Formula One news

'Suzuka is the best track in the world'

Sebastian Vettel is thoroughly looking forward to the Japanese Grand Prix and his first Formula One visit as a race driver to the magnificent Suzuka circuit this weekend. The German still stands a chance of clinching this year's title but must finish in the top three in order to keep his championship hopes alive.

Vettel tackles a wet Fuji circuit for Toro Rosso in 2007

Vettel's two Japanese Grands Prix to date have been at Fuji, with a memorable moment coming in 2007 when, in a podium position for Toro Rosso, the new driver took out current team-mate Mark Webber under Safety Car conditions, much to the disgust of the Australian.

"Suzuka is the best track in the world," Vettel said. "I drove the two hours of Friday free practice here at the 2006 Japanese Grand Prix. The first hour was wet, which was pretty scary as I didn't know where the track went! I'm looking forward to racing there as it's one of the most challenging circuits with a lot of high-speed corners."

The 2005 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka is engraved in history as a classic of all-time

Team-mate Webber, on the other hand, has the privilege of being able to say he was part of the superb 2005 race in which current Ferrari team-mates Kimi Räikkönen and Giancarlo Fisichella (then at McLaren and Renault respectively) battled for the lead on the final lap.

"Fourth is my best result here, for Williams in 2005, the penultimate time we raced at Suzuka," Webber commented. "It was a bit of a classic with Räikkönen and Alonso coming through from the back…Kimi took the lead on the last lap and I had a good battle with Fernando in the middle of the race. It's a sensational circuit and I've even got good memories of watching the 8 Hour motorcycle race on TV, as a lot of Australians ride in that race."

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