October 2009 Archives

The sick bags stuffed into the back of the seat in front indicate this isn't going to be the smoothest of journeys. We're not in an aeroplane, we're in an off-roader and about to do what the locals call 'dune bashing' - driving at high speed across the undulating and constantly changing terrain.

 

Abu Salaf is a stretch of desert about 50 kilometres south east of Abu Dhabi, whose Yas Marina circuit is as flat and smooth as asphalt gets. Not so here, where waves of sand rise up to obscure the horizon.

 

We turn off the main trunk road, through a gate and off-piste. Rubbish lines the perimeter fencing, but as we enter and cross the dunes the litter becomes camel bones, found in occasional clumps, licked clean by the birds overhead.

 

Our car is a Chevrolet Tahoe, and the only special features are reinforced fenders and increased ride height; there are no harnesses, and no roll cage. Inside it's standard. Fouad Saimouah has been taking tourists dune bashing for 21 years, and before that was a night shift storekeeper on the oil fields. He learned to off-road there, and when he got stuck he would have to wait until the sun came up before he could dig himself out.

 

We stop to deflate the tyres. Seventeen psi is the required pressure. Too much air and the wheels will spin, losing grip and endangering the clutch.

 

As we set off again, Fouad hands me a laminated safety card. Apart from the need for seat belts to be fastened, the main advice is not to take photos of military or petroleum facilities, or local ladies.

 

As the 4x4 snakes across and over the dunes, the sensation is similar to skiing. And even more than snow, the fine surface changes constantly, shaped by the wind. It's treacherous for the driver, as he has no way of knowing what lies beyond each crest.

 

Eyes fixed ahead, you can't see the sand thunder from the Tahoe's rear, but you can feel it shooting under the floor as the front wheels scramble.

 

Fouad gracefully slides the Tahoe down one dune but, over the next, points the nose downhill. The suspension crashes in the dip as the V8 powers us uphill and airborne over the rise. It lands on the side of a 45 degree dune and it feels like we're about tip. Fouad steers into the turn, hits the gas, and the crisis is averted.

 

He claims to have never rolled. "My passengers always ask me about that, because it almost happens everyday."

 

In fact it almost happened several more times that day, and all I could do was marvel at the storeman behind the wheel.

With thanks to Arabian Adventures: www.arabian-adventures.com / +917 2 691 1711

I returned to my hotel yesterday to see several hundred Ferraris clogging up the driveway. It was the UAE Ferrari Club and they were cruising around Yas Island at an absolute snail's pace, in 36 degree heat. The engines must have been miserable.

James Allen told me a joke last night, so blame him!

- Apparently they don't know the words to The Flinstones theme tune in much of the Middle East, except the people of Abu Dhabi do.

I've been at the track for 24 hours now. It really is quite amazing - the architecture of the Yas Hotel, the proximity of the marina to the paddock, the team hospitality suites, the media centre with its cinema-sized screens, and not least the circuit itself with its turquoise high-abrasion run-off strips. This is what I've seen so far, at least. I've yet to go in the VIP tower - I'm sure it's superb.

I'm staying a five minute walk away at the Crowne Plaza. I'm pretty sure I'm the first person to sleep in my room - it is brand new. I have a balcony overlooking the pool, it's all very nice, and only $150 per night thanks to the subsidized rate they're offering to media. That sort of thing is very welcome, and after all we are here to, in part, promote the race and in turn the country. It makes it slightly hard to understand, therefore, why we have to pay for internet, food and drinks in the media centre. Would it make a difference to the bottom line to offer it for free (when they've spent $400m on the circuit)? Singapore manage it.

They did put on a cocktail reception last night though in the paddock which a couple of hundred people attended. I went on my canapes challenge, and filled up to almost Monaco standards.

There are a bunch of concerts this weekend to support the race, and the line up is impressive. Beyonce performed last night and, though she's staying in Dubai, her backing singers and dancers joined us at the pool bar at the Radisson last night, which is right next door to my hotel.

So far, thanks to all the hotels here on the island, I haven't felt the need to venture over to the mainland. But if I wanted to, or rather when I want to, I might find it difficult as there are no taxis allowed on Yas Island. How stupid is that? If I want to go anywhere I have to take a hotel limo, and they aren't subsidized. They are £60.

When we were walking back from the circuit last night, past the Yas Hotel, we spotted the silhouette of Jay Kay, in his hat, dancing around his suite. Jamiroquai are performing tonight, though I think I'll miss it as I'm off to cover a 'dune bashing' story for Metro. I'll be out four-wheel-driving and smoking shisha at the same time!

On Saturday, though, we have the Kings of Leon (Jenson Button's favourite band) and on Sunday Aerosmith. Should be good!

Here are a few photos I've taken today of my new office and its surroundings:

I was looking forward to today's presser very much. You'll remember in Brazil Trulli and Sutil took each other out (along with the innocent Alonso) and then Trulli got out of his car and got quite animated with the Force India driver, incurring a $10,000 fine. Well, they have not kissed and made up. In the press conference, Jarno produced some photos which he says is evidence he was in the right and Sutil was in the wrong. I'll let the lads take it from here...

Abu Dhabi has been described by CNN as the richest city in the world. With only 420,000 citizens in the entire emirate, each has a theoretical net worth of $17 million. 

Even Raikkonen feels poor here.

"To top this they'd have to stage a race on the moon," says one of my Formula One photographer buddies. The Yas Marina circuit seems part desert mirage, part science fiction and the endorsement of F1 photographers flies in the face of the other new 'Tilke-domes' that have sprouted up in the last decade - circuits such as Turkey and China that may have great facilities, but fall flat on atmosphere.

 

The most dynamic backdrop is that of the Yas Marina circuit hotel, which actually straddles the track, the cars screaming underneath causing coffee cups to spill over during the breakfast buffet. At night, the veil of LEDs that shroud the upper floors change colour.

 

The circuit is essentially split into three sections - a high-speed section, a street section, and then a marina section to complete the lap. The Marina itself, which boarders the paddock, is much more Monaco than Valencia and I'm told that if your yacht is any less than five stories high you won't see anything.

 

The paddock, where the teams base themselves, looks rather like the desert town Mos Eisley from Star Wars. The media centre is like Cape Canaveral, with nine cinema-sized screens showing the race, timing and weather information. 

