Off To Fuji

I'm off to Fuji tomorrow, full of anticipation. This has been a wonderful championship, where most of the races have been great and a minority dull. Last year's Fuji race was very dramatic and had a big influence on the outcome of the championship, as Alonso lost the chance of points with an uncharacteristic crash. A couple of points that day would have made him champion at the end of the season. It just shows you that a split second error at this stage of the season is potentially disastrous, as Ferrari found in Singapore.

This year Lewis Hamilton again has the advantage going into these final races; seven points. But the McLaren team is also working far more effectively than it was at this stage last year and he is benefitting from that. The McLaren, as we have seen, is also a better car in the rain than the Ferrari and that could prove an important factor at Fuji. Against that Felipe Massa is driving with a lot of confidence at the moment and the Ferrari was half  a second quicker than the McLaren in Singapore, indicating that they've made some impressive steps in development. Massa was stronger than Hamilton in Singapore and was unlucky to lose another ten points (to add to those lost in Hungary) with the pit lane disaster. Massa has benefitted from the controversial penalties Hamilton has been handed this year, but there is no doubt that his bad luck has had a greater effect on the outcome. If he loses the title he will point to those two races as the cause and he'll have plenty of justification for that.

Hamilton can afford to finish second to Massa at each of the remaining races and still win the title. He will not look at it that way, but it's a fact and an important one psychologically for both men. Massa knows he needs Raikkonen to feel motivated to help him out (unlikely), while Hamilton knows that he does not have to go for gold and win everywhere (the big mistake in China last year).

I think this is the crucial weekend, because the McLaren should be strong in Fuji and the team will be going for it. If they get 10 points here, they could have a nine point lead with China and Brazil to go. Massa can win both of those races with Raikkonen in second and Hamilton can just cruise through to third and win the title. So Fuji is the key. Ferrari have to be on top of their game this weekend to keep their man in it.

I like Fuji very much. I expected to hate it last year because I'm such a Suzuka fan, but in fact the track has its own quirky charm. The area we stay in is a kind of mountain resort, with Mount Fuji occasionally visible through the mist in the early mornings. The hotels have tiny rooms, you can almost touch the walls on both sides at the same time and there are strange pre-moulded plastic baths, which you sort of sit upright in.

Japan is also the land of the vending machine  - they are everywhere and you can buy the weirdest things from them, including a coffee product which self heats in your hand and a drink called Pocari Sweat, which sounds repulsive, but is actually delicious.

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments