Suzuka International Racing Course

Suzuka is the only figure-of-eight layout on the Formula 1 calendar, with the circuit crossing over itself via an overpass between the Degners and the chicane. Designed by John Hugenholtz in 1962 as a Honda test facility, it has been the Japanese Grand Prix venue almost continuously since 1987. Drivers consistently rank it among the greatest circuits in the world: every corner flows into the next and there are few obvious braking zones, which makes rhythm and commitment the defining skills of a fast lap.

The signature sequences are the Esses in Sector 1, where a mistake on entry compounds through four more corners, and 130R in Sector 3 — a long, uphill left taken flat on the throttle with serious consequences for misjudgment. The track is one of the most physical of the year for drivers and one of the most unforgiving on tyres, especially the front left.

Suzuka has hosted many of the sport's most consequential moments — Senna's 1988 title, the 1989 Prost/Senna collision, the 1990 rematch, Mika Hakkinen's 1998 championship, and Sebastian Vettel's back-to-back 2011 title. It is one of only a handful of circuits that has remained fundamentally unchanged since its Formula 1 debut, with only minor safety revisions.