Turn 1 looks tight enough to catch some cars out. Drivers will also need to be mindful of the pitlane exit which, uniquely, emerges from underground. The tight right-hander at the exit, beyond the pitlane speed limiter, is very tricky. Anthony Davidson, Brawn's test driver, says he's crashed there 16 times on the simulator!

 

Having invested $40 billion on the new circuit and its surrounding attractions and amenities, Abu Dhabi is more than a little pissed off that Jenson Button didn't hold out one more race before claiming his title at the season finale. And there was us thinking that Bernie Ecclestone had a rank of buttons and levers in his mobile command centre which could cut fuel, summon rain and guarantee the championship went down to the wire.

 

Still, with nothing to lose, the drivers will be uncaged and that should make for an incident packed race.

 

In the past two races, Red Bull was unbeatable. That could well be the case again this weekend. McLaren, too, will look to finish the season strongly and beat Ferrari for third in the constructors' championship - there is honour to be salvaged there.

 

Vettel and Barrichello will be pushing hard for the second spot in the standings. Vettel seems particularly keen that history remembers him as Button's main rival.

 

Sunday will also be the scene of goodbyes as nearly two thirds of the grid will be wearing different uniforms next year, notably Fernando Alonso who is leaving Renault and Rubens Barrichello, whose move to Williams is all but official. Nico Rosberg is expected to switch to Brawn alongside Button. BMW will, sadly, be gone for good.

 

The jury is still out on whether Yas Marina lends itself to overtaking, but with the drivers uncaged it should be an incident-packed race and a visual feast.

Last week I was lucky enough to whip around Europe in a couple of private jets. One of my stops was at Cranfield Airport near Milton Keynes.

I wasn't the only paddock regular on the runway that day. Adrian Newey and Christian Horner jetted in from a meeting together, and Nico Rosberg arrived on his Cessna Citation CJ3 en route to the Williams simulator.


His plane parked up behind mine - a much bigger Challenger 601 - and Nico looked extremely puzzled when I came down the stairs to greet him.

"Nice jet" he said, eying me suspiciously. "Ah well, you know, it gets me from A to B," I said casually and bid him adieu.

It's good to wind these guys up occasionally.

Jean Todt was elected president of the FIA by 135 votes to 49. There were 12 abstentions and invalid votes.

The mood seems to be one of inevitability and also optimism that Todt will run the FIA with the same level of professionalism and teamwork that characterized his tenure at Ferrari.

It is no secret that Todt is unpopular with other team bosses, but FOTA sought to quell such thoughts with flattering statements made by Luca di Montezemolo and John Howett minutes after the result was announced.

Ari Vatanen's claim that he had the majority of club support suggests he was either mislead or that he was simply trying to convince us and the membership that he had more support than he actually had. As for suggestions of vote rigging, it all seems to have been above board.

Todt showed up at the Rue de Rivoli hotel where the election took place already looking like he'd won, flanked by Michelle Yeoh and Michael Schumacher. Todt had run a strong campaign and had every right to be confident.

Apparently he intends to keep a distance from day-to-day F1 business, hence his intention to install an F1 commissioner. I was almost certain this would be Max Mosley, in a Vladimir Putin-style sideways move, but apparently not. Joe Saward tells me the name at the top of the list is former Ford/Jaguar F1 honcho Richard Parry-Jones

Tomorrow members of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile will meet at their headquarters in Paris to vote on who will succeed Max Mosley as president.

 

Voting is restricted to 213 member clubs - motoring and motorsport organizations across the world, from 125 countries. Each club gets one vote.

 

The winner will have huge power over these motoring clubs and, crucially, Formula One.

JEAN TODT

Age: 63 (b. Pierrefort, France)

A former rally co-driver, Todt took over the management of the Peugeot team and won the WRC title in 1985. He was then appointed F1 team principal at Ferrari, transforming the team and winning eight constructors' championships and six drivers' titles with Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen by 2008. He is engaged to actress Michelle Yeoh.

 

Policies: Unlikely to deviate from the current course, Todt has said he will appoint a separate commissioner for F1, which may or may not be Max Mosley. It is thought Mosley may continue to run the FIA Putin-style, though those who know Todt say he's no glove puppet.

 

Strengths: A hugely successful manager, hardworking, and the preferred candidate of influential incumbent Max Mosley who, along with his closest aides, has been lobbying members for votes.

 

Weaknesses: Maybe too close to the scandal-hit Mosley regime. Widely disliked within F1. Has a history of unsportsmanlike behaviour. He may be a strong motivator of men, but he's a poor media communicator.

 

ARI VATANEN

Age: 57 (b. Tuupovaara, Finland)

Vatanen is a world champion rally driver, having won the title in 1981 with David Richards (of Prodrive fame) as his co-driver. In 1993 he settled in southern France. In 1999 he was elected MEP for the Finnish National Coalition Party and in 2004 was re-elected, this time for the conservative French Union for a Popular Movement.

 

Policies: The candidate for change, Vatanen has publicly compared himself to Barack Obama and plans to bring greater transparency to the FIA.

 

Strengths: An experienced professional politician, approachable, likeable, a hugely respected driver, and a break from the current regime.

 

Weaknesses: Not as well connected within the FIA as Todt. Lost ground with early negative campaigning. Lacks experience of running an organization. At odds with Mosley's powerful supporters.

If anyone knows of a worse airline-airport combo than Iberia and Madrid, then let me know.

Avoid Avoid Avoid!

Flew Sao Paulo to Madrid (no TVs), landed an hour late. Security saw I was in a hurry to make my connection so they made me take everything out of my hand luggage and briefly lost my jacket and phone for good measure. Arrived at the gate with 15 minutes to go, the monitors said it was Last Call, but the doors were already shut and the lady said I couldn't go on. Out of breath I shouted a bit, kicked the ticketing desk, and somehow barged my way on. So I flew to Paris, but my luggage is on the flight behind.

I won't see that luggage for a few days though as I only have two hours at home. Need to get the Eurostar to London shortly, and then a plane early tomorrow morning to Geneva.

It doesn't stop!

What a jolly nice chap that Rubens Barrichello is. He was disappointed not to win the title, but was smily in the paddock and happy to pose for fan photos. Plus, he's graciously agreed to lend Jenson his private plane tomorrow so Jenson can get to the Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent on Tuesday for a Virgin Media sponsorship event.

Jenson walked into the press conference room to find just a handful of journalists (I among them). This was due to the time difference (the UK is three hours ahead), and the hacks were camped at their PCs trying to meet tight deadlines.

