2022 F1 Japanese GP Preview and Predictions × Follow Us Create Notifications New User posted their first comment this is comment text Link Approve Reject & ban Delete Log in Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Gaming Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout Formula 1 Japanese GP Feature 2022 F1 Japanese GP Preview and Predictions By Charanjot Singh Modified 05 Oct 2022 Follow Us Comment Share A general view of the Suzuka Circuit sign as the sun goes down during previews ahead of the 2016 F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) The 2022 F1 Japanese GP will mark the sport's return to the east Asian nation after the COVID-19 pandemic. The race holds significance as it comes at a pivotal point this season. Lest we forget, it is Honda's home race and the Japanese manufacturer's presence will be quite prominent. Suzuka is famous for being termed one of the best tracks for driving an F1 car and it is one of the favorite tracks for all drivers. How will the weekend then pan out? What are the things to keep an eye on? Find out in our preview and predictions for the 2022 F1 Japanese GP. 2022 F1 Japanese GP Preview Key storylines #1 Max Verstappen s impending championship crowning If you're Max Verstappen, the equation is very simple for you to win the title. You have to win the race with the fastest lap and the championship will be yours. The motivations, however, to win the F1 Japanese GP are available in surplus as the Red Bull driver had a wretched race in Singapore this past Sunday and he left the event with a sour taste. Max Verstappen@Max33VerstappenA messy and frustrating weekend for me that ended in P7 today. This is not where we want to be, but we move on to Japan I’m looking forward to race on the great track in Suzuka, next week Congrats to @SChecoPerez on the win today, a very strong performance 685963268A messy and frustrating weekend for me that ended in P7 today. This is not where we want to be, but we move on to Japan I’m looking forward to race on the great track in Suzuka, next week Congrats to @SChecoPerez on the win today, a very strong performance https://t.co/hK2aTD06hi Additionally, the F1 Japanese GP will be the home race for Honda. If Max Verstappen can seal the title in Honda's home race, there could be no bigger flex than that. Verstappen is heading to the F1 Japanese GP with dominance on his mind and it will be very interesting to see how he executes it. #2 The notorious Japanese weather Rain is forecast to make an appearance on Friday and Sunday. The southeast Asian region has been going through a late-season rain phase which was evident even during the MotoGP race in Motegi just a few weeks ago. For the MotoGP weekend, part of it was run in mixed conditions while the other part saw quite a few delays as well. In Japan, it gets dark very early so the delays could be a concern. The organizers will need to be very careful with how they manage the rain disruptions during the sessions as the early sunset time does give them a very tight window to operate in. #3 The remnants of the Cost-Cap drama FIA in its vintage fashion has kicked the can further to October 10 as the date when the cost cap assessment report will be revealed. While this does calm down the storm, the after-effects of the mudslinging that Red Bull had to endure last week will surely be there this weekend. The cloud of the cost cap report will be hanging over the weekend. It will be very interesting to see how combative Red Bull is during the 2022 F1 Japanese GP should it come to that. Form Guide In Form McLaren has staged an impressive comeback in the last two races as the team snatched P4 in the championship back from Alpine in Singapore. In terms of pace, it's been a toss-up between the two teams at different tracks. What has been impressive about McLaren is its ability to continually extract the maximum possible points from the package at every race. Heading to the 2022 F1 Japanese GP, the Woking-based squad will be hoping to continue on the same trajectory. Out of form Fernando Alonso@alo_oficialSuzuka ???!!! twitter.com/f1/status/1577…Formula 1@F1Round the outside at Suzuka's 130R ?Fernando Alonso pulled off this incredible move on Michael Schumacher back in 2005 ?#JapaneseGP #F1 @alo_oficial10889743Round the outside at Suzuka's 130R ?Fernando Alonso pulled off this incredible move on Michael Schumacher back in 2005 ?#JapaneseGP #F1 @alo_oficial https://t.co/qKfz2MuVLoSuzuka ???!!! twitter.com/f1/status/1577… 3 DNFs in 2 races is a poor reading for a team trying to finish P4 in the championship. Sadly, that has been the state of affairs for Alpine as the team has struggled massively with reliability issues. In terms of car performance, the Enstone-based squad has shown impressive improvements. At the F1 Japanese GP this weekend, the team will be hoping to bring the cars home and make use of the impressive speed that the car has. 2022 F1 Japanese GP Predictions Who wins the race Home race for Honda, an opportunity to seal the 2022 F1 title, and most importantly, seething from a bad result in Singapore. We're picking Max Verstappen to win the F1 Japanese GP this weekend. Surprise of the weekend Team Suzuka is a track that tends to have more tire degradation because of the loads experienced in the first sector (the Senna Esses). While the conditions are expected to be somewhat cooler, this is not a track where a team needs to worry about generating temperatures in its tires. Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team@MercedesAMGF1Singapore Suzuka. It’s been too long since our last trip to Japan. 5648237Singapore Suzuka. It’s been too long since our last trip to Japan. https://t.co/ancxRdv1Xr Mercedes has had its struggles with generating tire temps, conversely, the car has had great tire life. Ferrari, on the other hand, has had no issue in firing up the tires, but when it comes to tire life, there are question marks. For the 2022 F1 Japanese GP, we are backing a Mercedes fightback as we expect the German team to have a strong weekend, and maybe even challenge for the win. Surprise of the weekend Driver Sebastian Vettel loves Suzuka! He's had some spectacular drives at the track and has often talked about how he feels about it. The last time he raced here, he scored pole position and finished on the podium. This time around, he does not have the car to fight for a podium or a pole position. Regardless, expect a strong weekend for the German on the back of a strong race in Singapore. Disappointment of the weekend Team AlphaTauri now finds itself 9th in the standings after Aston Martin leapfrogged the team in Singapore. The 2022 F1 season has not been a good one for the Silverstone-based squad, but the car's fluctuating form from race to race has been interesting. At Monza's high downforce layout, the car was easily a top-10 contender, but in Zandvoort, it struggled too much. The track layout at Suzuka is a mix of low downforce and high downforce segments. The problem for AlphaTauri will be S1 as the car will struggle there extensively. Although this is Honda's home race, expect AlphaTauri to struggle this weekend to get a good result on the board. Disappointment of the weekend Driver Daniel Ricciardo raised a few hopes with an impressive P5 finish in Singapore. The Australian drove very well that weekend but it cannot be denied that he massively benefitted from the safety car timing.Formula 1@F1It was a lightning-quick start from @danielricciardo, who went on to secure a P5 finish #SingaporeGP @awscloud #F1Insights24830991It was a lightning-quick start from @danielricciardo, who went on to secure a P5 finish #SingaporeGP @awscloud #F1Insights https://t.co/skwtp8TuNc At the F1 Japanese GP this weekend, expect the Australian to fall back once again in the pecking order as he struggles to match his teammate. What's your favorite race of the 2022 season so far? Tell us in the comments below.. Poll : 0 votes Quick Links More from Sportskeeda Edited by Anurag C × Feedback Thank You! Be the first one to comment Follow Us Share Show More Comments GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ GIF Comment in moderation 0 0 Reply x Edit Delete Delete the comment? No thanks Delete GIF Cancel Update GIF Cancel Reply ❮ ❯ Be the first one to comment on this story More from Sportskeeda Fetching more content... 1 Manage your profile Editing Story Queue Video Queue Editing Stats Writer Home SEO Redirection Admin Gaming Wiki Edits Taxonomy Home Edit Site Menu Mapping Dashboard Tag Pages Community Social Feed Queue Feed Center Notification Center Affiliate Home Manage Pages Bottom Tagline Dash Timeless Stories Logout No Results Found Get the free App now Manage notifications Popular ‍ Sports (30+) CricketCricket HomeCricket NewsScheduleIND vs SAAUS vs WIENG vs PAKLegends LeagueECC T10County ChampionshipBukhatir LeagueNZ T20 Tri-SeriesWomen's Asia Cup 2022Japan Cricket LeagueWI-W vs NZ-WECT10T20 World Cup FootballFootball HomeNewslettersSK Experts ScheduleEPLNations LeagueLa LigaLigue 1Champions LeagueFIFA WCMLS Bundesliga Serie A WWEWWE HomeNewslettersRumor RoundupRAWSmackDownResultsRosterChampionsWWE Extreme Rules 2022PPV ScheduleAEW EsportsEsports HomeMinecraftOverwatch 2RobloxGenshin ImpactFortniteGTAStreamersFree FirePUBGValorantBGMIPop CultureAnimeGaming TechWiki Guides TennisTennis HomeTennis calendarChina OpenTennis Results TodayATP RankingsWTA RankingsRoger FedererRafael NadalNovak DjokovicSerena Williams MMAMMA HomeUFC NewsONE ChampionshipUFC Fight NightScheduleRankingsResultsUFC Fights TonightONE Championship ResultsONE Championship ScheduleONE Championship Rankings KabaddiKabaddi HomePKL 2022PKL SchedulePKL Points TableKabaddi Rules WikiWiki HomeMinecraft WikiNaruto WikiTikTok WikiYoutube WikiGTA WikiTerraria WikiOne Piece Wiki MoreSportsBasketballIndian FootballNFLMinecraftFormula 1NascarPop CultureCollege FootballHockeyGolfAthleticsBadmintonGymnasticsWrestlingSwimmingTennisShootingBoxingArcheryWinter SportsRobloxSkateboardingKho KhoLifestyle LINKS About Us Write For Us Policies Editorial Standards Journalism Awards Fact Check Affiliate Program Careers CSR Privacy Policy Contact Us Edition: English हिन्दी