After a thrilling and unpredictable Singapore Grand Prix, Formula 1 heads north to Japan and the Suzuka Circuit this weekend.
Max Verstappen is once again looking to wrap up the Drivers' Championship, and on a track that should suit Red Bull better than last week, he could be the man to beat on Sunday.
Race preview
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A lot of noise this week has been surrounding the alleged spending cap breach by Red Bull and Aston Martin, although the FIA will not publish their findings until next week.
In terms of discussions purely on the track, Max Verstappen is closing in on the Drivers' Championship; only Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc can prevent Verstappen winning his second world title.
The pathway is a lot clearer than last week, as victory at Suzuka will see Verstappen be crowned champion if Leclerc finishes lower than second. If Verstappen also claims the fastest lap along with a race win then he will win the Drivers' Championship irrespective of anything Leclerc or Perez do.
There are a whole host of other permutations surrounding the race if Verstappen were to finish lower down, but essentially he needs to outscore Leclerc by eight points and Perez by six points.
As for the rest of the pack, McLaren will be buoyed by their superb P4 and P5 finish in Singapore and they go into this race ahead of rivals Alpine; the lack of hard braking zones should help McLaren here.
Mercedes are currently on an unbeaten run at Suzuka since 2014, and the nature of this track will be seen as favourable for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell – the latter wanting to bounce back after his worst race of the season last time out in Singapore.
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Aston Martin had a double points finish last week, with Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel bringing in 12 points, and their high downforce wing could help them again here to score an impressive points tally.
The likes of Alpine, Williams, AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo will be looking to improve from Singapore, with Alpine looking the most likely due to their car being more adept in the higher downforce required.
Haas were the 'nearly' team of last week, but you can expect them to be in contention for points here as they are usually more comfortable in the midfield on a higher downforce and high speed track.
Pirelli have also announced that the C1, C2 and C3 compounds will be the tyres available this weekend, but with intermittent rain expected, the intermediate and full wet tyres will also be on standby.
The C1, C2 and C3 compounds are the hardest tyres in the range and it is understandable as Suzuka is a circuit that takes a lot of energy and wear from the tyres. Teams can expect a two-stop race here, potentially three depending on their strategy.
Finally, the weather looks somewhat unpredictable for this weekend, with a wet Friday practice, a dry and cloudy qualifying session followed by a race day where sunshine and showers are predicted.
Track Guide
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The Suzuka Circuit is one of the most popular tracks in Formula 1, where drivers can expect to be at full throttle for 66% of a lap.
Unlike last weekend's race in Singapore, there will be more opportunities to overtake here and greater tyre degradation due to the nature of the corners.
Featuring 18 turns of varying speed and difficulty, Suzuka is seen as one of the most testing of a driver's skill.
Suzuka is a high-speed track, where teams will need to run a higher downforce to get the optimum performance from their cars. The finer final percentages comes down to the skill of the drivers, and who has the most confidence to push their cars to the limits in the higher speed corners.
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Drivers are not long into a lap when they are met with the S Curves; a series of three turns where tyre grip is crucial. If tyres are not heated to optimum temperature, this trio of sweeping turns can catch a driver out early in the Grand Prix.
The track also features the infamous Casio Chicance coming out of Turn 16, where numerous incidents have taken place over the years.
Where Suzuka really shines is in its balance, as long straights, slow corners and fast chicanes make for an exciting race that will benefit each team at various points of a lap.
However, it is a track where qualifying on pole position counts for so much, as in 26 of the 31 races held here, the winner has come from the front row.
Of the current crop of Formula 1 drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have five and four wins respectively on this track, and on a track where tyre degradation is high, their experience could count for a lot here.
Driver Standings
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 341
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 237
3. Sergio Perez (Red Bull) - 235
4. George Russell (Mercedes) - 203
5. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 202
6. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) - 170
7. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 100
8. Esteban Ocon (Alpine) - 66
9. Fernando Alonso (Alpine) - 59
10. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) - 46
11. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) - 29
12. Sebastian Vettel (Aston Martin) - 24
13. Pierre Gasly (AlphaTauri) - 23
14. Kevin Magnussen (Haas) - 22
15. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) - 13
16. Mick Schumacher (Haas) - 12
17. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) - 11
18. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo) - 6
19. Alexander Albon (Williams) - 4
20. Nyck De Vries (Williams) - 2
21. Nicholas Latifi (Williams) - 0
22. Nico Hulkenberg (Aston Martin) - 0
Constructor Standings
1. Red Bull - 576
2. Ferrari - 439
3. Mercedes - 373
4. McLaren - 129
5. Alpine - 125
6. Alfa Romeo - 52
7. Aston Martin - 37
8. Haas - 34
9. AlphaTauri - 34
10. Williams - 6
We say: Max Verstappen to win
The higher speeds in the corners and straights will undoubtedly favour Red Bull here, and after Perez's recent performances he could be used as a wingman to keep Charles Leclerc away from Verstappen.
Showers around the race could throw a spanner in the works, and while you cannot rule out Mercedes, all the signs point towards the Dutchman taking the chequered flag on Sunday.
