approached over bumps that unsettle the car. Getting the right line at the first Degner corner is a bit like trying to thread a needle while sprinting a 100 meters – difficult! »

Lewis Hamilton is also impressed by Suzuka, as it’s a complicated track that offers a real challenge to F1 drivers: « When I raced here for the first time in 2009, I couldn’t believe that such a place could exist in Formula 1 – it’s really like an old-school circuit. It doesn’t have the politeness or finesse of an ultra-modern circuit – but that’s for the best. It’s incredibly fast as well, and very difficult to master. It’s a ruthless place. »

The 2008 World Champion also appreciates the atmosphere created by the Japanese fans throughout the weekend: « There is also a special atmosphere, which you only find in Japan, for certain reasons. I think it’s due to the fans – they are what makes every visit to a circuit in Japan so special. They are really passionate about Formula 1, but also very polite and very friendly – they make you feel very special every day you come and go from the circuit. »

On the performance side, Martin Whitmarsh believes that the MP4-27 should perform well given the recent results: « Despite Lewis’s retirement in the last race, our performance in Singapore was encouraging for the whole team; it showed that we have a car that can fight for victory on a wide range of tracks, and we are confident that once again, we will be fighting at the front in Japan. »

Even optimistic for Jenson Button, despite his 5-place grid penalty: We are going to Japan with a car that can fight for victory in my opinion – it should be another good weekend for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team.

After his retirement in Singapore, Lewis Hamilton has only one desire, to bounce back to preserve his chances of winning the championship at the end of the year: « As far as the championship is concerned, there’s no point in analyzing the points tally; from now on, it’s time to go all out. Like in Singapore, I’ll go on track to fight, but I hope to achieve a better result this time. »

The McLaren team is also making headlines today with a possible new debate about the flexibility of its front wing. Indeed, according to *Auto Motor und Sport*, Scuderia Ferrari has informed the FIA that the front wings of the McLaren and Red Bull were surprisingly flexible.

The suspect wing is believed to have been introduced in Hungary, and Red Bull allegedly followed suit in Singapore, but in a pre-Japanese weekend conference, Martin Whitmarsh downplayed the situation: « There have been no specific conversations to my knowledge. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened, but I think I would know. I think the regulations require the wings to be rigid. But obviously, no wing, no aerodynamic surface is completely rigid. From time to time, pressures and disputes arise between teams who feel that other teams are too flexible or something else. I don’t see this as a potential problem for McLaren in the short term. As a result, I don’t think it will be something that costs us. »