Which racing circuits in the country have been witness to the Japanese Grand Prix since 1976


Which racing circuits in the country have been witness to the Japanese Grand Prix since 1976

Japanese Grand Prix

Formula One has been in existence since the 1950s and over the years has seen its races take place all over the World. However, when the focus shifts especially to Asia, only a few Grand Prix have managed to take the excitement level of fans to a whole another level.

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One of those events has been the Japanese Grand Prix, it’s been on the F1 calendar since 1976 and the first race that took place was at the Fuji International Speedway.

The Fuji circuit is located near the dormant volcano, Mount Fuji, and has hosted F1 races in the years, 1976, 1977, 2007, and 2008. Moreover, the total length of the track is estimated to be around 4.563 km.

While Fuji was the first place ever to host an F1 Grand Prix in Japan, the race was discontinued after the horrific 1977 crash of Gillies Villeneuve and Ronnie Peterson, which led to the death of a photographer and a race marshall.

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Fuji International Speedway
Fuji International Speedway

It was then again brought on the F1 calendar in the years 2007 and 2008, but because of poor weather and low ticket sales, the hierarchy at F1 decided to part ways with the circuit for the future years of the sport.

The Suzuka International Racing Course has hosted all Japanese Grand Prix events barring two since 1987

Suzuka International Racing Course
Japanese Grand Prix

F1 made its presence known in Japan by staging its first race at the Fuji International Speedway, however, as the circuit did not bring the kind of attention that the sport intended, F1 decided to switch to the Suzuka International Racing Course for the race that took place in 1987 and the years after that.

The Grand Prix at the fast-paced Suzuka circuit has been a fan favorite ever since its inception in 1987 and has hosted all the Japanese Grand Prix events that have followed. As told earlier, it was only in the years 2007 and 2008 when Fuji was again allowed to host an F1 race.

The Suzuka Circuit is a 5.807 km track where F1 cars are required to run for at least 307.471 km, which is equivalent to 53 laps around the circuit.

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Japanese Grand Prix
Japanese Grand Prix

The Suzuka International Racing Course was absent from the F1 calendar in 2020 and 2021 because of the covid pandemic, however, the circuit has signed a 3-year contract extension in 2021, that is going to keep the circuit on the F1 calendar until the 2024 season of the sport.