One of the best teams at the start of this season, in terms of performance, weekend finishes, and maximizing results, is undoubtedly Mercedes. With the experience and speed of George Russell and the talent of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, hindered by a few small mistakes and some unfortunate circumstances, the German team currently holds second place in the championship, thanks to Ferrari’s struggles and the lack of Red Bull involvement in the championship. The goal for this triple-header weekend is clearly to continue the strong performances from the start of the season and solidify their position at the top of the grid.
The W16 is a stable and consistent platform that gives drivers confidence.
On a technical level, Suzuka is particularly popular among drivers and presents a tough challenge for both the cars and the tires. One of its unique features is the presence of 10 right-hand corners and 8 left-hand corners, which evenly distributes lateral forces across all four tires, balancing tire wear, which is a relevant issue.
The tires are subjected to extremely high levels of energy, as drivers spend only 1.2 km on the flat part of the 5.807 km circuit, with the rest being spent in corners. The first sector is essentially an endless section of corners, starting from turn 1 where drivers come off the start/finish straight – the only part where DRS will be possible – and don’t need to use the brakes, but must enter the corner at high speed and then follow the trend of the track up to turn 7, with the steering wheel constantly in motion.
At Suzuka, you can find one of the fastest corners in the championship, the legendary 130R, which is taken at a speed of 295 km/h, and one of the slowest, turn 11, which is taken at a speed of around 60 km/h. The latter is particularly challenging because drivers find themselves setting up for the corner and braking while being busy passing through the high-speed turn 10, enduring forces of 3.5 G. As a result, it’s common to see a few lock-ups in this area.
Suzuka is a track that is part of Mercedes’ history, as the German team won their sixth consecutive championship title here in 2019. The Silver Arrows won six times in a row at this circuit during their dominance era from 2014 to 2019. Mercedes’ team principal reflects on the weekend ahead, looking back at their results so far.
“We want to build on this solid start to the season and continue that momentum into the upcoming triple-header weekend,” said Wolff ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Speaking about the performance of his drivers, the Austrian expressed confidence and pride in what the young, talented drivers have achieved so far.
“This will be Kimi’s first time at this track, and he’s looking forward to this new challenge. So far, he’s managed everything that has come his way excellently, and we’re looking forward to seeing his continued progress. George has had the best start to the season of his career. He’s giving his best with maturity, consistency, and speed. He’s driving exactly how we would expect from a senior Mercedes driver. I’m sure he’ll continue with this approach this weekend.”
The Honda-owned circuit represents an important aerodynamic test for the teams. Historically, it’s considered a track that helps assess the quality of the cars and provides a clearer ranking of the teams.
“Suzuka is a real test for the drivers and the cars,” he explains. “The W16 has been a stable and consistent platform that gives the drivers confidence so far. We had strong performances in Australia and China, and this has been our best start since 2021,” he noted.
