Paul Hembery: “After what has been a devastating year for Japan, we are very pleased to be showing our support for the country and coming to the Japanese Grand Prix, on a circuit that all the drivers love. Suzuka is all about putting power down effectively in order to obtain maximum grip in terms of traction, braking and cornering. There’s a lot of energy and lateral load going through the rubber, so once more it is going to be important for all the drivers to manage their tyres effectively, because of the speeds involved and a high-downforce set-up that pushes the tyres onto the road surface. We are likely to see our very first P Zero-equipped world champion crowned at Suzuka this weekend, so it’s a race that is set to go down in our history. The combination of soft and medium tyres has produced several close finishes in the past, as there is not a hugely different level of degradation between these two compounds. All the ingredients are in place for a memorable race.”
Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso): “Driving here is fun and exciting with so many great corners that ask a lot of you and the car. The Esses after the start, 130R and others make this place unique, not to mention the unusual figure of eight layout. We have seen this year that Pirelli tyres have played a big part in adding to the excitement on Sunday afternoon and that should be the case again here. We will have the medium and soft compounds to work with on a track that is generally tough on tyres, with quite an abrasive surface. The first Esses section requires the car to switch direction rapidly several times, while other long corners like Spoon also put a heavy load on the tyres. As usual, making the best use of both compounds could be the key to a good result here. The atmosphere is also special, with the politest fans in the world, who are prepared to sit in the grandstands late into the night to watch the action in the pit lane. Japan has had a very tough time since the earthquake and the effects of the Fukushima nuclear disaster earlier this year, so I think it is important that Formula One is coming to the country.”
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