The Formula One season is finally coming to an end, with the last round held at the popular yet challenging Suzuka circuit. Atlas F1's Craig Scarborough looks at the upcoming weekend and the participating teams & drivers

After thousands of miles of racing, Formula One reaches Round 17 - the last race of the season - in Suzuka, Japan.

Being the final race of the season gives the Japanese Grand Prix a different atmosphere - more party-like, and the race's end will be marked by celebrations organised by teams and sponsors up and down the pitlane. This is one of the few times you will see drivers socialising and even drinking alcohol in the F1 paddock.

But while the drivers and teams say goodbye to another season of racing, Japan is not the end of the road for the 2002 cars - who will be shipped back to the factory right after the race, and will be made ready for the exhaustive winter testing programme that will soon begin.

Some cars may even be revised into an interim spec for racing in the early races of next year, but this usually involves a newly built chassis mated to a revised rear end. Ferrari, Williams, McLaren and possibly Jaguar are tipped to run 2002 cars for at least the first race and more likely until the start of the European season at San-Marino.

The remaining chassis will be stripped and rebuilt into show cars, for sponsor events around the world for the next few years.

Set-up and Layout

Built as part of a theme park for Honda's assembly workers, Suzuka has a unique 'figure of eight' layout. With some of the circuits on the calendar not giving the drivers or cars much of a workout, Suzuka is challenging and local knowledge counts for a lot. The car is almost always in a corner and needs to be accurate to line up for the next corner and the next corner after that. With such a demanding track, the strong chance of rain makes the challenge for the drivers even tougher, yet they love it.

Suzuka has it all - it's almost an amalgam of the top European race tracks. In fact, the circuit was designed by Dutchman John Hugenholz, the same architect who designed the renowned Zandvoort circuit in the Netherlands. As a result, it has a long straight with a tight first corner, a bridge and tunnel to allow the figure of eight layout, fast, classic corners like 130R, as well as hairpins and even a tight chicane.

Some of the corners are technically challenging for the drivers as they are double apexed (a compound corner made of two corners taken as one). The line of the track does not follow the racing line and the driver needs to place the car without reference to the entry and exit kerbs and still make two apexes on each of the corners.

Some of the corners also demand use of the kerbs, especially through the final chicane - as this can boost speed onto the straight, allowing the chance to slipstream or outbreak a competitor into the first corner.

With Suzuka's exacting curves, the cars need medium to high levels of downforce. Should the race prove cold or wet, then the levels will be much higher, prompting some teams to bring out extra high downforce bodywork.

To keep the aerodynamics and tyres working at their best and to allow the driver to change direction easily, the stiff mechanical set up will be the key area for fine-tuning. Finding that the elusive balance is what all drivers will be seeking throughout the practice sessions.

The brakes are called for two major stops each lap and in a hot race this can create trouble for the teams. And, while outright power is not the main requirement for the track, engine drivability is. That said, the more horsepower you have the more wing you can add, so teams with a powerful engine still end up near the front.

As the car has to turn direction and accelerate so much, the track is tough on tyres and fuel. The race is usually favours a two-stop strategy, but as the two tyre manufacturers find different solutions for the track, one or even three stops are possible over the 53 laps.

The weather in Suzuka is near tropical - not to the extent the Malaysian and Brazilian races are, but excessive heat, humidity and torrential rain are all normal. Should it rain, any driver with a lot of prior knowledge of the track will be at a big advantage, finding the parts of the track with grip and avoiding the patches of standing or running water.

Team by team

Ferrari

Building up to the race, Ferrari's test drivers pounded around Jerez, Mugello and Fiorano, completing tyre testing for Bridgestone. The testing included running on one naturally wet and one artificially-flooded track, which may prove important should the weather turn wet in Japan.

After the finish-line debacle in Indianapolis, it would be tricky to predict how the race may turn out for Ferrari. While it could almost be accepted they will win and equally likely to come second, which order and by what means the drivers will finish is debatable.

