The first Japanese Grand Prix was run as a sports car race at the Suzuka Circuit, about 80 kilometres south-west of Nagoya, in May 1963, and again at Suzuka in 1964, marking the beginning of motor racing in earnest in Japan. For the next eight installments the non-championship Grand Prix was run at the Fuji Speedway, west of Yokohama and Tokyo. At the time the circuit featured Daiichi, an opening banked turn that was the scene of many fatal accidents before being removed in 1974. The event was then run across several disciplines of motorsport, particularly Formula 2, sports cars and Can-Am-type sprint racing.
The first Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, in 1976, was held at the very fast Fuji Speedway, minus the banking. The race became famous for the title decider between James Hunt and Niki Lauda, held in monsoon conditions. Lauda, who had survived a near-fatal crash at the German Grand Prix earlier in the season, withdrew from the race, stating that his life was more important than the championship, as did Emerson Fittipaldi and Carlos Pace. The rain eventually stopped, and after a slow pit stop dropped him to 5th, Hunt climbed to 3rd to take the four points he needed to win the title by one point over Lauda. Mario Andretti won the race for Lotus, ahead of Patrick Depailler in the Tyrrell P34.
Hunt returned the next year to win the second Japanese Grand Prix in 1977, but a collision between Gilles Villeneuve and Ronnie Peterson saw Villeneuve's Ferrari somersault into a restricted area, killing two spectators. The race did not reappear on the Formula One calendar for another decade, and did not return to Fuji for far longer.
The Japanese Grand Prix originally scheduled for 7 April 1985 was cancelled because rebuilding parts of the Suzuka Circuit proved too time-consuming. On Formula 1's return to Japan in 1987, the Grand Prix found a new venue at the redesigned and revamped Suzuka Circuit. The circuit, set inside a funfair, was designed by Dutchman John Hugenholtz and owned by Honda, who used it as a test track. Suzuka is the only figure-eight race track to appear on the F1 calendar, and the demanding, fast circuit became very popular among drivers and fans.
The first event in 1987 saw another championship decided: Nigel Mansell crashed his Williams-Honda heavily in practice at the Snake Esses and could not start the race after aggravating an old back injury, effectively handing the title to his teammate Nelson Piquet — the third and final title of his career. Gerhard Berger won the race for Ferrari, their first victory since 1985.
Suzuka played a part in the feud between Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, a battle of immense controversy between two men widely considered the best drivers in Formula One at the time.
The 1988 race was a World Championship decider between Senna and Prost, who were McLaren teammates that year. Senna made a very bad start, stalling on the grid before bump-starting his car and dropping to 14th, while Prost took the lead. After rain began to fall, Senna stormed back through the field, catching and passing Prost while the Frenchman was delayed by backmarker Andrea de Cesaris. Senna won the race and his first Drivers' Championship, with Prost finishing 2nd despite scoring more points overall.
The 1989 race became one of the most memorable in the sport's history. Prost and Senna, McLaren teammates again, were embroiled in an acrimonious feud, and Prost led Senna by 16 points entering the race. Senna qualified on pole 1.5 seconds ahead of Prost. On lap 47, Senna attempted an ambitious pass at the Casio chicane; Prost, true to his stated intention not to leave the door open, turned into Senna and the two cars interlocked and slid up the escape road. Senna was push-started by marshals, rejoined, pitted for a new nose cone, then caught and passed Alessandro Nannini to take the chequered flag. After a post-race meeting involving FIA and FISA president Jean-Marie Balestre, Senna was disqualified for bypassing the chicane. Nannini was handed the victory, McLaren's appeal was denied, and Prost won his third Drivers' Championship — confirmed only after Senna's retirement from the Australian Grand Prix two weeks later.
The 1990 event proved equally controversial, with the championship roles reversed: Prost, now driving for Ferrari, needed to win the final two races to defend the title. Senna qualified on pole but his request to move pole to the cleaner side of the track was granted and then reverted on Balestre's intervention. Frustrated, Senna stated he would not move over if Prost attempted to overtake at the first corner. Prost got ahead at the start; Senna dived to Prost's right and hit the side of the Ferrari, sending both cars through the gravel and into the tyre wall. Both drivers were unhurt, and the collision handed Senna his second world Drivers' Championship. It was later declared a "racing incident". Nelson Piquet won his first race in three years, with his Benetton teammate Roberto Moreno finishing 2nd.
