Fuji Speedway's original road course opened in January 1966 and hosted the inaugural Formula One Japanese Grand Prix in 1976, a race defined by its dramatic wet conditions and the World Championship battle between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. The following year a crash involving Gilles Villeneuve killed two spectators, and Formula One departed. For the next two decades the venue continued hosting national and international sportscar events under ownership by Mitsubishi Estate.
In 2000, Toyota Motor Corporation acquired the majority stake in Fuji Speedway. In 2003 the circuit was closed entirely and handed to German designer Hermann Tilke for a comprehensive reprofiling. Tilke retained the track's most distinctive feature — a pit straight of approximately 1.475 km, one of the longest in international motorsport — while redesigning the infield section to create a modern FIA Grade 1 facility. Most of the original banked first turn, notorious for fatal accidents in the 1960s and 1970s, was demolished during this work. The rebuilt circuit reopened in April 2005.
The 2007 layout measures 4.563 km and runs in a clockwise direction. The defining element is the long pit straight, which feeds cars into TGR Corner (27R), a tight right-hander that begins the technical infield section. A sequence of medium- and high-speed corners — including the 300R sweeper and the Advan Corner — tests aerodynamic balance, while the final complex of tight hairpins at Dunlop Corner, Panasonic Corner, and GR Supra Corner demands strong mechanical grip and hard braking.
The twelve corners carry a mixture of radius-based names (75R, 80R, 120R, 300R) and sponsor-denominated titles that reflect Toyota's commercial presence at the venue. The circuit's elevation changes are modest but consistent with the eastern foothills of Mount Fuji terrain, and the circuit is notorious for its susceptibility to low cloud, mist, and sudden heavy rain.
Toyota negotiated the return of the Japanese Grand Prix to Fuji in 2007, temporarily replacing the Honda-owned Suzuka Circuit. The 2007 Japanese Grand Prix on 30 September 2007 was run in heavy rain and mist, mirroring the conditions of the circuit's first Grand Prix 31 years earlier. The opening 19 laps ran under the safety car, disrupting the Championship battle between Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen. Hamilton eventually won the race, which proved decisive in his 2007 World Championship campaign.
Spectator logistics for the 2007 event drew substantial criticism. Shuttle bus services were overwhelmed, reserved grandstand seats were sold without verified sightlines, and catering costs — reportedly 10,000 yen for a basic lunch box — attracted widespread complaint. Reports also alleged restrictions on spectator flags and banners, with exceptions permitted only for the Toyota Formula One team, creating an impression of circuit-owner bias at an international event.
For the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix, organizers reduced maximum Sunday attendance from approximately 140,000 to 110,000, widened walkways, and expanded spectator facilities. The race was again affected by rain. Despite the improvements, the event's commercial performance was hampered by the effects of the global financial crisis, and following Toyota's withdrawal from Formula One at the end of 2009, the hosting contract was not renewed. The Japanese Grand Prix returned to Suzuka from 2009 onward. An agreement to alternate the race between Fuji and Suzuka on alternate years was announced but never implemented.
The Tilke-era Fuji Speedway layout is represented in a substantial range of sim titles, including Gran Turismo 4 through Gran Turismo 7, Project CARS 2, iRacing (as paid downloadable content), and Grid Legends. The circuit's long straight makes it a distinctive high-speed venue in simulation, where slipstream and late-braking opportunities at TGR Corner are primary overtaking zones. Earlier versions of the circuit appear in Grand Prix Legends and rFactor via community-developed content.
The 2007 F1 layout gave Toyota a brief but high-profile opportunity to host a World Championship Grand Prix at its home circuit. Although the two editions were operationally troubled, the event reaffirmed Fuji Speedway's international standing. The circuit retained its FIA Grade 1 license and continued to host the FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Fuji, Super GT, and Super Formula as its major annual events. The Fuji Motorsports Forest development, announced by Toyota in 2022, further expanded the venue with the Fuji Speedway Hotel and Fuji Motorsports Museum, cementing the circuit's role as a flagship automotive destination in Japan.