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As F1 returns to the exciting Suzuka track in a few days, the fans have reached their zenith of excitement. The Japanese Grand Prix is one of the returning tracks on this year's calendar. It is widely regarded as one of the finest racing tracks, and will finally make a comeback post-2019.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the F1 calendar for almost two years. The fan-favorite circuits, like Singapore, Australia, and Japan, lost their places. 2022, however, has already welcomed two of the tracks' returns by now, and will soon race in Japan too.
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The Suzuka track is a holy place for F1 racing. Over the decades, the circuit has given the sport some of its most important and iconic moments. We expect nothing but a grand reception for F1's return to the Asian country. The fan affection in Australia and Singapore was groundbreaking, and something similar is expected in Japan.
To mark the Japanese GP's return, let's look at some of the most shocking things that the sport has witnessed on the legendary track.
#1 The titanic Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna collision at the Suzuka circuit
The 1989 F1 Japanese GP is one of the most memorable races in the history of the sport. This was the penultimate race of the season, and both Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were in a fierce fight to win the title.
The McLaren teammates were a few points apart, with Senna in dire need of a win on the circuit. While he won pole during the GP, Prost had a better race start and led it till Lap 46. Senna, however, was speeding up and almost catching up to the Frenchman owing to fresher tires.
Prost saw Senna trying to overtake and turned in, resulting in a collision. Though Prost was out, Senna continued the race after cutting the chicane and taking the exit route.
The Brazilian was later disqualified despite winning the race, and the title went to Prost. The race remains one of the most controversial title battles that ended on the Suzuka track. History, however, would repeat itself in 1990, with the title going to Senna this time around.
#2 Home hero Kamui Kobayashi's maiden F1 podium in Japan
Former F1 driver Kamui Kobayashi was driving for Sauber during their 2012 season. As the sport headed towards the Japanese GP, the home fans could never have guessed what would happen next.
Kobayashi had a brilliant qualifying, putting his car in fourth on the grid. He was behind Jenson Button, Mark Webber, and Sebastian Vettel. Due to Button's grid penalty, the Japanese was later on promoted to third.
He survived an opening lap mayhem with many cars crashing. Later on, a Sauber tactic (to undercut) also failed Kobayashi as he got stuck in traffic behind Vettel and Ferrari's Felipe Massa. Notably, Button and Kobayashi both pitted early, with the former stuck right behind the Japanese.
Throughout the race, however, the driver held his own and managed to stay ahead of Button to finish third – his only podium. It was a truly magnificent drive, with Kobayashi receiving rousing applause from the home crowd.
#3 Nigel Mansell's title-defining crash at Suzuka
In 1991, Williams' Nigel Mansell and McLaren's Ayrton Senna were in a fight to win the world title. Notably, this was the fifth year in a row that the title would be decided in Japan.
Mansell and Senna were 16 points apart, with the latter only required to beat the former anyhow. Mansell, however, simply had to win the race at all costs. During the qualifying, though, McLaren's Gerhard Berger locked in P1, with teammate Senna right behind him.
Mansell was in P3 and had work cut out for himself. So, the driver hounded Senna, who only had to defend against the Briton. It all ended on Lap 10 when Mansell finally made a mistake on Turn 1 and spun off. The title then easily slipped to Senna for the third time at Suzuka.
#4 Michael Schumacher loses the title to Fernando Alonso at Suzuka
It was a historic moment when a young Fernando Alonso denied the retiring Michael Schumacher his eighth title by no challenge of his own. The pair had fought hard in 2006 and had won an equal number of races.
That meant that when they reached the penultimate race of the season in Suzuka, they were equal on points and had to finish ahead of each other. Ferrari's Felipe Massa won the pole for the race but Schumacher passed him on Lap 3 to take the lead.
The German then led the race comfortably up until the last 17 laps were left. That's when his engine blew and the advantage shifted to Alonso, who won the race. The Spaniard then finally secured his second title at the F1 Brazilian GP.
#5 Sebastian Vettel's clash with Max Verstappen in 2018
2018 was a vital season for Sebastian Vettel given he was in a title fight with Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton. The Briton, however, had a fairly superior car and was quite ahead in the lead by the time F1 reached Suzuka that year.
Vettel had a tough qualifying session when a strategic mistake from Ferrari could only secure him P9. The German, though, had a good start in the race owing to a Kimi Raikkonen-Max Verstappen incident. As the safety car period ended after a Haas accident, Vettel tried attacking Verstappen.
As he tried to overtake from the inside going into the fast-Spoon left-hander, Vettel ultimately made light contact with Max Verstappen and spun off into the grass. It was a shocking moment for many fans. The German's championship contention had unraveled itself at this point.
So, these were some of the biggest incidents to have happened on the Suzuka circuit. The F1 Japanese GP always delivers and we expect nothing less this year as well.
