McLaren-Honda ready for their home race

Suzuka is owned by the Honda Motor Company. It was built in 1962 and its unique figure-of-eight layout came from the pen of renowned designer, Dutchman John Hugenholtz. The track is narrow and the layout is fast and flowing, making it one of the most revered challenges on the Formula 1 calendar.

The best drivers and cars usually excel at Suzuka because it’s a very unforgiving racetrack. It’s undulating and bumpy, and to be fast a driver needs to demonstrate commitment and great precision. Even the smallest of mistakes can be punished severely when the average lap speed is in excess of 230kph (143mph).

There’s a predominance of fast corners all around the lap, but no section is more challenging or exciting than the sequence of fast corners in Sector One known as the Esses. All five of these bends is inter-linked and all are taken at a minimum speed of 130mph/210kph. In fact, only one corner around the 5.807km/3.608-mile lap is taken at less than 100kph (62mph).

The high cornering forces place a lot of stress on the tyres, which is why Pirelli are taking their two hardest compounds to the race: the Medium (Option) and the Hard (Prime). This combination has already been used on three occasions this year, most recently at the British Grand Prix, and it should throw up some interesting strategic options during the race.

McLaren has enjoyed many successes at the Japanese Grand Prix. The team has won the race on nine occasions, with two of those wins being achieved with Honda power. The team’s most recent victory came in 2011, with Jenson Button.

Fernando Alonso: Our pace was more encouraging in Singapore, but I think it will be harder for us at Suzuka due to the characteristics of the track. Of course we’ll do everything we can to maximise our performance at what is a fantastic racetrack and Honda’s home grand prix.”

Jenson Button: In many ways the Japanese Grand Prix is like another home race for me. I love the country and its people, and Suzuka is one of the most demanding tracks in F1. The corners are fast and flowing and a qualifying lap around here feels like nowhere else.”