Formula 1: Typhoon Hagibis likely to hit Japanese Grand Prix

Formula One is braced for stormy weather at this weekends Japanese Grand Prix with Typhoon Hagibis threatening to disrupt proceedings The tropical storm categorised as a super typhoon and among the most severe to hit the region in recent years is bearing down on Japans eastern cost It is expected to hit capital Tokyo and adjoining areas over the weekend The Suzuka circuit which is located about 300 kilometers southwest of the capital is expected to bear the brunt of it on Saturday when Formula Ones final practice session and qualifying are usually heldThe storm on Thursday forced rugby governing body World Rugby to call off two matches scheduled for Saturday F1 organisers however held off on a decision regarding any cancellation of track action saying they were working to minimise disruption to the weekends timetable and keeping a close eye on the advance of the storm with safety the main priorityThe FIA Formula Ones governing body Formula One Suzuka Circuit and the Japanese Automobile Federation are closely monitoring Typhoon Hagibis and its potential impact on the 2019 FIA Formula One Japanese Grand Prix said a statement issued by race organisers on Thursday Every effort is being made to minimise disruption to the Formula One timetable however the safety of the fans competitors and everyone at the Suzuka Circuit remains the top priority it said adding updates would be provided in due courseEven if qualifying is cancelled on Saturday it can be rescheduled so it is held a few hours before the race on Sunday which is expected to go ahead as normal with the typhoon expected to move away and the weather expected to clear up There is precedent for this with the qualifying for the 2004 and 2010 races in Japan postponed to Sunday morning due to similar storms Torrential rain also forced qualifying for the US Grand Prix in 2015 to be moved from Saturday to SundayI think they do the utmost they can said Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton who 73 points clear of team mate Valtteri Bottas in the overall standings with five races left is well on his way to clinching a sixth world title Im sure they already have procedures in place to move it to the Sunday morning Like Hamilton drivers generally backed organisers move to not rush a decisionThere is a forecast but how many times have forecasts changed said Ferraris fourtime champion Sebastian Vettel Currently it sits at a 100 so its quite clear It would make sense if by tomorrow Friday at night there is more evidence to give a proposal or take an action for SaturdaySafety is at the foremost for race organisers but they the fans and drivers will all be hoping the worst of the weather stays away and track action goes ahead as planned Mercedes will get their first shot at wrapping up a recordequalling sixth constructors championship this weekend The dominant German team have won 11 of the 16 races so far eight of them in onetwo formation and head into the weekend 162 points clear of Ferrari who currently hold the record for most consecutive title success 6 19992004 and are the only team that can stop themStill the Maranellobased outfits hopes are more mathematical than realistic All Mercedes need to do is score 14 more points than the Italian squad to wrap up the teams title this weekend Still Ferrari wont go down without a fight It may be a case of too little too late but the sports most successful team are enjoying a bit of a resurgenceCharles Leclerc has started the last four races from pole position The Monegasque and teammate Sebastian Vettel have together won three of those But for an illtimed virtual safety car triggered ironically by a retirement for Vettel they would have been celebrating their fourth win in a row two weeks ago in RussiaRegardless this weekend offers the sports most successful team another chance to prove their resurgence is real For Honda Sundays race could prove the happiest homecoming since the Japanese manufacturer which owns the Suzuka track returned to the sport as an engine supplier in 2015Now with Red Bull they have already powered the former champions to two wins already The Milton Keynesbased teams characteristically nimble chassis is ideally suited to Suzukas high speed changes of direction and the team can realistically hope for a podium at the very leastThats definitely the target First also lets wait and see how the weekend is going to go and also with the weather but of course well try to do our very best this weekend to have a good resultCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereAlso download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates