Japan awoke to the sound of high pitched screams today, as the Formula One contingent rolled into Fuji for the 16th round of the World Championship.

Japan boasts an impressive resume of automotive companies, two of whom will be taking part in this weekend’s proceedings. Honda Racing F1 and Toyota Panasonic Racing will both be looking for a solid finish within the top ten on home soil.

In Friday practise it was Toyota’s Timo Glock who headed the field, impressively outpacing both of the title rivals, Lewis Hamilton and Felipa Massa, on his first visit to the Fuji Circuit.

Timo, in his first full season with the team has had a strong 2008 campaign, including six top ten finishes and a very impressive second place in Hungary. On Sunday he will be looking to put on another masterful display in front of Toyota’s big bosses on a track that caused mayhem in its inaugural GP last year.

"That was a good day. This was the first time I have driven at the Fuji Speedway so I had to learn the track this morning. It didn't take too long - two or three laps, but it's not an easy circuit. It's especially difficult to find the right compromise for the long high speed straight and the last sector which is very technical. But we sorted out a lot of stuff and we brought everything together for the second practice, which went well. I had a nice lap near the beginning of the session and it's great for the team to end up quickest on Friday here in Japan. So far I'm happy and it would be nice to keep the position like this for the whole weekend. That will obviously be difficult but hopefully the local fans will give us an extra boost."

Twelve months ago it was Lewis Hamilton who took victory in appalling conditions, with the field forced to start behind the safety car. In 2008 the teams will be hoping for a dry race with no safety car interruptions after an incident filled race in Singapore.

Lewis heads into the weekend with a seven point lead in the driver’s championship over Felipe Massa and with only three rounds remaining, Sunday’s race could be pivotal in the title fight.

Fuji circuit, sitting in the shadows of its famous Volcano, may pitch the Championship decisively. It should certainly be one to keep an eye on.

The race gets underway at 6:30am (CET) on Sunday.