The Formula One circus descended into Japan this week for the first time in three years. The series was unable to race in the Land of the Rising Sun thanks to strict travel restrictions placed during the Covid-19 epidemic. Once the traditional season-ending race, the Japanese race takes place much earlier in the calendar. With the race weekend nearly upon us we bring you five facts about Suzuka racetrack that you may not now.

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Five Facts About Suzuka Racetrack

    1. Honda commissioned Suzuka as a dedicated test facility in 1962. It hosted its first Formula One race in 1987.
    2. The track is highly rated by most drivers. It is extremely fast and challenging with many technical corners. Among these are the ‘S’ Curves, the two Degners and the white-knuckle ride of 130R. Incidentally, the Degners were named after motorcycle rider Ernst Degner who crashed heavily there in 1962.
    3. Suzuka is the only track on the Formula One calendar that crosses over itself. The track has a loose figure of eight shape when viewed from above. This also means that it is uniquely clockwise and anti-clockwise.
    4. Michael Schumacher has claimed more wins at Suzuka, six, than any other driver. Alessandro Nannini took his one and only F1 victory at Suzuka in 1989.
    5. To date, no Japanese driver has won an F1 race at home. The best results achieved by Japanese drivers have been Aguri Suzuki (Lola, 1990) and Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber, 2012) who both finished third.

Suzuka Quick Facts

Official name: Suzuka International Racing Course
Location: Suzuka City, Japan
Lap distance: 5,807 km
Lap record: 1 min 30,983 sec (Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG)

Interested in learning more about Formula 1 and motorsport? Feel free to browse some of the other exclusive Formula One articles and reviews on Double Apex.