Can Mercedes Bounce back?

Lewis Hamilton has claimed that he has ‘no confidence’ in his Mercedes ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, “I don’t have any information to give me confidence” said Hamilton.

Mercedes went from a half a second quicker at Monza to one and a half seconds slower in Singapore and Hamilton is none the wiser as to why the Mercedes dropped off the pace. Hamilton mused, “I don’t have any information to give me that confidence. I’m hoping it’s a one-off but it was a strange weekend to say the least. Our car has not got slower. I told my engineers I would like some information about what they think it was but there’s not a lot of time before the next race.”

Singapore was the first time this season that a Mercedes had not started on the front row of the grid, with Hamilton in 5th and Rosberg 6th. It was also the first time a Mercedes has not finished on the podium with Hamilton retiring and Rosberg claiming 4th. The long straights and fast corners of Suzuka provide Mercedes with a great chance to bounce back as the circuit should suit their car.

Can Ferrari Dominate once again?

It is too early to suggest the Vettel can apply great pressure on Hamilton in the driver’s championship but a stunning performance from him in Singapore has poured cold water on what was a boiling hot Mercedes team. The superb performance from Ferrari and indeed Red Bull in Singapore had more to do with Mercedes dropping off than other teams overtaking. Changes are required at Mercedes and it is evident that they will need to re-group to win in Japan however; this should not take away form the evidence that Vettel is performing extremely well. He once again demonstrated his superiority to teammate Kimi Raikkonen and went further to show a larger gap than at any other point this season to his Ferrari teammate. Can and will Ferrari dominate again this weekend, I doubt it, the track points to a Mercedes advantage and Hamilton and Rosberg dominated at Suzuka last year however, the demoralising weekend for Mercedes in Singapore will provide Ferrari with hope, as too will their in form four time world champion.

What Next for Jenson Button?

Jenson Button is rumoured to be bringing the curtain down on a wonderful fifteen-year career in Formula One at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend, where he is expected to announce his retirement at the end of the season. Button is under option to McLaren next year and it is doubtful that he will want to wait around whilst they decide his future. There are plenty of opportunities out there for Button who has been rumoured to have interested the new Top Gear show as well as holding talks with Porsche’s LMP1-class WEC team in the past, where former Red Bull driver Mark Webber also ended up after leaving F1. It is nevertheless going to be tough decision for Button to voluntarily give up his seat in F1 when he is still a competitive driver, but the car has no signs of being more competitive next year and this may make Button’s decision to leave the grid easier. It is easy to see the charismatic Button as a pundit next year; his experience and insight would complement any punditry line-up and continue to improve the F1 product.

Manor Emotions

It was in Japan last year that F1 would witness it’s darkest day since the death of Ayrton Senna in Imola, when Jules Bianchi crashed into a recovery vehicle. Bianchi would later pass away as a result of severe head injuries and a year after the accident the sport is still raw and reminded of his death at each race with Jules’ name adorning the Manor at each race since his accident.

“There is no escaping the fact that this will be an extremely emotional week for us,” John Booth, Manor’s team principal, said. “Many of the team members who were with us in 2014 are back with us this year. We were Jules’ team, and with that in mind I would ask everyone to understand and respect that, this weekend, we wish to deal with the experience of returning to Suzuka in a very private way. Our commitments will reflect this. It is my job to provide the team with the right environment in which to be able to do their job in spite of very difficult circumstances.”