For Lewis Hamilton, whose championship lead over his McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso has dwindled from 14 points to two, Fuji offers hope.

For once it will be a level playing field and the rookie will not be faced with a track on which his rivals have prior experience. "A handful of drivers have raced here in F3 but everyone is going into unknown territory in an F1 car," Hamilton said. "I can use my skill of learning tracks fast to my advantage and I hope that works out for me."

It is not entirely virgin territory. Such is the level of simulation technology in Formula One that teams are expected to arrive in Japan with mechanical and aerodynamic data enabling them to predict lap times to within one per cent or two per cent.

"The only place I've seen Fuji is on the front of a film box," said Kimi Raikkonen, whose Ferrari set the pace at Spa a fortnight ago. "I don't see why people make such a big deal about new tracks. There aren't that many corners at

Fuji and it looks pretty simple. Right from karting days I've learned tracks quickly in every racing category I've done. With three hours' practice on Friday everyone gets a good handle on the track."

For the teams it has not been quite so simple. They first received circuit data from the race organisers in late 2006 as a computer aided design file. From there it is straightforward to divide the track into multiple sections and determine corner radii and the ideal racing line. But that alone is insufficient. McLaren's engineering director,

Paddy Lowe, confirmed that as recently as July McLaren sent a team to Fuji to work out the finer details.

"We did a complete survey of the place to establish the precise layout," Lowe explained. "You need to factor in the elevations and the features, such as bumps, kerbs and even the buildings. Offline computer modelling is quite

simplistic and you need those details so that you can scan different wings and other parameters.

You also include buildings because you want the driver to be as familiar as possible with everything he will encounter."

The secret for any team is to hit the ground running on the first day of practice and concentrate on fine-tuning the nuances of set-up, tyre evaluation and race strategy. Circuit data from previous races usually accomplishes much of that but on new tracks it is replaced by simulation.

Downforce levels, brake specifications and gear ratios will have been predetermined. The mechanical set-up, including weight distribution and suspension parameters, can be estimated from tracks with similar characteristics and simulation software allows teams to come close to optimum aerodynamic downforce levels. The teams also have information on the track surface but grip level is the one area where there is no substitute for on-track evaluation.

That became apparent first thing yesterday morning as puffs of smoke from locked wheels betrayed drivers experimenting with the limits of adhesion. "There are some quite tricky corners with blind apexes and it's also quite a wide track with a lot of potential lines to explore," Lowe said.

That kind of detail might not be so significant in terms of turning the ultimate lap time but is certainly important when it comes to teeing up an overtaking move, something that should be possible on a circuit with a slow corner on to a long straight and a tight corner at the other end.

Hamilton, who had already stated his intention of turning up the heat on Alonso, also appreciated that maximising that learning time could be key to tomorrow's outcome. "He said. "Preparation is definitely different when you don't have old data to study or old on-board footage. You need to make sure you don't push too much, go over the limit and lose yourself and where you are. That means taking it bit by bit and step by step."

As good as his word, Hamilton finished the opening day with the fastest time, 0.214seconds clear of Alonso after the Ferraris had set the pace in the opening session. One-lap pace and race pace can be two different things, however, and even Saturday qualifying is unlikely to tell the full story.