About Suzuka
The Suzuka International Racing Course, or simply Suzuka, is a motorsport race track located in Ino, Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture, Japan and operated by Mobilityland Corporation, a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co, Ltd. It was designed as a Honda test track in 1962 by Dutchman John "Hans" Hugenholtz. It is one of the few circuits in the world to have a "figure 8" layout, with the 1.2 km back straight passing over the front section.
Suzuka is widely regarded as one of the greatest driving challenges in the world. It features almost every type of corner possible, from the high-speed "S" Curves in the first sector to the hairpin and the erratic Spoon Curve. Specifically, the 130R corner is a fearsome high-speed left-hander taken nearly flat-out.
The track has been the site of many championship-deciding races, most infamously the collisions between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1989 and 1990. The Japanese fans are famous for their creativity and passion, often staying late into the night. A car with high downforce and excellent balance is essential to be fast here.
Suzuka Circuit is owned by Mobilityland Corporation, a subsidiary of Honda Motor Co that also operates the Twin Ring Motegi venue on Japan's east coast. The Formula One hosting deal signed in October 2023 runs until 2029 and reflects Honda's renewed commitment to Formula One through its partnership with Aston Martin, following the Japanese manufacturer's own withdrawal as an official engine supplier at the end of 2021. The circuit's iconic figure-8 crossover was retained despite significant safety concerns raised by the FIA during the 2007 homologation review, only after Honda agreed to construct the reinforced concrete bridge deck to a specification allowing a fully laden fire tender to cross it at 90 kilometres per hour without slowing.