Suzuka, a driver’s favourite, a crowd favourite, but will Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel come away from Japan still confident of securing the 2010 world crown?

I would hazard a guess that both drivers will feel quietly confident about going into Korea next weekend both feeling secure in their position at or near the top of the drivers’ championship. How many times this season have we heard that Red Bull should have the upper-hand on a track with lots of fast and flowing corners? But on the same token, how many times this season have we seen Red Bull get a considerably worse result than their car deserves?

I would suggest that sooner or later, the team are going to get it right and I fancy them to do that this weekend. With the stunning amount of downforce they have, the Suzuka circuit should suit their car down to the ground.

Only the Ferrari of on-form Fernando Alonso can really stop both Webber and Vettel when things go their way. But I think it could be one step too far, even for Alonso, this weekend.

The performance of the car coupled with the race in 2009 all bodes well for Sebastian Vettel who will be looking to claw back some of the deficit to his Australian team mate. An utterly dominant performance from the German saw him gain pole position and win the race. The winning margin of just 4.8 seconds due to a safety car was totally unjust on the Red Bull driver who dominated the whole field all weekend.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s race, Webber is very reluctant to have the ‘favourite’ tag placed on his head.

“I’m not the favourite. I’m not even thinking about the title. If it was a 15-race championship then I’d be champion now but I’m not, there are more races to go and we need to leave the championship until the last race”

The Championship leader also insisted that Red Bull should have an advantage at this track but refused to rule out the other championship contenders.

“We hope to have some advantage. But hoping doesn’t mean much; we need to do it on the track. I expect Ferrari to be in the hunt here and all three teams to be quick.

We are coming here trying to win but this is another car race and we’ll go out and do our best.”

I have to say I agree with Webber. I expect Red Bull to dominate with only the Ferrari’s getting close. That being said, the team will need to make sure they follow through with their promise.

Prediction – Vettel 1st, Webber 2nd

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