Jenson wasn't impressed with such excuses. He wanted us there in force. "Bit quiet in here, where is everyone? F*cking world champion!!" he shouted, so everyone in the room next door could hear.

JB is planning to get absolutely wasted tonight. He was meant to fly tonight so he can fulfill some sponsor commitments in Europe, but is now keen to stay and celebrate.

Good news for JB: The British Airways flight he is booked on has got engine trouble and isn't going anywhere tonight!

Jenson Button drove into the history books in Brazil, winning the Formula One World Championship. It was enough to reduce team boss Ross Brawn to tears, but Button just beamed, a crazed look in his eyes as his achievement sank in. "I AM the world champion!" he kept yelling and, as he drove back to the pits serenaded us with 'We Are The Champions'.

"You don't win the world championship and feel relieved, you feel ecstatic," he told us afterwards. "It was a stressful few months - I can admit that now."

Button suffered in the wet in qualifying and lined up 14th on the grid, while his main championship rival Rubens Barrichello took pole position. Suddenly, Jenson's lead was not looking at all safe. "After quali I sat in my room and saw the worst thing happen - my team mate put it on pole. I felt sick.

"All I'd think about, lying in bed, was the championship, and then I would dream about it too. I dreamt I'd muck up qualifying, but I also dreamt I'd win the title today. Maybe dreams do come true."

Button drove like an animal in Sao Paulo, silencing critics who had questioned his aggression. He might not have won, but it was the race of a champion.

He barged past Kazuki Nakajima and Romain Grosjean in the early laps, had a long fight with debutant Kamui Kobayashi who he described as "crazy", and then passed Sebastien Buemi. He eventually finished fifth, and that was enough as his title rivals failed to score sufficient points; Sebastian Vettel finished fourth and Barrichello eighth, after suffering a puncture.

Mark Webber won the race, pitting later than Barrichello and emerging with an impressive lead. "After that, I was pushing quite hard but not bananas. We knew it was our race to lose. I hoped it would be a boring race and it was, which was good," said Webber.

Behind Webber, though, it was exciting. All eyes were on Button, and there were some carbon crunching distractions too. A huge crash between Adrian Sutil, Jarno Trulli and Fernando Alonso on Lap One saw Trulli roll up his sleeves and go looking for a fist fight. And in the pits Heikki Kovalainen exited with his fuel hose still attached. Kimi Raikkonen was behind him, soaked in petrol, and his Ferrari ignited briefly in a flash fire, which forced engineers on the pit wall to dive for cover.

Lewis Hamilton drove from 18th to third and passed his mantle to Button graciously. It's the first time in 40 years the sport has had back-to-back British champions. And Brawn win the constructors' championship; the first ever team to do so in their debut season.

Jenson Button drives onto the grid, switches off his engine and coasts as his mechanics run behind. With the V8 silent he can hear the grandstands booing him. That can't be nice. Still, he sounded optimistic: "In 2006, I started 14th here and finished third. You can win from 14th, and that's my aim."

Rubens is sat in the car with his eyes closed and a fan blowing cool air under his chin. Felipe popped around to say hi. Rubens says if he wins there will be waterworks: "I'll probably be crying the hell of it. I was born two minutes from here. I might know people in the grandstand from school. It will be an emotional moment. It will be a fairytale."

You know me, I'm an unbiased observer, but I would be delighted to see Rubybaby win this one and take the battle down to the wire.

The cars are about to start the formation lap. Let's hope for an exciting race - Interlagos rarely disappoints!

Last year's Brazilian Grand Prix winners trophy was a thing of high art, designed by legendary architect Oscar Niemeyer (who is 900 years old or something). This year, it's rubbish.

Literally complete rubbish,  because it's been made from moulded plastic at the track's own recycling plant, from bottle tops discarded on site. Genius.

The fuel weights have been published and it shows that Barrichello should pit first, perhaps lap 18. Webber, lining up behind him, has 5.5kg extra fuel and so could pass him in the pits if he's unable to at the start.

Adrian Sutil's third place on the grid was not flattered by a light fuel load. Indeed he has 0.5kg more fuel than Webber.

Unsurprisingly, Button and Vettel are heavy, but will that strategy be enough to earn points today?

We'd all love to see Barrichello win in Brazil and take the championship down to the wire, but if he is to do so he needs to build a big big gap before the first stop.

Looking at the fuel adjusted pace yesterday, Webber is a real threat. But today it looks like it's going to be dry. So we don't really know how the cars will be in these new conditions.

I'll stick my neck out:

1. Barrichello
2. Webber
3. Trulli

Car weights including fuel (in kg, by grid order)

1.  BARRICHELLO   Brawn          650.5
2.  WEBBER        Red Bull       656
3.  SUTIL         Force India    656.5
4.  TRULLI        Toyota         658.5
5.  RAIKKONEN     Ferrari        651.5
6.  BUEMI         Toro Rosso     659
7.  ROSBERG       Williams       657
8.  KUBICA        BMW            656
9.  NAKAJIMA      Williams       664
10. ALONSO        Renault        652
11. KOBAYASHI     Toyota         671.6
12. ALGUERSUARI   Toro Rosso     671.5
13. GROSJEAN      Renault        677.2
14. BUTTON        Brawn          672
15. VETTEL        Red Bull       683.5
16. KOVALAINEN    McLaren        656.5
17. HAMILTON      McLaren        661
18. HEIDFELD      BMW            650.5
19. FISICHELLA    Ferrari        683.5
20. LIUZZI        Force India    680

It's sunny this morning and I arrived at the track to find the photographers had put all their lenses and shoes outside their compound to dry out after yesterday's monsoon.

It took two hours 45 minutes, but it was worth the wait... Rubens Barrichello is on pole while team mate Jenson Button is 14th, meaning the championship is most definitely still on.

It was incredibly wet this afternoon, which meant delayed sessions and red flags from a multitude of spins and accidents. The biggest was Tonio Liuzzi who ripped both rear wheels clean off the car when he bounced off the pitwall.

The McLaren duo failed to get through Q1 and the team was able to send out its press release midway through Q2! A record surely, but helped by the lengthy delays.

Sebastian Vettel got his timing down, so he's down in 16th. He says he can still win from there, and Michael Schumacher showed that you can overtake here in 2006.

Button made the wrong tyre call. He should have been on inters. Totally outclassed by Rubens today.

