Japanese Grand Prix 2018 — Weekend Preview

Round 17 of the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship takes the field to Suzuka, Japan. Japanese Grand Prix — The Driver's Circuit. Lewis Hamilton leads the championship with 306 points, 50 points ahead of Sebastian Vettel.

Driver Championship (entering R17):
P1: Lewis Hamilton — 306 pts (8W, 13P)
P2: Sebastian Vettel — 256 pts (5W, 10P)
P3: Valtteri Bottas — 189 pts (0W, 7P)
P4: Kimi Räikkönen — 186 pts (0W, 9P)
P5: Max Verstappen — 158 pts (1W, 6P)

Constructor Championship:
P1: Mercedes — 495 pts
P2: Ferrari — 442 pts
P3: Red Bull Racing — 292 pts
P4: Renault — 91 pts
P5: Haas F1 Team — 80 pts

Suzuka is technically demanding, steeped in motorsport history.

Recent winners at Suzuka:
- 2026: Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- 2025: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- 2024: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- 2023: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
- 2022: Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)

Tyre strategy data will be available after practice sessions provide degradation information.

Battles to watch:

Championship battle: Lewis Hamilton vs Sebastian Vettel — 50 points separate them.

P3 vs P4: Valtteri Bottas (189) vs Kimi Räikkönen (186) — just 3 points apart.

Understand this race better:

- [Aero Balance](/f1/learning/tactical-intelligence/aero-balance)
- [Downforce](/f1/learning/tactical-intelligence/downforce)