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Nico Rosberg has increased his championship lead with a win at the Japanese GP.
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The Formula One championship makes its final stop in the Far East this weekend, with the Japanese Grand Prix comprising Round 17 of 21 in 2016. Join The Roar for a live blog of the race from 4pm AEDT.
Suzuka has been the scene of many classic moments in Formula One, with many titles having been decided at the Japanese circuit.
It has also seen some sad moments too, with the tragic events of the 2014 edition still very much in our minds.
Nevertheless, Suzuka is a unique circuit. Despite being one of the most technical circuits in the world, it is essentially has a ‘figure of eight’ layout.
The 5.8km track will be lapped 53 times come Sunday, with the hard, medium and soft tyres being available for the drivers.
Strategy may once again be a variable in deciding who wins this race.
Mercedes AMG were the team to beat during qualifying. Nico Rosberg has had the upper hand over his teammate Lewis Hamilton all weekend, though in qualifying the margin was much closer.
Pole position has traditionally not been converted into the race win at Suzuka. You only have to look at the past two seasons as an example, where Rosberg was on pole on both occasions, yet it was Hamilton who triumphed in the race.
A fascinating contest should emanate between the two championship rivals. 23 points is the margin now, following Hamilton’s retirement at the previous race.
Does the Briton have the mental strength to bounce back from that episode? Or has Rosberg already got his hand on the winner’s trophy?
Despite qualifying behind Ferrari in fifth and sixth, Red Bull have had positive race pace as expected. This is due to the fact the circuit is better suited to their chassis.
Both Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo will start ahead of the fourth placed Sebastian Vettel however, with the German having to serve his three-place grid penalty from Malaysia.
It was a record-breaking qualifying for the Haas team, with both their cars earning Q3 berths. Will they be able to fend off the likes of the Williams team, Toro Rossos and McLarens, who’ve all qualified behind them?
The forecast isn’t entirely clear either for the race, so could weather play a part in deciding the result of this event?
Join The Roar for a live blog of the race from 4pm AEDT.
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