Respect to Kamui Kobayashi who qualified 11th on his debut. Driving in these conditions ain't easy and Kamui might have finished even higher if he hasn't had a big slide on his final lap - a slide he held quite magnificently. Nice one fella.

Adrian Sutil finished third, so another great effort from him. Mark Webber gave something for Red Bull to cheer from with P2.

Let's wait for the fuel weights before we go making predictions...

The day to day management of Fernando Alonso is handled by a man called Luis Garcia Abad, but the heavy stuff was always controlled by Flavio Briatore. With Briatore banned - and any driver who works with him threatened with having their superlicense taken away - Alonso may be on the look out for a new broker.

And look at this - Fernando is in conflab with Julian Jakobi, who oversaw the careers of Juan Pablo Montoya and Ayrton Senna.

I just sneaked this pic on my iPhone. Ferdi spotted me and gave me a look which said 'You're gonna put that on your blog aren't you, you git...'

So perhaps there's something in it.

I really want to like Sao Paulo, but it's difficult when you're constantly looking over your shoulder. I'm not paranoid, just cautious... and with good reason.

A couple of years ago I drove out of the circuit behind an MPV filled with Toyota colleagues, and we pulled up at some traffic lights. Then a swarm of people who appeared from nowhere surrounded the Toyota car and tried to get in the doors. Then a gun shot went off.

I found out subsequently that the Toyota van had bullet proof glass. The same could not be said of ours and I remember quite clearly, hunched down in the back, calmly saying to our driver  "be a good chap and stick it in reverse, would you?"

I was remarkably calm that time. I don't think I would have been the following year, though, when a car full of my colleagues from the Red Bulletin was ambushed and the hoodlums tried to smash their windscreen with the butt of a pistol. I might have been more blunt in my language if I'd actually had a gun pointed at me.

Last night i walked from the Hilton to the Hyatt, which is a stone's throw, just a five minute walk. But I heard afterwards (and suspected as much) that this is prime mugging territory. So I got a cab back.

There's already been an incident this weekend, and in broad daylight to boot. David Warren, who runs things for Allsport Management, was being driven from the airport to the circuit when the car suffered a puncture. The driver got out to fix it, but then a well dressed man arrived and tried to motion David away, saying it wasn't safe around there and that he would take him where he needed to go.

"It seemed plausible," David told me afterwards, "but I just felt very nervous about the whole thing. The well dressed man had no car in sight either. I actually took my passport from my briefcase and stuffed it down my trousers".

At this point a van pulled up and some very nasty looking men jumped out and relieved David of his briefcase.

Ahead of the weekend, Red Bull issued a survival guide to press, advising us to answer "no" to questions like "Should I stop at red traffic lights?" and  "Should I stop if a car runs into the back of me?"

He's currently locked in negotiations with Toyota, but whatever happens in F1 Jarno Trulli has ambitious plans for the future.

In quiet, rural Italy - far away from the roar of Formula One engines - Jarno Trulli stands, hands on hips, surveying his vineyard. "I love spending time among the vines," he confides warmly. Unlike other F1 stars, whose lives solely revolve around racing, this 35 year-old enjoys a slower pace of life away from the circuit.

Here, in a farmhouse dating back to 1793, Jarno oversees production of his own critically-acclaimed wine. "My grandfather used to make wine so you could say it is in my DNA," says Jarno, who bought the Podere Castorani vineyard with his father, Enzo, in 2000, located outside their hometown of Pescara - in this Abruzzo region, so recently scarred by an earthquake, wine is like a religion.

How strange, though, that a man attracted to the speed and danger of motor racing could also find satisfaction in grapes and velvety bouquets. "Both are competitive," notes Jarno, "but when it comes to wine it is a very different kind of competition to Formula One; you have more time to reflect on what you are doing and to improve everything. In F1 you are just flat-out all the time, it is a big rush."

He speaks with the tired disdain of a man now in his 13th season of the sport's premier league. "It's good to have something completely different from F1. There is a big contrast and I enjoy the chance to do things at a different pace."

Trulli, who claims to be more of a red man than a white lover, and likes to sip a full-bodied glass with a juicy steak, explains how wine should be tasted: "You have to concentrate on the smell of the wine. Then you taste it and allow it to touch every part of your tongue so you can experience the full flavour. Of course, if you are tasting wine properly you should then spit it out but I prefer not to do that!"

He describes his methods as "traditional, rather than innovative" - again at odds with his day job - but that doesn't make the process any less complicated.

The property is a labour of love for the Toyota driver, and the place where he intends to serve out his retirement. "We have done a lot of work on the property. It was not in a good state when we bought it. There was the old house but we had to completely rebuild it. We continue to do work to improve the facilities there and recently we upgraded and expanded because the business has just got bigger and bigger. We produce 600,000 bottles now so to do that from where we started has required changes.

"The best wine comes from my own vineyard because that is where we have the oldest vines but we do buy in grapes from other vineyards as well, in Puglia, Sicily and Umbria. We give them direction and they produce and deliver grapes for us to use. As there are only 35 hectares at Podere Castorani, this is necessary to expand and improve our business."

When he started to make wine a decade ago, Trulli produced 18,000 bottles and now production has grown by more than 300 per cent. So far Jarno has one grand prix victory to his name, and could add another this year based on Toyota's promising form. However, it would be a wise bet that Jarno's greatest fortune and legacy lies far away from the pitlane.

Jarno's favourite wines are:
1 -'Jarno' Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2003 (Red)
2 - 'Podere Castorani' Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2003 (Red)
3 - 'Amorino' Pecorino 2006 (White)
4 - 'Coste Delle Plaie' Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2006 (Rosé)
5 - 'Majolica' Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2006 (Red)



JARNO'S HAPPY DAYS

Wine may be Jarno's greatest passion away from racing, but he has other interests too: he collects jukeboxes.

Currently he owns three valuable pieces of musical Americana, which are kept at his house in Switzerland and the family home in Italy. His first was a 1954 Rock-Ola "with disco lights and more chrome than a Cadillac," explains Jarno.

"It takes 200 discs, making it one of the top of the range of its day. These things aren't run by electronics, they are mechanical and all done with valves - absolutely fascinating to look at, and very heavy. I had to get my mechanics to help me get it up the stairs!"

