The Suzuka International Racing Circuit in Japan is one of the most iconic.
Soichiro Honda (yes, that Honda) is guilty of creating Japan’s first large-scale race circuit, and the circuit’s designer, John Hugenholtz, designed the eight iconic and originals. In the original direction, the circuit intersected three times, however, the existing layout only has one intersection. of sectors 2 and 3.
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It’s still not easy, more than 30 years after hosting its first F1 Grand Prix, Suzuka is a favourite among drivers as it offers old-world charm and almost any and all types of corners. “Suzuka is definitely one of the greatest of all time,” said George. Russell said in 2023. ” It’s very exciting. The undulations and flow of this circuit give you incredible speed when you run. So it’s a pleasure to come here. “
As Formula 1 continues to try to regionalise the calendar, the Japanese Grand Prix was brought forward in the year, falling into cherry blossom season. Here’s what you want to know about the track that has decided many world championships.
“I need to have a place in auto racing,” said Soichiro Honda in 1959. “Cars can’t move forward if they’re not put to the test on the race track. “
The company made its racing debut at the Tourist Trophy (TT) motorcycle race on the Isle of Man that same year and needed a test track for its production models. The solution to build your own circuit. Honda approached Hugenholtz for help with the design, and according to racingcircuits. info, Hugenholtz’s son says the story went like this:
“My father went there and he had several workers to help him and they gave him blueprints for a large structure site. There was also a three-dimensional style to the site. As there were several hills and paths between the rice paddies, he devised a plan that would leave the least amount of earth to move, adding the crossing, which was and is very uncommon on a tour. However, my father’s opinion was that a race track deserves to have a mix of other corners and challenges. , so a crossing was actually possible.
The company’s team analysed insights from prominent circuits in Europe to create the model. He decided that the land was worth between 660,000 and 990,000 square meters for a six-kilometer track (the distance of one lap). And while the municipal government supported the project, obtaining the land was a challenge. The Suzuka City Council held meetings over several nights where Honda representatives and the city’s deputy mayor spoke to residents. In the end, everyone agreed.
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According to Honda’s circuit history, Suzuka is located on a nearby mountainous domain after the original plan to build on a paddy plot was abandoned.
Today, Honda’s ties to Formula 1 are getting bigger beyond the track. It has worked with many groups over the years, including Red Bull, McLaren, Lotus and Williams, and will be the official partner of Aston Martin in 2026.
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Why Honda could drive Aston Martin’s next big step into F1
The history of F1 in Japan dates back to the 1970s, when it was raced at Fuji Speedway, the circuit where the 1976 World Championship was held (Mario Andretti won the race, but James Hunt earned the name by beating Niki Lauda by one point). , however, it was dangerous and subject to unpredictable rainfall.
In 1977, Ronnie Peterson and Gilles Villeneuve collided there, sending the latter’s Ferrari into a group of spectators and killing two other people in a limited area. F1 left the country for a decade before returning, this time to Suzuka.
Changes were made to the circuit in the 1980s to put Suzuka on the F1 calendar. A chicane was added before the last corner in 1983. There were considerations on this segment between higher speeds and lack of exit area. Other protective measures have been taken around the circuit, such as the progression of safe segments to create more areas of runoff. And it worked; Suzuka hosted its first Grand Prix in 1987.
But F1 doesn’t just stop at Suzuka. Toyota Motor Corporation purchased Fuji Speedway in 2000 and announced that it would remodel the track to meet the sport’s standards. Legendary track designer Hermann Tilke evolved the proposition and Fuji Speedway reopened in 2005. F1 raced there in 2007 and 2008, but weather disruptions persisted. Ticket sales fell short of expectations for various reasons and Formula 1’s control that Suzuka and Fuji would alternate venues for the Japanese Grand Prix.
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Until the Great Recession forced Toyota to pull out of F1 and Honda negotiated a deal to keep Suzuka on the F1 calendar. The other two seasons in which the sport did not compete at Suzuka were in 2020 and 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Suzuka has witnessed many battles over the years. With its traditional season schedule expired, this track has more than one championship.
Collision between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna in 1989
McLaren teammates (and infamous rivals) Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost fought a tight world title war, with Suzuka marking the penultimate race of the 1989 calendar. That said, Senna needed to win the last two races to clinch the title. He could have taken pole, but Prost made a better start, leading until lap 46.
Senna clashed with his teammate and tried to overtake, colliding with Prost. Prost was eliminated and Senna won the race, then was disqualified.
Especially in that epic between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna in 1989! ?#F1 #HistoryAwaits pic. twitter. com/AeSj4DvxFQ
– Formula 1 (@F1) December 2, 2021
Nigel Mansell vs. Aryton Senna for the 1991 title
Once again, the world championship took place in Suzuka.
