Japanese Grand Prix: track and statistics

The legendary race circuit is located in the city of the same name in the Mie prefecture. Configured in the shape of a figure eight, the track was designed by John Hugenholtz for testing Honda road cars. Suzuka has all kinds of turns, which allow you to assess the characteristics of road vehicles, and for Formula 1 cars it will be a serious test.

The Suzuka circuit temporarily left the championship following the reconstruction and return of the Fuji circuit to the calendar, after which the owners of the two circuits agreed to alternate races, but in July 2009 the Fuji stage was abandoned due to financial problems, and since then the Japanese Grand Prix has been held again in Suzuke. The stage was not held for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

European spectators have always been a little jealous of the Japanese – many events that have become Formula 1 classics and described in racing reference books took place in Suzuka.

In recent years, the circuit has been reconstructed – new asphalt has been laid, safety zones have been expanded, but the configuration of the circuit has remained virtually unchanged.

In 2014, the rain race was completed ahead of schedule after Jules Bianchi’s terrible accident. Ten years have passed since then.

Characteristics of the trajectory

At Suzuka, balanced and efficient cars have the advantage. Sebastian Vettel achieved four victories at the Japanese circuit at the wheel of Red Bull Racing, then there were victories for Mercedes drivers and now the lead has passed back to Red Bull.

When setting up the car at Suzuka, the important compromise is between handling in the slow chicanes and speed in the fast corners. Unpredictable and changeable weather can disrupt the weekend.

Heavy Puholar, engineer: “Drivers and engineers like Suzuka – it’s one of the best circuits on the calendar. Hilly terrain, narrow course, fast turns – a real challenge for racers. Teams use different settings and experiment with the level of downforce. In fast corners everyone would prefer more downforce, but in the last sector it is important to reach maximum speed, so the car settings are different.

Due to the high average speed, the load on the tires is quite high, but the brakes are used relatively rarely, so in general everything is very similar to the situation at Silverstone, where there are also many fast corners and little braking. Comparing these two circuits, Suzuka is more difficult due to the terrain and smaller width. We can say that Suzuka is one of the most difficult circuits on the calendar, and the small number of safety zones requires flawless driving.”

Weekend schedule

You can follow the progress of all Formula 1 sessions on our live broadcast page.

Tire kits issued to teams for the weekend

In Suzuka, the tires are heavily loaded in the corners and tire manufacturers traditionally choose the hardest compound for the Japanese Grand Prix, allowing drivers to attack as much as possible even if they opt for the one pit stop strategy. .

Depending on the weather forecast, rain and intermediate tires may be necessary.

Performance of current riders in Japan

Charles Leclerc: “Japan is a good place to race, especially for Japanese fans. They support us passionately and emotionally – from this point of view the stage can be called unique.

The course is interesting and technically challenging, one of the best in aerobatics. The configuration combines fast straights with various bends and hairpin bends. The characteristics of the circuit are different from those we recently participated in.”