Jarno also owns an AMI-Rowe and a Wurlitzer 200 selection - the grande dame of jukeboxes and one of the most important ever made. These jukeboxes are worth between 12,000 and 20,000 Euros each. "I have a great passion for vintage items and antiques, and jukeboxes are a terrific example of the style, design, music and romance of a certain era - the halcyon days of soul and rock and roll. The whole family loves it, and we crowd round to listen to oldies like Aretha Frankin and Elvis Presley.

"The thing about jukeboxes is that it isn't just about listening to the music you love - it's about forcing everyone else in the place listen to it too."

Most F1 drivers stay at the Transamerica, Hyatt or Hilton in Morumbi, while Flavio Briatore would always take the presidential suite at the gorgeous Hotel Unique, which has a stunning rooftop pool and bar. I wonder who's inherited it this year? For food you should visit a proper churrascaria - where waiters hassle you to eat more and more meat, carving it at your table. Fogo de Chao is the most popular, with every F1 driver and his entourage dining here over the course of the weekend, often several nights in a row. The hottest clubs in Sao Paulo are Disco and Pascha, where Lewis Hamilton DJ'd after missing out on the title in 2007. The winner, Kimi Raikkonen, was behind the bar making cocktails.

www.hotelunique.com.br
www.fogodechao.com.br
www.clubdisco.com.br
www.pachasp.com.br

Formula One is more popular in Brazil than any other country in the world, and the fans that line the grandstands are also the loudest, cheering on the Brazilian drivers and banging their samba drums.

The Interlagos circuit isn't short on atmosphere. What it is short on are the state-fo-the-art facilities that most of the circuits on the calendar provide.

The track itself, which like Turkey and Singapore runs anti-clockwise, has some excellent corners and severe gradient changes, which are very popular with the drivers and make set-up a challenge - the focus is on optimal aerodynamic efficiency. An even more challenging aspect are the notorious bumps, which have a huge effect on the cars at speed, and require a high ride-height and soft suspension settings. The track is very abrasive, so harder compound tyres are a must. The high altitude and thin air sap around eight percent of an engine's power around the lap.

The first corner, the Senna S, drops down from the start/finish straight and is often the scene of first lap incidents as 20 cars scythe through, and down to Turn 3. Down here, the marshland is home to many snakes and is the last place you want to suffer a breakdown. From here, the track runs back behind the paddock and this is where the most bone-shaking bumps are to be found, throughout the fast Turns 5 to 9. It's through Juncao that the drivers need to get a particularly good exit, as the rest of the lap is flat-out from there, up the hill around the curving pit-straight.

It was at Juncao that Timo Glock struggled for grip last year, yielding fifth place to Lewis Hamilton and making the Englishman the youngest ever world champion.

Jenson Button under pressure? You must be joking. Anything less than second place in Brazil this weekend, and Sebastian Vettel's title bid is over. Anything less than fifth for Rubens Barrichello, and it's goodnight for the Brazilian. All Jenson needs is third place - less if his rivals fail to beat him on Sunday - and the championship is his.

So while Seb and Rubens were probably pacing up and down their engineers office like caged animals yesterday, Jenson took the afternoon off to chill out by the pool with his mates. Far from tying himself up in knots, fretting about the Brazilian Grand Prix, he'll be asking his mechanics to pour Radox into his cockpit next.

People have questioned Button's motivation. Why isn't he driving the socks off the Brawn, like Barrichello? Why hasn't he won since Turkey? Valid complaints from those seeking a feisty champion, but Button has played smart. Since establishing an epic lead, Jenson isn't taking risks. Should he fail to seal the deal in Interlagos, he'll have another chance to do so at the final round in Abu Dhabi.

Still, it would put an authoritative stamp on the history books if Button could surge to the front again at the finish post. That will be hard in Sao Paulo. Firstly, Interlagos demands an aggressive driving style and its back-braking bumps have never been to super-smooth JB's taste. Barrichello has always been fast here, but often unlucky. He believes, though, that he is destined to win on home turf.

And there is a high chance of rain. That will play well for wet weather wunderkind Sebastian and havoc for the Brawn's low temperature loathing rear tyres.

And then there are the ever improving efforts of the other teams which could easily result in, say, a Lewis Hamilton victory. Irrelevant of where he finishes, bumping Vettel and Barrichello off the podium would almost certainly hand Button the title.

Here's something to consider, though. While everyone was watching Vettel take a superb victory in Japan two weeks ago, his team mate Mark Webber set the fastest lap of the race despite being two laps down. Webber's weekend was a write-off after he failed to make qualifying. Instead, Red Bull set about a race long test - a rare opportunity these days - to try out a range of experimental wings. It seems Red Bull could be a lot quicker than Brawn in Brazil, as a result of these technical developments.

It's been a championship full of surprises, and it would be terrific if Button's rivals can take it down to the wire in two weeks time. Then again, Brazil's podium confetti and samba beats guarantee a memorable championship finale. Then Jenson could spend the whole weekend poolside in Abu Dhabi.

Been a bit quiet for the last ten days. No, I wasn't in a coma after all the fun we had at Suzuka's Log Cabin. Instead I flexed my Round-The-World ticket and went to the USA.

It's difficult to sympathize with a racing driver when he says he's not paid enough. Surely most of us would work for free if we got to drive fast, expensive cars all day and then go and party with models. But, as leader of this year's world championship, perhaps Jenson Button deserves better.

 

Last winter it looked unlikely the Brawn team would make it through the 2009 season. Jenson had a contract with Honda - the team's previous owners - which entitled him to an estimated 8.5 million Euros a year. He agreed to cut it back to 3 million to help pay the team's other staff.

 

Now, with the team's future secure, Button has asked boss Ross Brawn for his original salary package in 2010, in recognition of his results and loyalty this year.

 

"When we signed the revised contract last year, we did so in the knowledge that if things went well for the team, they would go well for Jenson for next year," said Richard Goddard, Button's manager.

 

Goddard describes himself as 'shocked' by the offer on the table from Brawn for Button for 2010, which is believed to extend a minimal rise on his present cut-priced contract.

Button, 29, not only accepted hugely reduced terms for this season but he also undertook to meet all his own expenses. In addition, he pays for his fitness trainer and Goddard to accompany him to races.

 

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton is reported to have earned over four times as much as Button so far this year, despite winning two races to Button's six.

 

Usually, drivers receive bonuses for race wins and points scored but Button has not received a penny from Brawn.

 

DRIVER SALARIES

 

Kimi Raikkonen is the highest paid driver, on an estimated 30 million Euro annual salary

 

For mid-field drivers, salaries tend to average at approximately five million Euros plus bonuses.

