"We are the first to admit that
Honda have had a tough season this year, however we approach the final races of the season with continued motivation and will not stop pushing to take the maximum possible performance from the RA107 car to help us move forward next year. Of course, Rubens and I will also be keen to put in a good performance for the thousands of Honda fans who will be cheering us on from the stands."
Veteran team-mate
Rubens Barrichello is among those lamenting the loss of Suzuka, but the Brazilian is looking forward to the support of the Japanese fans this weekend.
"The Japanese Grand Prix has always been a favourite of mine and the Suzuka circuit holds some very special memories as I won there from pole position in 2003," he reflects, "My experience last year driving with Honda for the first time was fantastic. The fans are so enthusiastic and really supported us throughout the weekend.
"I last raced at Fuji back in 1991 in F3, but the circuit has been totally modernised since those days. It will be very exciting to race on the new layout and I am sure that
the organisers will have done an excellent job with improving the existing circuit. Our car and performance this year has not been at the level we hoped for at the beginning of the season, however a lot of hard work is still going on back at the factory to improve our situation. We will all keep working very hard right to the end of the season."
BMW Sauber – Nick Heidfeld (#9), Robert Kubica (#10):
Although BMW Sauber is still trying to find a way to topple McLaren and
Ferrari from the top step of the podium, it is unlikely that the breakthrough will come at any of the three season-ending 'flyaways'.
Unless there is a remarkable twist of fate, Nick Heidfeld and Robert Kubica are set to continue to follow the pacesetters as BMW has now switched its attention to the 2008 season. It is already clear that the team will end its second year as the third strongest team - despite being all but handed second in the constructors' table by
McLaren's exclusion - and the focus will be on getting Heidfeld and Kubica through to the end of the season without any major advances to the
F1.07.
"We are basically ahead of our development," Mario Theissen explains, "Since the season has been going so well, we have already been able to fully concentrate on the new car for the next year. The last step to the absolute top is definitely the most difficult one - Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes are hard nuts to crack."
Although a fan of Suzuka, Heidfeld admits that he is excited to be tackling another new venue this weekend.
"I've never been to Fuji and am always pleased to see a new circuit appear on the calendar," he comments, "A new circuit presents the drivers and engineers with some interesting challenges, and - even in our ever-changing sport - provides an extra dose of variety, as all of us first have to find our bearings in the new surroundings.
"Suzuka is my favourite race track, so I'm pleased that the two circuits will take turns in hosting the GP from 2009, [but] I'm really looking forward to driving the Fuji circuit, and I hope I'll get to see Mount Fuji at least once. I heard that some people have been there any number of times, but the peak has been hidden in a cloud every time."
Like Heidfeld, team-mate Kubica has never driven at Fuji, but still travels to the Japanese Grand Prix full of confidence, having been a fan of the
Pole Position video game as a child.
"I think our car this year is behaving similar in all kinds of tracks," he says, "It is not like last year, when we were better in low downforce tracks. This year, it is more consistent, so I think we can achieve what we are achieving everywhere. I am looking forward to the race, but I don't know the Fuji track as a driver I know it only a bit from games when I was younger, but I think it has changed a bit."
Toyota – Ralf Schumacher (#11), Jarno Trulli (#12):
Panasonic Toyota Racing is really heading for 'home ground' this weekend as the Japanese Grand Prix returns to the site of its first world championship race back in 1976.
The Fuji circuit has undergone a complete revamp in recent years, and is now one of the most advanced in the world, having been bought and subsidised by
Toyota, and Ralf Schumacher and Jarno Trulli will both have an updated TF107 - with aerodynamic and suspension upgrades - for this weekend's return. With plenty of enthusiastic Toyota fans expected among another capacity crowd, the whole team is highly motivated to better the sixth place its drivers have achieved this season.
"This is Toyota's home race, so our target clearly has to be to score points," claims senior general manager Pascal Vasselon, "We will have our last major upgrade of the season for the Japanese Grand Prix, with quite a lot of new aerodynamic parts, and I am confident we can achieve this."
Both Schumacher and Trulli have previous experience of Fuji in various guises, with the Italian among the few to have tried the revamped version.
"I drove on the circuit in 2005, just after it was completed, but I only did a few laps as a demonstration and the track was very dusty," he recalls, "It is an interesting circuit to drive and the facilities have been completely rebuilt, so they are great. It's hard to say too much about the track because it is new for all the teams but looking at the first corner, it is at the end of the long straight and quite wide so that should be a good overtaking opportunity. I am expecting a really special atmosphere for our home race and I hope we can deliver a good result."
Schumacher's memories go back a little further, and the German is looking forward to returning - despite the pressure to perform.
"I remember the old Fuji circuit from my time racing in Formula Nippon and I always enjoyed racing there," he reflects, "One of the most impressive things about Fuji Speedway is the location, with Mount Fuji in the background. The track itself is also very impressive, especially now the facilities have been improved. It is now one of the most modern in F1, but they have kept a lot of the character of the old track, with the very long main straight. Personally, it is great to be going to a different circuit, even if I loved racing at Suzuka, and I am looking forward to the challenge."
