Red Bull Racing – David Coulthard (#14), Mark Webber (#15):
Buoyed by a successful final test of 2007 at
Jerez, Red Bull Racing heads to Fuji hoping to add to the points secured by Mark Webber in Belgium as it continues to battle for position in the crowded midfield of the constructors' championship.
Although it may benefit slightly from its partnership with
Renault after the
regie ran briefly at the revamped Japanese circuit in 2006, engine guru Fabrice Lom insists that the weekend is still going to be something of a step into the unknown.
"It is always interesting to learn new circuits and tackle new challenges," the Frenchman claims, "Suzuka may be a legendary circuit, but I must confess that, on a personal level, I never particularly enjoyed the surrounding area. So, for me at least, it will fun to see what Fuji is like.
"The rules of [the] partnership [between RBR and Renault] are very clear - it is only an engine partnership. The only information from Renault
F1 Team that is shared with Red Bull Racing concerns the engine itself. Of course, we can provide advice and our opinions from what we saw during last year's Roadshow at Fuji, but we cannot give any kind of information about parameters such as downforce levels for example... And we respect that agreement absolutely."
Despite the secrecy about potential set-ups, however, Lom is confident that the RS27 will not be a weak link when competition resumes in Japan.
"We know how [the engine] should behave and, especially coming after Monza and Spa, we are not concerned that Fuji will be hard on the engines," he continues, "There is a very long straight of around 1.5km, but it is preceded by a slow corner and the longest period spent at full throttle is under 20 seconds – compared to 25 seconds in Spa. The predicted percentage of the lap at full throttle is around 50 per cent, which is also below the annual average.
"That means we have no particular worries about engine reliability, particularly because the track lies around 500m above sea level, which makes life easier for the V8. The engine develops less power, the loads on the pistons are reduced, but that doesn't mean we won't be paying our usual attention to reliability."
Which just leaves the transmission and hydraulics for RBR to worry about.....
Williams – Nico Rosberg (#16), Alex Wurz (#17):
Promoted to fourth in the constructors’ championship with just three races remaining, following
McLaren's controversial exclusion, Williams will be looking to extend its lead over those behind and close the gap to Renault in search of a top three finish as it races in front of its engine partner's home crowd this weekend.
Ironically, the Grove-based team is the better bet for a good result for
Toyota, with Nico Rosberg enjoying a decent run of form that has taken him above team-mate Alex Wurz in the top ten of the drivers' championship. The German is looking forward to continuing that trend on a circuit that, on Friday at least, will be largely unfamiliar to everyone.
"I am looking forward to racing at Fuji Speedway," Rosberg admits, "It's an unknown track, but I am confident we can do well and continue our form of the last few races.