 

Nigel Mansell became the first British driver to earn over one million pounds a year.

 

When Niki Lauda signed a one million dollar deal with McLaren in 1982 he told them: "My PR value alone is worth that much. You'll be paying one dollar for my driving ability, all the rest is for my personality."

 

The Log Cabin bar at Suzuka's Circuit Hotel has passed into F1 folklore. It was here, after winning the title in 1996, that Damon Hill and the Williams boys sang 'Who do you think you are kidding Michael Schumacher' and, before that, the likes of Senna and Berger had let their hair down. The tradition continues.

 

Last night the place was crammed with F1 VIPs - team bosses, drivers, TV personalities and FIA honchos - and it was terrific because everyone checked their egos in at the door and just had a great time.

 

As well as the alpine style bar there are half a dozen small wooden cabins, that look like garden sheds, each with a TV and karaoke system. The most popular cabin had been hired by David Coulthard and Martin Brundle, and the place was rocking from side to side as we jumped up and down inside.

 

The 'karaoke legend' award goes to Nico Rosberg who, at first, was too shy to take the mike and, by the end of the evening, refused to give it back. He and I duetted on a Beatles medley.

 

The 'thank goodness he drives better than he sings' award goes to Suzuka race winner Sebastian Vettel who attempted Mr Tamborine Man with limited success but, with all due respect, made Amadeus by Falco his own.

 

Christian Horner wins the 'gosh, he's really getting into it' award with his rendition of The Animals' The Saints Are coming.

 

And Eddie Jordan wins the 'stop it, you'll break it' award for his percussion accompaniment on top of the TV.

 

Special award for 'the most irritating rookie' goes to Jaime Algersuari, who I might add is a very sweet bloke and not actually annoying but it did get my goat when he kept skipping the tracks I'd selected (Stone Roses, Duran Duran etc) in favour of sh*t Spanish music. Oh, and his AC/DC Highway to Hell really needs work. We should rename the track 'Jaime to Hell'.

 

I left while the party was still going so I didn't miss the 03:40 media shuttle back to the hotel. But I did hear from The Guardian's Maurice Hamilton today that the Log Cabin is in an even worse state than my vocal chords. Apparently the place got absolutely trashed and DC and Brundle were seething at breakfast having had to pay an extortionate bill for damages.

 

My lawyers have urged me to add that when I left, it was fine.

Sebastian Vettel posted a peerless lights-to-flag victory in Japan, at a circuit he described as "phenomenal, like it was made by God's hand".

Second place man Jarno Trulli celebrated by climbing the tall fence in front of Suzuka's main grandstand to wave to a sea of Toyota supporters. He was passed at the start by Lewis Hamilton but then began "a race of qualifying laps" to beat the world champion as the pitstops played out. "I really wanted to win, but Vettel was untouchable," he conceded.

The tension as Trulli emerged from the pits to slot in ahead of Hamilton was high, during a race that was largely processional.

Drama came nine laps from the end, though, when cameras cut to the dusty silhouette of a heavily damaged car at the 320kph 130R corner. It was Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari, who had gone wide, lost the rear, and slewed across the track nose-first into a tyre wall and through an advertising hoarding. Fortunately, the Spaniard was able to walk away. The safety car came out, but on the restart the order of the top eight cars remained unchanged.

"The last few races were a bit up and down, so it's great to be back up here," said Vettel after doing a Schumacher-style star jump on the podium. It's his third win of the year, the last being seven races ago. Jenson Button finished eighth, so Vettel is 16 points shy of the championship leader. "He's got nothing to lose. He just has to win the next two races," said Red Bull Racing principal Christian Horner.

It's certainly true that, with only 20 points now available, Vettel will need to repeat this performance if he's to beat Button. But if the Englishman fails to score four more points, this season could end in a similar fashion to 2007, when Kimi Raikkonen made a last minute dash into the history books ahead of the odds-on favourites.

Optimistically, Vettel says: "Two more races like this and it's looking good."

RACE RESULTS:
1.    VETTEL - RED BULL-RENAULT
2.    TRULLI - TOYOTA
3.    HAMILTON - MCLAREN-MERCEDES
4.    RAIKKONEN - FERRARI
5.    ROSBERG - WILLIAMS-TOYOTA
6.    HEIDFELD - BMW-SAUBER
7.    BARRICHELLO - BRAWN-MERCEDES
8.    BUTTON - BRAWN-MERCEDES

DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP
1.    BUTTON - 85
2.    BARRICHELLO - 71
3.    VETTEL - 69

CONSTRUCTORS' CHAMPIONSHIP
1.    BRAWN GP - 156
2.    RED BULL RACING - 120.5

One of the more exciting driver parades today. The drivers were escorted in a range of classic cars - a few of which were weird and wacky and impossible to identify to those unaccustomed to Japanese automobilia. The marshals gave the parade a mexican wave. And Lewis Hamilton's car broke down, so Fernando Alonso gave him a lift. The two chatted all the way back to the pits, laughing and waving. Ahhhh...

There was a ceremony up in the Paddock Club this morning to open a sake barrel - an annual tradition at the Japanese Grand Prix.

We had a bit of Japanese drum and bass to start with, and then some kung-fu. Sebastian Vettel showed up and broke the sake barrel with a big mallet, showering himself with booze in the process.

He didn't have a drink, but when he returns to the garage Christian Horner's going to worry the championship pressure has got to his driver...

Timo Glock is hobbling around the paddock this morning, wearing a blue bandage around his left leg that goes up to his knee - a bit like a schoolgirl's sock.

He is on good form, but said he was scared at the time of the crash because he looked down to see a piece of metal between his legs and his white overalls turning red.

Asked if he was "worried about his legs or his jaffas?" he replied: "Everything hurt - so at least I knew they were still there."

The cut to his lower left leg is five centimeters long and required 14 stitches. The wound was caused by the metal front wing piercing the monocoque.

It's 10am Sunday and the FIA has just issued the starting order. Much confusion here at Suzuka this morning. I had breakfast at Williams where team personnel were coming up, asking "Are we on pole?"

Nope, Vettel still heads it:

1. Vettel
2. Trulli
3. Hamilton
4. Heidfeld
5. Raikkonen
6. Barrichello
7. Rosberg
8. Sutil
9. Kubica
10. Button
11. Kovalainen
12. Alguersuari
13. Buemi
14. Fisichella
15. Nakajima
16. Alonso
17. Grosjean
18. Liuzzi
19. Webber (starting from the pitlane)

Timo Glock will not race and Kamui Kobayashi has not been allowed to take his place because the Japanese third driver did not compete in either of the Saturday sessions.

