About
The Japanese Grand Prix is a Formula One race held at Suzuka. The race is amongst some of the favorites for the drivers because of the nature of the tracks and because Japan has some of the most passionate fans in the world. The Japanese Grand Prix was moved to the Fuji Speedway in 2007 and there were talks of alternating between Suzuka and Fiji but Suzuka would make a comeback in 2009 and become a permanent fixture since then. The Japanese Grand Prix had been making an on and off appearance since the 1970s but it gained prominence in the 1990s because Suzuka had become the battleground for the fights between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. The Japanese Grand Prix was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic and would make a retain in 2021.
Racing History
The Japanese Grand Prix came into prominence with the battles between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. The duo would clash multiple times for three straight years from 19888-1990. The races would have title implications as well. In 1988 Senna would overtake Prost to win his first world title. In 1989, Prost and Senna would collide, handed the title to Prost because of a post-race disqualification for Senna while in 1990 the duo would clash in the very first corner of the race and hand the title to Ayrton Senna. Both Senna and Prost would be under the limelight for these crashes as the media would first come down hard on Prost for his tactics during the race and then on Senna for deliberately crashing into Prost in 1990.
By 1994, Senna had passed away and Prost had retired but the circuit still featured some great battles. In 1994 Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill would go at it with the Briton coming out on top. In 1997, Michael Schumacher would use the Japanese Grand Prix as a stepping stone in his quest for a world title at Ferrari. The German would win the race while his nemesis Jacques Villueneve would be disqualified. 1998 and 1999 saw Mika Hakkinen make Suzuka his favorite track by ultimately winning both his titles on the track, the first against Michael Schumacher and the second against Eddie Irvine.
Ferrari and Michael Schumacher would dominate at the track from 2000 onwards with the duo winning the race from 2000 to 2004 barring a win in 2003 for teammate Rubens Barrichello.
Suzuka would also be the home to one of the most spectacular races in the history of Formula One in 2005. In this race, Kimi Raikkonen would win the race despite starting 17th on the grid. Suzuka was replaced by Fuji Speedway in 2007 and 2008 but would make a return to the calendar in 2009.
The circuit was home to the tragic accident and death of Jules Bianchi as well in 2014. The circuit has since seen some great battles between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton as well. It’s been a great hunting ground for Lewis Hamilton as well with 4 wins on this track.
Michael Schumacher holds the all-time record of wins on this track with 6 wins while Mclaren has 9 wins as a constructor.
For the 2021 season, the race at Suzuka would be held on 10 October 2021.