The Japanese GP is almost a hidden gem of the F1 calendar. It's tucked away towards the end of the season, not quite far enough along to be a championship decider. It's on in the early hours of the morning in the UK, providing an opportunity to watch F1 under the comfort of a duvet - something Bernie is pushing hard to eradicate. The weather is always something to look out for, and the racing is usually above average. Roll on the weekend, then, and the race at Suzuka.

Event schedule

Last time we peeked into the F1 paddock, drivers were chopping and changing all over the grid. Heidfeld returned to race for Sauber, and Christian Klien got a chance in the HRT. By all accounts they both did quite well. HRT have yet to confirm who'll be racing for them this weekend, issuing a preview statement with no word about drivers. Your guess is as good as mine.

Force India have confirmed that Paul di Resta won't be getting any track time on Friday, as they'd prefer the race drivers to get to grips with both the circuit, and some new upgrades. It's a crucial point in the season for the mid-table teams, and bringing new parts to the car at this late stage shows they are still pushing hard to the finish.

Up at the front, those same old names are still fighting for 2010 supremacy. Hamilton says he will be holding nothing back this weekend, whilst Alonso is ready for things to get a bit scrappy. Meanwhile, Red Bull acknowledge that back-to-back victories hand the momentum to Ferrari, but they're confident that the track will suit their car and they should be able to do well. Webber is also grateful for his 11 point buffer - even if it's only slight.

Support racing for this event includes Formula Challenge Japan and Porsche Carrera Cup.

The weather

We've had two real weather updates so far, and they started out with things being dry, and then a second opinion suggested that Saturday might see some crazy rain mixing things up. I have very little faith in any forecasts after the Singapore weekend - it was meant to rain every session, and barely rained in any session - so, as always, you must take this with a pinch of salt.

From the information we do have, it looks like Friday's running will mostly be dry, which will allow for some good data collection, but may not be as useful if qualifying on Saturday is damper than anticipated. The race on Sunday looks to be changeable.

The circuit

Fresh from the many-cornered Singapore street circuit, we're diving straight into the dedicated Suzuka track, with a more reasonable 17 turns. It will be a challenging setup for the drivers, as various resurfacing that has been completed previously leaves the grip levels varying at different corners. They'll also have to contend with the high-speed sections, flowing into some more fiddly S bends, meaning the cars have to be strong in all areas.

Traction and grip is the most important thing for the weekend, though, particularly if the weather is messing around. Bridgestone have been constantly fiddling with tyre allocations, and at this track, the soft and hard compounds will be in use.

With some difficult corners, watch for cars getting caught up in traffic - particularly in the race. Some of the slower teams have made a big noise about their distaste for blue flags, and both Lotus and Virgin bosses are pushing for them to be scrapped. I imagine the final few races will be scrutinised by those in charge to see if it's a system that is working, or one that could do with tweaking.

Circuit map

Press conference schedule

Official press conferences are organised by the FIA and happen four times during the weekend. The qualifying and post race press conferences will take place after the television unilateral interviews.

Race stewards

Four stewards oversee a Formula 1 race weekend, two FIA stewards, together with one experienced former F1 driver and a steward representing the National Sporting Authority.

Following live

A thread will be created on Sidepodcast.com for every session and every thread is live enabled, meaning you can follow along and contribute to the conversation without refreshing the page.