Suzuka International Racing Course

How it began

Honda built the circuit as a test track next to its factory in Mie Prefecture; it was designed by the Dutchman John Hugenholtz, opened in 1962 and is still owned by Honda.

The first Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka was held on 1 November 1987 — before that, the championship had visited Japan only in 1976 and 1977, at Fuji. Gerhard Berger won the first race for Ferrari. In 2007 and 2008 the Grand Prix was held at Fuji again, and since 2009 only at Suzuka; in 2020 and 2021 the race was cancelled because of the pandemic. The contract has been extended until 2029.

Since 2024 the race has been held in spring rather than autumn: Max Verstappen won on 7 April 2024.

The track

It is the only figure-of-eight circuit on the calendar: after Degner the track passes under a bridge that it crosses later in the lap. The lap is 5.807 km long with 18 corners, and the race is 53 laps.

The first sector is a run of esses where the car does not straighten up for several corners in a row; then come Degner, the hairpin, the long double-apex Spoon and the high-speed 130R before the chicane at the finish. There are few long straights, overtaking is difficult, and the main place to attack is the chicane before the pits.

Memorable races

Its autumn date near the end of the season made Suzuka a place where the title was often decided. On 30 October 1988 Ayrton Senna stalled at the start, fought back from fourteenth, won and became champion. On 22 October 1989 he collided with Alain Prost at the chicane and was disqualified, and the title went to Prost; on 21 October 1990 they collided at the very first corner, and Senna became champion.

On 8 October 2000 Michael Schumacher won and brought Ferrari their first Drivers’ Championship since 1979. On 9 October 2011 Sebastian Vettel sealed his second title here. On 9 October 2022 Max Verstappen won a rain-shortened race and became champion for the second time — the teams only found out after the finish that full points had been awarded.

On 5 October 2014, in the rain, Jules Bianchi crashed into a recovery vehicle that was removing Adrian Sutil’s car; he died of his injuries in July 2015. After this accident the championship introduced the virtual safety car.