Michael Schumacher has yet to suffer any race retirement, and this may be the time for the law of averages to catch up and to see a different finishing order. As Ferrari are working hard to complete the F2003, there will be no interim 2002 car with the 2003 rear end. This precludes Ferrari from running any new 2003 development components in Japan and hence precludes any additional source of unreliability.

Williams

Having secured the second place in the Constructors' Championship, it is down to Juan Pablo Montoya and Ralf Schumacher to fight for third position in the Drivers' Championship, with McLaren's David Coulthard joining the fight. Although Suzuka will not be perfect for the Williams drivers, they can expect to lead the rest of the field from Ferrari, with only McLaren's pace and reliability troubling them.

A four day test in Barcelona with Antonio Pizzonia and Marc Gene centred on the 2003 engine and car development. Next year, Williams are expected to be well ahead of the game with the engine package, and the chassis will be the first for some time without the input of Geoff Willis, who is now in BAR. Some suggest that this factor could unleash Williams from their conservative chassis design and propel them towards Ferrari.

McLaren

With rumours flying around about their 2003 car delayed for the European season, Japan may not see McLaren's last chance to perform with the MP4/17. Both the engine and chassis have developed tremendously this year, even if visually there has been little effect. As a result, McLaren pushed clear ahead of Renault, who were looking as a serious threat to McLaren mid season.

Suzuka has the making of a good McLaren circuit if the drivers can find the setup quickly and maintain it. Otherwise, the race will be another trailing to the top two teams and keeping clear of the midfield.

Renault

After several races with a big emphasis on power, Renault may look towards the Japanese race to cement the reputation that the R202 is a fine handling car. They will also need to prove its Michelin tyres do not dictate the car's pace and that the Renault engine is reliable.

Testing has comprised of three days at Silverstone with one car for Oliver Gavin working developments for the R203. Frequent trips off the road and engine problems hampered the test, which was otherwise run on a clear track in dry conditions.

Sauber

Felipe Massa returns to the race team after Heinz Harald Frentzen's one-off outing, and he also returned to testing for two days, as part of a three-day test in Mugello. Nick Heidfeld completed the final day.

Massa is only three points behind Heidfeld in the World Championship, and being without a drive for next year he will be gunning for those points to prove Peter Sauber wrong for dropping him. Whether this means fireworks or a mature drive from the Brazilian remains to be seen.

Japan suits Sauber on paper, but the team have disappointed since the mid season, struggling for pace despite their reliability.

Jordan

Takuma Sato concluded Jordan's testing, with two days at Silverstone running EJ13 development parts. Subsequently, Jordan are confident of their potential performance in Japan. The Honda engine is now much more powerful than early season versions and both drivers love and know the circuit. Bridgestone may be the missing link to their points-scoring chances.

BAR

As with Jordan, the new, more powerful Honda engine is improving the team's pace and the improved reliability is allowing Jacques Villeneuve to run aggressive races and pick up points.

BAR's Championship position has improved with the recent run of points, and a finish just off the podium would transform belie the team's true competitiveness this year (or rather lack thereof).

Jaguar

The constant corners in Japan are likely to expose the R3's failings. Michelin are the key to upping the team's game, but for Jaguar this year has been squandered on a poor basic design. Ninth for Irvine and sixth for the team in the World Championship are flattering results, created by only two good finishes.

Toyota

Increasing unreliability and no progress on the car's mechanical grip do not warrant great expectations in Japan. New aerodynamic parts on the car seen briefly in Indianapolis suggest work is going on, but this is all pointed to the 2003 car. The new engine and gearbox have also had more testing in Barcelona.

Minardi

Mark Webber and Alex Yoong returned home to Australia and Malaysia after the last race, and they will go to Suzuka hoping a midfield team will struggle and promote them from the back of the grid as in Indianapolis, where the team's early race performance has been increasingly credible, as was Yoong's overall performance.