Although classified in 15th place, the race would be tough for Sato who had hoped to make the most of the support of a partisan crowd to take his third points finish of the season. He will now aim to strengthen Super Aguri’s championship position this weekend instead.
“It was so sad that I couldn't take up a great opportunity in the wet race, especially in front of my home crowd,” he said. "I really hope we can have a positive weekend in China but I want to say a big thank you to the fans at Fuji. They came in the early morning, got completely soaked but it was still amazing support."
For Davidson, the Fuji result came after he has battled hard to stay out of trouble but he will now hope to make amends and turn his fortunes around in China as he seeks to try and break in to the top ten – and the points – for the first time.
“I was pleased to make it through without any mistakes, but unfortunately at the end I retired due to a throttle sensor failure, which put me out of the race,” he said post-Japan. “It is disappointing after doing a good solid job, but I am looking forward to China where we can hopefully rectify the situation.”
TYRES:
Formula One makes its fourth visit to Shanghai International Circuit this weekend, and the 5.45km layout, complete with its diverse mix of corners and long straights will test Bridgestone’s hard and medium compound Potenza tyres to the full - whatever the weather.
The configuration means that a compromise aero set-up is required, with sufficient downforce for the turns, but not too much to compromise speed down the straights, with heavy braking, extreme lateral loads and high demands on traction to take into account as well. Finding the correct balance between grip and wear will be crucial for a winning performance, with turns two and seven likely to induce tyre graining, whilst the high lateral G-force generated through the sequence of turns seven and eight will place strong demands on the tyres’ construction and heat durability.