So, how will the race shape up? Lewis should be able to get past Trulli at the start. If he doesn't, then this could be a bit of a dull race as I expect Vettel to race to thew horizon. He has a lap more fuel than Lewis anyway.

Lewis and Jarno have more or less the same fuel strategy, so as I say, it's really important he makes the pass at the start. Lewis should also be aware of Nick Heidfeld who is 4kg (about two laps) heavier and, if he can stay within a couple of seconds up to the first pitstop, could fight his way onto the podium today. Barrichello is capable of fourth but to score a podium will be dependent on other drivers having problems. Jenson seems capable of low points and little more from where he is.

Sutil is light, so he will struggle to get a point today. A great shame after a brilliant quali effort. The German media are very upset that he's behind Barrichello on the grid even though he set a quicker time.

Both Rosberg and Kubica are heavy (684.5kg and 686kg respectively). Rosberg could be in for a great points haul today, stopping much later than Vettel/Trulli/Hamilton.

This is my podium prediction:

1. Vettel
2. Hamilton
3. Heidfeld

Timo Glock crashed at high speed as he entered the start-finish straight during qualifying. It looked like his steering column might have snapped as he appeared to be turning normally as the Toyota slewed onto the grass and into the tyre wall. The team currently denies there was a mechanical failure.

He immediately disconnected his steering wheel, proving he was conscious. However, he didn't get out of the car and soon ambulances were on the scene.

He was airlifted to Yokkaichi Hospital with a cut leg and complaining of back pain.

Buxton and I went to see him last night, as the hospital is very close to our hotel. We arrived bearing sticking plasters, beers and grape juice (we couldn't find grapes). However, we were informed by reception at Mr Glock checked out at 6pm - which is good news, as he would only have arrived around 3.30pm.

We're going to take our aid package down to Toyota this morning. No word yet on whether he'll drive, if Kobayashi will fill-in, or if Toyota will run just one car.

There was big drama during qualifying with Sebastien Buemi, Jaime Alguersuari, Heikki Kovalainen and Timo Glock all stacking it.

The red flag came out three times - it was a very long session.

Timo's crash was particularly nasty, but he's on the mend. I'll post on that shortly.

Sebastian Vettel took a brilliant pole and, with Jarno 'the train' Trulli on P2 things couldn't look better for the wunderkind today.

A typically great quali performance from Trulli, he pulled out all the stops and is just half a kilo lighter than Lewis Hamilton who is P3.

Adrian Sutil was fourth quickest, so the Force India has found its form again. Tonio Liuzzi couldn't find it though - he was slowest, because of a tyre pressure misunderstanding.

Rubens Barrichello outperformed Jenson Button again, despite being heavier.

A spanner was thrown in the works, though, by Sebastien Buemi who crashed out in the final two minutes of Q2, showering the track with debris. Because the two Brawns had elected to do just one flying lap, at the last moment, they were heavily compromised. Both cars went flat out through the danger zone in order to ensure they got into Q1. In doing so, they have been penalized five grid places.

The same goes for Fernando Alonso and Adrian Sutil. Buemi gets a five-place penalty too for driving a damaged car back to the pits (a bit like Vettel did in Melbourne) and Heikki Kovalainen, who set the ninth quickest time of the day before crashing, has a five-placer too for having his gearbox changed.

The FIA have been up all night working out the new grid, apparently, so much so that they haven't arrived this morning yet to give us a copy...

This morning we saw the first 'proper' session, after rain yesterday forced the teams to do very little lapping. In Practice 3 Jarno Trulli topped the charts giving Toyota a nice bit of PR at home. On the sniff of an oily rag, no doubt. Sebastien Buemi was second, which was also a surprise and why I don't ever trust practice times.

I put on a tabbard today and walked round some of the circuit, taking a few poor pictures with my Instamatic. There's a hill down where the track crosses itself and there are views of three separate pieces of track. A great place to spectate - though it's off limits to the public.

From there I got a bird's eye view of Mark Webber running into a tyre wall, which cracked his chassis and will see him miss qualifying. It's fair to say that Red Bull's championship aspirations will have to wait for another year.

A letter has been leaked to members of the press in which Max Mosley gives stern warning to Prince Feisal of Jordan, who has been nominated as one of Ari Vatanen's vice presidents.

Suzuka looks quite different to the last time we were here, back in 2006, with a smart new pit building, garages and hospitality suites. The paddock used to be a bit like Interlagos but even more narrow. Now, it looks like the piste at Aspen it's so wide.

The new media centre is nice too and I have just arrived to find a food parcel on my desk. But what is it?

Tried the square on the middle-left. Crab I think. Tasty.

Mark Webber has put his name to a new GP3 team, and will be involved in its management.

Toyota has just announced that Timo Glock is suffering from "a very heavy cold and fever" today and will be replaced in practice by Kamui Kobayashi.

That's awfully convenient, isn't it? Given this is Toyota and Kamui's home race. Has someone slipped something into Timo's cornflakes?

After Glock's heroic performance in Singapore it came as some surprise to learn that the team have not taken it's option on Timo yet for next year. I spoke to someone at Topyota about it yesterday and they said the team have been waiting to see what happens with the driver market and who else is available. They say they want an A-list driver. They say they want Robert Kubica.

However, it does sound like Kubica is on the verge of signing for Renault. Toyota tell me they are not interested in running Kobayashi or Kazuki Nakajima next year.

Therefore it seems likely Timo will stay. But he must be a bit pissed off by the team's apparent apathy towards him, and the fact that he's "unwell" today.

No wonder Timo was talking with Norbert Haug in Singapore. If Kimi is off to McLaren, could Timo be poised to steal Nico Rosberg's Brawn deal from under him?

Suzuka Circuit has its own amusement park. Jump on the Mad Cobra roller coaster for 60mph loop-the-loop thrills. If gambling is your thing, visit the nearby pachinko parlour with its crazy games and deafening music. On Sunday night everyone heads to the Suzuka Circuit Hotel and its Log Cabin bar. These log cabins are karaoke rooms done up to look like a forest retreat, and where drunken team bosses have been known to serenade their drivers. One world champion once ripped a TV off the wall of his cabin and threw it through a window, Michael Schumacher went joyriding in a forklift truck and the boss of Honda Racing was handcuffed to an overly friendly race fan and covered in shaving foam. It's that kind of place.

www.mobilityland.co.jp

Suzuka is a truly technical circuit with a lot of character and features some wonderfully rewarding corners.