In 1991, with Senna and Mansell fighting for the title, Mansell went off at the first corner on lap 10 and Senna won his third Drivers' Championship in four seasons, letting Gerhard Berger through to win as a thank-you gesture. In the post-race press conference Senna admitted his 1990 actions had been intentional and called Balestre and the governing body "stupid people". Prost, who did not win a race in his uncompetitive Ferrari that year, was fired by the team after the race for describing the car as handling like "a truck".
1992 was the first year the Suzuka race did not in any way determine the championship — Nigel Mansell had already secured it in Hungary — and Riccardo Patrese took his only victory that year. In 1993, Senna took the lead from Prost and won his 40th career race in changeable conditions, then sought out and punched newcomer Eddie Irvine after the race.
In 1994, with Senna killed at the San Marino Grand Prix and Prost retired, Damon Hill won crucially ahead of Michael Schumacher in a torrential downpour. In 1995, Jean Alesi produced a remarkable charge on slick tyres in damp conditions before his Ferrari's driveshaft failed; Schumacher won, having already secured the title at the Pacific Grand Prix at Aida. In 1996, Jacques Villeneuve lost a wheel on lap 37, handing the drivers' title to his Williams teammate Damon Hill.
Schumacher won in 1997 with Villeneuve disqualified for ignoring yellow flags in practice. In 1998, Schumacher stalled on pole and Mika Häkkinen took victory and his first Drivers' Championship; Häkkinen won again in 1999 after a fight with Eddie Irvine. Ferrari then won the next five events: Schumacher in 2000–2002 and 2004, and Rubens Barrichello in 2003. Schumacher secured his third title in 2000 — Ferrari's first drivers' championship in 21 years — and his sixth in 2003, beating the record held by Juan Manuel Fangio, after starting 14th. The 2004 qualifying session was postponed to race day after a typhoon hit Suzuka. In 2005, Kimi Räikkönen won after starting 17th, passing Giancarlo Fisichella at the start of the last lap. In 2006, Schumacher's engine failure virtually ended his championship hopes, which went to Fernando Alonso.
In 2007 the race returned to a Fuji Speedway redesigned by Hermann Tilke and now owned by Toyota. Held in torrential rain behind the safety car, it was won by Lewis Hamilton, with Heikki Kovalainen 2nd and Kimi Räikkönen 3rd — the first time two Finnish drivers shared a podium. In 2008, Fernando Alonso won in a Renault after first-corner trouble for the McLarens and Ferraris.
In July 2009, Toyota cited a global economic slump as the reason the Japanese Grand Prix would not return to Fuji Speedway, and Suzuka took over exclusive hosting duties. Both the 2009 and 2010 races were dominated by Red Bull and Sebastian Vettel. Vettel secured his second World Championship at the 2011 Grand Prix with a third-place finish, while Jenson Button won the race wearing a tribute helmet to those affected by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. In 2012, Kamui Kobayashi finished third, becoming the first Japanese driver to finish on a Formula One podium in Japan in 22 years. Vettel won again in 2013, his fourth victory at Suzuka, ahead of teammate Mark Webber.
In 2014 a typhoon struck during the weekend. Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton dueled for the lead, with Hamilton taking victory, but the race was marred by tragedy: Jules Bianchi spun off at the Dunlop Curve and struck a recovery crane, and died nine months later from his injuries. The circuit was subsequently modified with new drainage gutters at the Dunlop Curve.
The 2020 edition was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 Japanese Grand Prix saw a delayed start in torrential rain, a red flag after Carlos Sainz Jr. crashed, and a near-miss for Pierre Gasly with a recovery vehicle on track — sharply criticised given Bianchi's death in similar circumstances. Amid confusion over half versus full points, full points were awarded and Max Verstappen became the 2022 World Champion. For 2024 the Japanese Grand Prix was moved from its traditional September/October date to an April slot as part of F1's regionalisation efforts.
From its return to the Formula One calendar in 1987, the Japanese Grand Prix became one of the most popular with spectators. For the 1990 race, three million fans entered a draw for the 120,000 available tickets, driven by Honda's championship successes as an engine supplier, the emergence of Japan's first full-time F1 driver Satoru Nakajima, and Ayrton Senna's immense popularity in Japan. Interest declined after Nakajima's retirement in 1991 and Honda's withdrawal the following year, and the 1995 race was the first for which allocated tickets did not sell out. The appearance of new Japanese drivers such as Takuma Sato and the entry of Honda and Toyota as full manufacturer teams later restored the event to its former popularity, though both manufacturers left Formula One in 2008 and 2009 respectively.
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