Japanese Grand Prix Betting Tips

Has the bookmark been placed for the final time in the tale of the 2016 world championship? With five races to go, Nico Rosberg is now 23 points ahead of a heartbroken Lewis Hamilton after the Brit was let down by his car once again and his team-mate rescued a podium finish.

There is barely any time to deconstruct a fantastic race in Malaysia, as we jet straight off to Japan to the awesome Suzuka circuit for Round 17 this weekend.

Betsafe and Planet F1 have joined forces once again to get you up to speed for what is now a definite must-see race.

Mayhem In Malaysia

“Someone needs to give me some answers because this is not acceptable. We are fighting for the championship and only my engines are failing. It does not sit right with me.” – Lewis Hamilton

The story of Malaysia should have been the renascence of a triple world champion but, after becoming the victim of yet another reliability problem when victory was well in sight, the predominant theme is one of conspiracy. Hamilton’s comments only add fuel to the fire, which is something that he saw himself when his engine exploded with 15 laps remaining.

Hamilton’s latest misfortune ensured that Red Bull would become the only team other than Mercedes to record a one-two finish in the hybrid era, with the ever-consistent Daniel Ricciardo ending a two-year wait for his fourth Grand Prix win. Max Verstappen settled for second, while Rosberg recovered from first-corner drama and a timed penalty to finish third and, more importantly, take a huge step forward in his quest for his first world title.

It was all going so well for Hamilton. He finally found some rhythm in practice and qualifying, and was off to a wonderful start in the suffocating heat when the lights eventually went out.

He also avoided the incident caused by a very aggressive Sebastian Vettel at the first corner. The German attempted to dart down the inside of Verstappen and the two collided as a result, with second-placed Rosberg falling all the way down to last place after being span out in the process.

Vettel had no option but to retire after damaging his front suspension and for the third time this season the Ferrari man has failed to complete the first lap.

With Hamilton out in front, looking to have just enough to see off two incredibly competitive Red Bulls, and Rosberg in recovery mode, the Brit should have claimed maximum points for the first time since Germany before the summer break.

But then came the painful cries of “No! No! No!” as Hamilton’s brand-new engine, and possibly his title challenge, went up in smoke.

The virtual safety car essentially gave the now two leading Red Bulls a free pit stop and after already whetting the appetite by going wheel-to-wheel just before Hamilton retired, we looked set for an epic battle between Ricciardo and Verstappen to the chequered flag.

However it appeared that by some sort of code the drivers were told to hold position, completely understandable when you cast your minds back to Monaco when an atrocious error by the Red Bull team cost Ricciardo victory. He was most certainly owed one.

Rosberg, in his desperation to recoup as many points as possible, received a rather lenient 10-second penalty after he shunted Kimi Raikkonen out of the way to take third. The Finn ultimately did not have the pace at the bitter end to take the place back.

Further down the field, both Force Indias and both McLaren-Hondas secured places in the top 10, while British rookie Jolyon Palmer bagged his first-ever point in his F1 career.

What To Expect In Japan

Everyone will be eager to see what frame of mind Hamilton is in over the course of the weekend. Will he be weighed down by the mountain of reliability problems that has hindered his season or does he use his latest setback as added motivation to bring one last fight to Rosberg? Thankfully we will not have to wait too long to find out.

Ricciardo is rewarding loyal backers of late and his win in Malaysia means he has now been on the podium five times in his last six races. 

That impressive form cannot be disregarded with such a quick turnaround and his confidence will be at an all-time high.

One driver potentially going under the radar is Valtteri Bottas in the Williams. Not taking into account his retirement in Singapore, there has been gradual improvement from the Finn and he looks to be top of the ‘best of the rest’ list heading into Japan.

About Suzuka

One complaint that cannot be levelled at the Suzuka circuit is that it looks like a regular F1 track. This unique figure of eight layout has been a cherished favourite for many drivers over the years and it is not difficult to see why. From the aerial map alone, it just looks like incredible fun.

The 5.8km circuit, which is also home to the iconic Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race, first hosted an F1 Grand Prix in 1987 and has continued to do so ever since bar a couple of years when Fuji was chosen as a rather controversial alternative in 2007 and 2008.

Even though there are 18 corners for the drivers to weave through, the fact that the average lap speed is 220 km/h shows that this circuit is deceptively fast.

After a pretty routine run down to the first couple of corners, the real challenge begins. 

The hardest part of the track to master is Turns Three, Four and Five – also known as the ‘S Corner’ – which will make the drivers feel like they are being thrown around in a washing machine with the quick and drastic change in direction. You have to attack through here or else the lap time will be ruined in a blink of an eye.

As quick as the Suzuka circuit is, the drivers’ patience will also be tested. Turns 13 and 14, referred to as the ‘Spoon Curve’, will feel like an age to conquer compared to the full-throttle run through the final cluster of corners.

There are 53 laps in total, with the quickest on record coming from Raikkonen (1:31.540) 11 years ago on his way to what would be his final victory for McLaren-Mercedes.

Previous winners and track suitability

All eyes will once again be on Hamilton, as he tries to secure a hat-trick of Japanese Grand Prix wins at Suzuka after wins in 2014 and 2015. The Brit was also victorious in Fuji back in 2007 and a fourth career win this year would put him second on the all-time winners’ list alongside Vettel, who had amazing success with here with Red Bull in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013.

The grandmaster of them all, though, is of course…Michael Schumacher. The German had two wins by 1997 but it was at the start of the millennium that he applied a vice-like grip on the race. From 2000 onward, Schumacher would win four of the next five years as the Ferrari domination really took hold.

The Prancing Horse, though, are trailing McLaren who have nine career wins in total – the last coming in 2011.

Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and Raikkonen are the other current drivers on the grid who have also emerged victorious here.

Balance is the key to success at Suzuka. It is imperative that the cars have high-speed stability and are aerodynamically sound as understeer will be the drivers’ biggest enemy this weekend.

About Mark Scott

Mark Scott is a contributor for PlanetF1, the definitive site for Formula One news, features, galleries and live coverage.