RACE 17

Japanese Grand Prix

Suzuka

The Japanese Grand Prix has traditionally been one of the last races of the F1 season, and as such it has been the venue for many title deciding races, with 13 F1 World Champions being crowned in just 30 races.

The first F1 race, at Fuji in 1976, was the famous title decider between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, held in monsoon conditions that would normally see an F1 race called off. And of course, who can forget the infamous duels between Ayrton Senna, and Alain Prost

The early history of the Japanese Grand Prix began as a sports car race in 1963, first at Suzuka, and later at Fuji. These two circuits have been the only hosts for the Japanese GP ever since.

Suzuka

Suzuka has been the venue for the Japanese GP since 2009.

The circuit, set inside a funfair, was designed by Dutchman John Hugenholtz and owned by Honda, who used it as a test track. Most notable initially for its layout, Suzuka is the only "figure of eight" race track to appear on the F1 calendar.

The layout has remained more or less intact, with the most notable modifications being made in 1983, when a chicane was created just before the main straight, and Degner was divided to make two distinct turns.

Winners

The most succesful driver at the Japanese GP is Michael Schumacher who has won the event six times. Lewis Hamilton has five wins, and Sebastian Vettel has four.

McLaren have the most victories in Japan, with 9. Ferrari have 7, and Mercedes have five.

Amongst current F1 drivers, Raikkonen and Alonso are the only drivers other than Hamilton and Vettel to register a victory in Japan.

Crowds

The Japanes GP is well known for it's enthusiastic fans, and their eccentric headgear. Crowds approaching 150,000 are the norm for a race weekend.