Sixteen things separated Mansell and Senna heading into the Japanese GP, and the former driver needed a win to keep hopes of his name alive. Mansell covered P3 while Senna second, and Senna just needed to protect the Williams driver. After only 10 laps at the end of the race, Mansell made a mistake and went off the track. It was Senna’s last world championship before his death in 1994.
Michael Schumacher’s first Ferrari title
Do you already notice a trend here? Michael Schumacher and Mika Häkkinen battled for the 2000 World Championship and the race continued at Suzuka.
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The rain complicated matters as Schumacher and Hakkinen set “almost the same times, like a perpetual qualifying lap” for more than 40 laps, the Ferrari driver told Autosport. Häkkinen led at the first pit stop, but made a stop early, allowing Schumacher Ferrari’s pit stop was finally quick enough for Schumacher not to lose his lead, and that victory made Schumacher the first Ferrari driver to win a title in 21 years.
Kimi Räikkönen’s rise from P17 to P1
At the 2005 Japanese Grand Prix, Räikkönen worked his way from the back of the pit to the top of the box.
Suzuka is not known for its overtaking opportunities. Still, a combined grid after rainy qualifying led to a lot of overtaking with the same old favourites much further down the grid. Chaos ensued when the drivers were on the verge of colliding. In the final laps, but Räikkönen had other plans. He swept through Fisichella on the final lap, taking the lead and finishing 1. 6sec ahead.
One of our greatest wins of all time came here in Japan as Iceman from 17th place!➡️?? #GP of Japan ??pic. twitter. com/aOTtAQzsJE
– McLaren (@McLarenF1) September 21, 2023
Jules Bianchi’s accident
In October 2014, Jules Bianchi was involved in a fatal twist of fate at the Japanese Grand Prix, dying several months after colliding with a recovery tractor at Suzuka. His death accelerated safety adaptations in the sport, such as the advent of the halo.
Pierre Gasly almost lost the recovery crane at the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix. He told Sky Sports F1 at the time: “We’ve already lost Jules. We’ve all lost an amazing guy, an amazing driver, for the reasons we know. Eight years ago, on the same track, in the same conditions, with a crane. How can we see a crane today, not just on the gravel, on a race track, while we’re still on the track? I don’t know. perceiving that.
“Obviously, I got self-mobilizing. Obviously, if I had lost the car in the same way that Carlos lost it on the last lap – it didn’t matter the speed, two hundred km/h, a hundred – I would have died, as is undeniable. “”I don’t get it. It’s disrespectful to Jules, disrespectful to his family. “
In 2023, there will be a lot of activity at the Suzuka International Race Circuit, especially at Turn 2.
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Sebastian Vettel, a four-time retired world champion, took part in the Japanese Grand Prix and created the “Buzzin’ Corner”. The borders were painted black and yellow, and on the inner grounds, several wooden huts (called “bee hotels”) were set up to advertise biodiversity. These can be filled with items such as twigs and branches that insects can use to build nests and as food. The grid, adding some of the team’s staff, joined Vettel and decorated the huts (one for each team). with black and yellow paint.
“It’s wonderful to see that he discovered his goal,” Lewis Hamilton said of Vettel’s impact. “To be honest, in the history of the sport, I don’t know of any other driving force that has been so outspoken and shown genuine compassion. “for the global outdoors of this small global in which we live.
There’s more to driving an F1 car around Suzuka and other circuits. Alex Albon said it best.
“It’s that feeling that you can take corners and feel what it’s like to drive a Formula 1 car, which sounds silly, but on a track like Singapore you don’t feel like you’re driving a Formula 1 car. “It’s just the speed, and because it’s so narrow, so narrow, there’s grass on both sides, the immersion in the speed, the feeling of speed is a little bit greater than what you get, for example, at Paul Ricard, so it’s very special. “
As Lando Norris said: “I think when you go through Singapore, it’s amazing to drive it in a Formula 1 car and probably faster than any other car you can drive around Singapore with, but you don’t feel the same speeds as you do. “You don’t get the same feeling of what an F1 car is actually capable of, because where it plays more than anything else is the high-speed corners.
The track hasn’t been drastically replaced over the years, which Norris says “is one of the most productive things. “There’s still grass around and “you’ve got that little bit of threat, that detail of threat, that I think is still real. It feels very natural and actually adds, let’s say, to a qualifying round, the threat point you need to take.
Suzuka may not have the limitations of a city like Monaco or Singapore, but there is very little margin for error. To set a smart lap, Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg said the driving forces want to “connect all sectors, have an intelligent balance of the cars” and be fast. The direction changes frequently, creating a fast and fluid rhythm. The Haas driver added: “At the end of the day, it all comes down to how much grip you have and smart balance. “
(Watch the video courtesy of EA Sports F1; learn more about “F1 24” here. )
(Graphics: Drew Jordan/The Athletic. Main image: Getty Images; Design: Drew Jordan/The Athletic)
(An earlier edition of this tale was published in September 2023. )