Suzuka Int. Racing Course

Name: Suzuka Int. Racing Course
Address: Suzuka, Japan

Suzuka, Japan

About this circuit

Suzuka is the only figure-of-eight circuit on the F1 calendar — a short bridge crosses over itself between the Esses and the Crossover — and it is universally cited by drivers as the technical benchmark of the championship. Designed by John Hugenholtz in 1962 as a Honda test track, it has hosted F1 since 1987 with only minor layout changes.

Where Spa rewards commitment and Silverstone rewards aero, Suzuka rewards rhythm. The first sector is one of the highest-speed flowing complexes in motorsport; the second sector is technical low-to-medium speed; the final sector tests heavy braking and traction. Five title-deciders have happened here.

Circuit Details

5.807 km

Length

Race Laps

CountryJapan

CitySuzuka

Coordinates34.8431, 136.5410

Total Races Held36

Records

Lap Record

1:30.965

Andrea Kimi Antonelli (2025)

Top 100 →

Most Wins

1.Michael Schumacher

6 wins

2.Sebastian Vettel

4 wins

3.Lewis Hamilton

4 wins

Circuit Layout

Lap-time database

Top 100 fastest race laps ever set at Suzuka Int. Racing Course, filterable by year and driver.

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3D Track Elevation

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Key corners

The Esses (Turns 3-4-5-6-7): Five direction changes climbing uphill, taken in 6th-7th gear at 200-260 km/h. The most rhythm-dependent sequence in F1 — get the entry to Turn 3 wrong and the entire complex falls apart. The lap-time sensitivity here exceeds anywhere else on the calendar.
Degner 1 + 2 (Turns 8-9): Two right-handers separated by a tiny straight, the first taken at 240 km/h and tightening, the second at 130 km/h on a tighter line. Misjudge Degner 1 and the wall on the inside of Degner 2 ends the lap.
130R (Turn 15): A long left-hander whose name comes from its 130-metre radius. Once the most feared corner in F1; modern cars take it flat at 320 km/h and the corner has lost some mystique, but the run-off-to-wall margin still terrifies anyone who runs wide.
Casio Triangle / Final chicane (Turns 16-17-18): The last corner — a tight, kerb-heavy chicane that ends the lap and leads onto the start-finish straight. The DRS-zone overtake spot, but also the place where five championship-deciding moves have happened (Senna 1989, Schumacher 2000, Hamilton 2007, Verstappen 2022).

Strategy and tyres

Suzuka is high-energy on tyres — the long, fast corners rinse the rears, and degradation is among the highest of the calendar. Two stops are the strategic norm in dry races; one is achievable only when the medium can be stretched and traffic is light. Rain is the historic disruptor: Japanese GP weather has produced the most chaotic races of the modern era (1994, 2007, 2014, 2022).

If you're going

Early autumn in Mie Prefecture — daytime average 21 °C, high humidity, typhoon season makes rain an active risk. Spectator hill at 130R and the Esses grandstand are the iconic seats; the Honda-funded paddock is the most modern in F1. Tickets sell out 6 months in advance.

Pole Lap

Max Verstappen · 2025

Suzuka Int. Racing Course — Max Verstappen · 2025

F1 drivers at Suzuka Int. Racing Course

ANT RUS LEC HAM NOR PIA BEA GAS VER LAW LIN HAD BOR SAI OCO COL

Year	Winner	Team
2026	Andrea Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes
2025	Max Verstappen	Red Bull
2024	Max Verstappen	Red Bull
2023	Max Verstappen	Red Bull
2022	Max Verstappen	Red Bull
2019	Valtteri Bottas	Mercedes
2018	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
2017	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
2016	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes
2015	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
2014	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes
2013	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull
2012	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull
2011	Jenson Button	McLaren
2010	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull
2009	Sebastian Vettel	Red Bull
2006	Fernando Alonso	Renault
2005	Kimi Räikkönen	McLaren
2004	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
2003	Rubens Barrichello	Ferrari
2002	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
2001	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
2000	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
1999	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
1998	Mika Häkkinen	McLaren
1997	Michael Schumacher	Ferrari
1996	Damon Hill	Williams
1995	Michael Schumacher	Benetton
1994	Damon Hill	Williams
1993	Ayrton Senna	McLaren
1992	Riccardo Patrese	Williams
1991	Gerhard Berger	McLaren
1990	Nelson Piquet	Benetton
1989	Alessandro Nannini	Benetton
1988	Ayrton Senna	McLaren
1987	Gerhard Berger	Ferrari