History of Suzuka Circuit in Timeline

Suzuka Circuit is a 5.807 km motorsport race track in Suzuka City, Japan, owned by Honda Mobilityland. It's renowned for hosting Formula One and Japanese Super Formula championships and has a seating capacity of 155,000. The track is a significant venue in the world of motorsport, especially for Formula One racing.

November 1962: Degner Curve Named

In November 1962, the Degner curve was named in honor of Ernst Degner after his crash at the inaugural All Japan Championship Road Race meeting while riding his Suzuki 50.

1962: Suzuka Circuit Designed as Honda Test Track

In 1962, Suzuka Circuit was designed as a Honda test track by John "Hans" Hugenholtz, featuring a unique figure-of-eight layout.

1978: Inaugural Suzuka 8 Hours

Since 1978, Suzuka has hosted the Suzuka 8 Hours motorcycle endurance race, attracting big name riders.

1983: Chicane Inserted at Last Curve

In 1983, a chicane was added at the last curve of the Suzuka Circuit to reduce the speed of cars entering the pit straight.

1983: Logo Appears in Pole Position II

Since 1983 the Suzuka Circuit logo appears on the starter's box of the video game Pole Position II, and the track is referred to as the "Wonder Circuit".

1984: Spoon Corner Modified

In 1984, the first part of the Spoon corner at Suzuka was modified to be slightly slower and brought closer to the track to increase the run-off area.

1985: First Corner Modified

In 1985, the first corner of the Suzuka Circuit was modified to be slightly slower.

1987: Japanese Grand Prix held at Suzuka

In 1987, Suzuka became the venue for the Japanese Grand Prix as part of the Formula One World Championship.

1987: Suzuka Circuit Featured in Final Lap series

In 1987, the Suzuka Circuit was featured in the Final Lap series of games.

1987: Circuit Upgraded for F1 and Motorcycle Grand Prix

In 1987, the Suzuka Circuit was upgraded to meet F1 and Grand Prix motorcycle standards, hosting the first F1 Grand Prix at Suzuka. The Degner curve was modified into two corners, and safety enhancements were implemented.

1988: Ayrton Senna wins the World Championship

In 1988, Ayrton Senna secured the Formula One World Championship at Suzuka.

1989: Controversial Championship won by Alain Prost

The 1989 Formula One World Championship, won by Alain Prost, was decided at Suzuka amidst controversy.

1990: Ayrton Senna Wins the World Championship

In 1990, Ayrton Senna secured another Formula One World Championship at Suzuka.

1991: Ayrton Senna Wins the World Championship

In 1991, Ayrton Senna secured another Formula One World Championship at Suzuka.

1992: Suzuka 8 Hours Arcade Game Release

In 1992, Namco released the Suzuka 8 Hours arcade game based on the motorcycle race of the same name.

1993: Suzuka 8 Hours Ported to Super NES

In 1993, the arcade game Suzuka 8 Hours was ported to the Super NES console.

1996: Inaugural NASCAR Thunder 100 Race

In 1996, NASCAR organized the inaugural NASCAR Thunder 100, an exhibition race on the east circuit of Suzuka. During practice, pace car driver Elmo Langley died of a heart attack in the Chevrolet Corvette pace car. The pole position speed was 83.079 mph.

1997: NASCAR Thunder 100 Race

In 1997, NASCAR organized another NASCAR Thunder 100 race at Suzuka. Rain during qualifying led to Goodyear using rain tires on Winston Cup cars for the first time in the modern era.

2002: Allan McNish Crash at 130R

In 2002, Toyota F1 driver Allan McNish had a high-speed crash at the 130R corner, going through a metal fence but avoiding serious injury.

2002: Chicane and 130R Modified

In 2002, modifications were made to the chicane and 130R (corner 15) at the Suzuka Circuit. Some snake curves were straightened and made faster. The runoff area at the Dunlop Curve was also expanded.

2003: Daijiro Kato Fatal Crash

During the 2003 MotoGP Grand Prix of Japan, Daijiro Kato crashed in the revised section of the track, on his way to the braking zone for the Casio triangle, resulting in his death. Consequently, MotoGP has not returned to Suzuka since the incident.

2003: Motorcycle Variant of Chicane Reconfigured

Following the death of Daijiro Kato, in 2003 Suzuka reconfigured the motorcycle variant of the chicane, now known as the Hitachi Automotive Systems Chicane, and added a second chicane between the hairpin and 200R.

2003: Continued Safety Issues at 130R

In 2003, safety concerns persisted at the 130R corner of Suzuka circuit.

2003: Chicane Modified

In 2003, the chicane at the Suzuka Circuit was made slightly faster and moved closer to the 130R corner.

2005: Year without Clashing Motorcycle Races

In 2005, the FIM ensured no motorcycle races clashed with the Suzuka 8 Hours event due to the importance of major manufacturers' involvement.

2006: Suzuka 1000 km Becomes Part of Super GT Series

In 2006, the Suzuka 1000 km became a points round of the Super GT Series.

November 18, 2007: Circuit Closed for Renovations

On November 18, 2007, Suzuka Circuit closed for a year of renovations to meet F1 compliance standards, marking the last major event before the closure.

2007: Suzuka Dropped from F1 Calendar

In 2007, Suzuka was removed from the Formula One calendar in favor of the Toyota-owned Fuji Speedway.

2007: GT300 Pole Position Time

In 2007, the GT300 pole position time at Suzuka was 2:06.838.

2008: Suzuka Remains off F1 Calendar

In 2008, Suzuka remained off the Formula One calendar, with Fuji Speedway hosting the Japanese Grand Prix.

April 12, 2009: Track Re-opening Day

On April 12, 2009, Suzuka Circuit held a re-opening day after undergoing renovations to become F1-compliant.

July 2009: Suzuka Signs Deal to Host Japanese Grand Prix

In July 2009, after Fuji announced it would no longer be part of the F1 calendar, Suzuka signed a deal to host the Japanese Grand Prix in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

June 21, 2010: Suzuka to Host WTCC Season

On June 21, 2010, it was announced that the east section of the Suzuka Circuit would host the Japanese round of the 2011 WTCC season.

2010: Suzuka Hosts Japanese Grand Prix

In 2010, Suzuka hosted the Japanese Grand Prix as part of the signed deal.

2010: GT500 Pole Position Time

In 2010, the GT500 pole position time at Suzuka was 1:55.237.

2011: Suzuka Hosts Japanese Grand Prix

In 2011, Suzuka hosted the Japanese Grand Prix as part of the signed deal.

2011: Suzuka Hosts Japanese Round of WTCC Season

In 2011, the east section of Suzuka Circuit hosted the Japanese round of the WTCC season.

2012: WTCC Event Pole Position Time

At the 2012 WTCC event at Suzuka, the pole position time was 0:52.885 seconds, with an average speed of 94.875 mph.

2014: Jules Bianchi Accident and Safety Revisions

During the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix, Jules Bianchi suffered serious injuries after colliding with a recovery vehicle, later passing away. As a result, the Dunlop corner was slightly changed, safety standards were revised, and a large crane replaced the tractor.

2024: Fiorano Circuit Downgraded

In 2024, the Fiorano Circuit was downgraded to Grade 2, making Suzuka the only FIA Grade 1 licensed track with a figure-of-eight layout.

2025: Lap Records Set During Japanese Grand Prix

During the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the official lap record for the current circuit layout at 1:30.965, while Max Verstappen set the unofficial lap record during qualifying at 1:26.983.