 

Even the first two corners, which look tame enough at first glance, have an awkward camber. From this lowest part of the circuit the track climbs through five switchback corners where a driver needs terrific rhythm and faultless stability, before arriving at Dunlop Curve. 

The figure-eight circuit then crosses under itself, Scalextric-style - the only circuit to do so - and heads down to the hairpin, which is the scene of regular overtaking possibilities. Spoon Curve is a never-ending left-hander, before spiting the cars are spat onto a long straight and up to the legendary 130R - a 130 degree, 300kph left-hand corner through which Fernando Alonso pulled off one of the best manoeuvres of his career, around the outside of Michael Schumacher in 2005. 

The lap ends with a chicane, known as Casio Triangle, that once saw a legendary clash between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna.

Maybe it's the screaming Japanese fans camped out at the airport, at the track, and at the drivers' hotels which make these usually sober and mature men behave like rock stars. Formula One makes a welcome return to Suzuka for this year's Japanese Grand Prix, and that means the drivers will be practicing their vocal chords, as well as their track laps.

 

The circuit has it's own karaoke bar - the Log Cabin - where tradition demands the winner sings We Are The Champions with his mechanics.

 

Taking the theme a step too far, after sealing his sixth world title here in 2003, Michael Schumacher went all Roger Daltrey and threw a fridge through a window. Then, wearing a vomit-stained Toyota shirt he'd borrowed from his brother and sucking on a fat cigar, he stole the keys to a forklift truck and raced through the paddock.

 

High-ticket prices in these times of economic hardship, and F1 apathy in some host countries mean that, at many grands prix, the grandstands are empty on race day. Not so in Japan.

 

Everyone's up for a motor race here. On Thursday - a day of preparation when the cars are not permitted to leave the garage - thousands of fans fill the stand in front of the pits, cameras at the ready, waiting long into the night.

 

If Monza is the heart of grand prix racing, then Suzuka is the defibrillator: unbelievably fast, flowing asphalt which crosses itself in the middle, so it looks a bit like a Scalextric. For driving heaven, it's second only to Spa.

 

The layout should compliment the Red Bull car, which favours high-speed turns, and it could pose tough for the Brawn's tyres, given low temperatures. However, the championship is only a faint hope for Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel at this stage.

 

The battle is between team mates Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello and, with a 15 point lead, Button could take the title. To do so he either needs to win with Barrichello off the podium or take a top four finish with Rubens failing to score.

 

Paddock water cooler talk is all about the driver market which has now been unlocked following Ferrari's announcement that Alonso will join them next year. The smart money is on Kimi Raikkonen to McLaren, Robert Kubica to Renault, Nico Rosberg to Brawn and Rubens Barrichello to Williams.

 

Sources suggest the Raikkonen deal is certain but there are a number of drivers who would like to be Lewis Hamilton's team mate at McLaren, including Rosberg, Kubica and Timo Glock. Given McLaren's corporate culture, they'd do well not to break any windows or butcher Queen ballads before their managers have been in to negotiate.

I've been in Tokyo for the last few days, and vouched to keep up my Singapore sleep pattern.

 

I was on an evening flight out of Singapore on Monday, to allow for a decent sleep after partying on Sunday night. Jenson was on my flight and our fellow passengers went mad when they saw him, taking his photo over-and-over as he waited in the departure lounge. Then Kimi showed up in a golf cart, amused by all the attention - I swear when he showed up a woman's head exploded. People were just going "Aaarrrrgggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh! So crazy, it was primal!

In Tokyo I met up with Will Buxton from GP Week, who I'm rooming with, and we had a delicious lunch at Gonpachi, which is the restaurant that inspired the set designers on Kill Bill. I also had an apple sake drink that tasted like bitter Lilt. Yum.

I then went to bed as I only got a few hours kip on JAL (selection of films not brilliant. Saw State of Play for the second time and Terminator for the 100^th).

 

In the evening we went to a Toyota Q&A at an F1 themed café. Timo Glock was there, looking a bit bemused.

 

Then we went to The Cavern Club. This is a favourite of the F1 community - a place inspired by the original in Liverpool where The Beatles made their mark. Every night there's a Beatles tribute band on, and these guys were brilliant musicians and their Paul and George sounded perfect.

 

Ringo was a decent drummer, but less can be said of his vocals on "Wello Submaween"!

 

Buxton, who is a massive Beatles fan, got up to sing Hey Jude with them.

After that we met up with a bunch of friends - including DJ DNF himself, Sakon Yamamoto - at a Roppongi karaoke den. Will ended the evening projectile vomiting off an eighth storey fire escape, and we headed back to our hotel (ANA Intercontinental - very comfortable) at 06:30 with him bouncing off the walls, complaining of the evils of mixing sake with 15 beers.

 

The next day was a right off. Will wasn't going anywhere and though I did make the effort to 'do lunch' I quickly returned to bed, largely because it was so bloody comfortable. They have rice pillows at our hotel. I do wonder what would happen if you wet the bed. Would your pillow cases explode?

 

We ended up waking up at 7pm (having had housekeeping come in about three times), and despite Will complaining he'd given up drink I dragged him to a little area I absolutely love called Golden Street, near Shinjuku, where there are all these little bars. There's usually only space for a few people to sit, and they guy running the bar is often a student who sleeps there and have found his dream job pouring whiskey and playing his records.

After a bit more karaoke, we headed back to the hotel - this time at 05:30.

 

At noon we were on a bullet train to Suzuka...

 

Got to the track at 3pm and reporters were swamping Alonso. Did a bit of work before heading to our Yokkaichi hotel, about an hour away from Suzuka. A lot of press are staying here. It's a bit of a comedown from the ANA Intercontinental. It smells of stale cigarettes and overlooks a petrol station forecourt.

 

We just had dinner at a place across the road. It was good - one of those places where you sit on the floor and cook your own meal. There was only one dish - chicken - and though the staff spoke no english they were able to communicate what part of the chicken we were eating by pointing to their leg, chest or neck.

 

Am dead on my feet now. Need to get some rest before the bus takes us to the circuit at 07:15.