Return to F1's playground: why drivers rate Suzuka as their favourite track
The first Japanese GP since 2019 brings F1 back to Suzuka — a circuit that's far and away the most popular among drivers. Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz explain what makes it so special
130R, Spoon, the Degners and other corners make Suzuka a unique thrill-ride for drivers
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Formula 1 has returned to several tracks in 2022 that were absent from the calendar for two years due to the Covid pandemic, but no race has been more eagerly anticipated by the drivers than the Japanese GP.
That’s simply because to a man they love the place, and indeed any poll of GPDA members taken in recent decades would have put Suzuka clearly at the top, with only Spa coming anywhere close it.
The twisty layout designed by John Hugenholtz some 60 years ago has been tweaked over the years, but it still provides an incredible challenge – and despite the sea of gravel traps there are still corners where the barriers are all too easily reached.
Unless everything somehow falls into place for Hamilton and Mercedes the chances are that this year’s race will be won by either a Red Bull or Ferrari driver, and that means we will have a new winner. We asked the four candidates for their thoughts on the track and their prospects for this weekend.
Max Verstappen: world champion returns to Honda’s home
Young Verstappen at his 2014 FP1 F1 debut
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No driver is more excited to return to Suzuka than Max Verstappen. Not only did the two Japanese GP cancellations in 2020 and 2021 rob him of the chance of racing for a win in front of Honda’s fans as a works-supported Red Bull driver, he returns as the reigning world champion – and on the verge of securing his second title.
He’s also chasing his first Japanese GP win, having secured three podiums in his previous starts. A victory in 2022, possibly in parallel with that second title, would certainly make up for the two races that he missed.
On top of that he has just endured a nightmare weekend in Singapore, starting eighth and finishing seventh. Suzuka would be the perfect place to make amends.
“I’m excited to see what is going to happen,” he says. “It’s an amazing track, and I think we really missed it. I mean, when you speak to everyone, we all think Suzuka is an amazing track to drive, because it’s one of these last old-school tracks that when you make a mistake, and you go off, you are really off!
“So it’s really nice. And the fans as well, they are so passionate about racing and F1 in general.”
Suzuka is also special for Max because it’s where he made his first public appearance in an FP1 session with Toro Rosso, back in 2014. He was just 17 and three days old, and it was a difficult place to start – only rarely has any team given a rookie driver a session at a circuit where is so little margin.
“It’s not normally the most straightforward track to do an FP1,” he admits. “But I remember Helmut [Marko] and Franz [Tost], they said ‘Why is that a problem?’
“I mean, I was happy, I would do it anyway. Some people had a few question marks, Suzuka, old school track, it’s tough.
“But they felt confident that I could handle it. And I remember when I drove out of the pits with that power behind you for the first time, that track is really intimidating, the first time you go out there. So it was a very special experience.”
Max finished ninth on his first race appearance in 2015, and then in both 2016 and 2017 he moved up from fifth on the grid to second at the flag. In 2018 he started and finished third. In those years Red Bull rarely had a genuinely front-running car.
“Yeah, we had some good results. And I never really found, let’s say, the perfect balance around there, because of had the first sector where you need a lot of downforce, but in the rest actually, you want a bit less.
“To find a good compromise between qualifying and race was never that easy for us around there, but I’m also just looking forward to go back there to see if we can do better than second or third.”
Podiums came for Verstappen in 2016, ’17 and ’18
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His biggest disappointment came in 2019 on his first appearance with Honda power. Having qualified fifth he was hit by Charles Leclerc on the first lap, and after struggling for a few laps with a damaged car, he had to retire.
“We had all the fans sitting there. And we wanted a good result. And I think we could have had a decent result, maybe not a win, but we could have been on that podium. But unfortunately, we got taken out. The car was completely broken. So we had to retire it.”
Like most drivers Verstappen says the Esses section at the start of the lap is the most exciting part of Suzuka and one of the best sections of the whole season.
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“Yes, because you know that if you make a mistake, and you go off, you’re in the wall. So you have to go to the limit there.
“But it’s also a really hard section to get up to speed, and especially in qualifying when the fuel comes out, the track starts to rubber in – and it’s insanely quick.
“And if you get the first one wrong, you lose the whole momentum, and you lose so much time all the way up.”
Verstappen highlights other critical parts of the track: “Well, Degner 1, the kink. And Spoon, it looks like two separate corners, but actually, in a way, it’s like one long one you need to get right. And yeah, again, it’s enjoyable when you get it right, but frustrating when you can’t.
“At the hairpin it’s tricky to brake of course, with a bit of steering angle, it’s easy to front lock, and go wide.
“And yet, you can gain or lose a lot of lap time around there, because of course, you have sector one, but after that there are not actually that many corners left to the end of the lap.”
Verstappen goes off after 2019 Leclerc clash
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So will the track be more spectacular than ever with the 2022 cars? Max has a surprising answer.
“I think actually, the best would have been 2021. These cars will be quick in the first sector, but in the lower speed corners, you will actually struggle a little bit more, because of the weight of the car.
“I hope there will be more overtaking, I mean, it’s always a little bit tricky around there. Naturally, I hope we don’t need to overtake too much! But if we have to, I hope that at least it can be a little bit better.”
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And what if it rains?
“Again, because it has such little run-off, you have to build up your confidence through the wet. Normally when it rains in Japan, it can be quite heavy. I’m not hoping for a wet grand prix, but it is very challenging in the wet or the dry.”
Sergio Perez: Finding his top form again
For Sergio Perez his tenth Japanese GP will be a special weekend, because it will be his first time at Suzuka as a Honda driver. He will surely still be a focal point for many fans, especially as he scored such an impressive win in Singapore last weekend after a disappointing recent run.
Suzuka has not been particularly kind to the Mexican over the years. Indeed, in nine attempts he has never made the top six. He earned seventh three times with Force India/Racing Point, and has twice finished eighth, and thus he will certainly be hoping for much more this weekend.
He made his first appearance with Sauber in 2011, and that year and again in 2012 he had the special experience of being team mate to Kamui Kobayashi, and sharing some of the local hero’s support.
Suzuka can catch out even the best drivers
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Perez was looking forward to coming to last year’s cancelled race as a works Honda driver, and he is happy to be finally getting his chance to return.
“It’s definitely great to be back, great to be back with the fans,” he says. “Especially racing for Honda it’s something that I was looking forward massively, to race there for the first time. I cannot wait really, to be back with them.”
Perez expects the Honda connection to make a big difference to the level of support he will receive: “Honda is a big part of our team, so I definitely believe that they will be supporting us massively.
“It hasn’t been a great track for me. But I haven’t had a good car there yet. I think it will be interesting to see how I’m able to do with a Red Bull around there. It will be great to get a win in Suzuka. Obviously, I’ve been there as Kamui’s team mate. One year he was on the podium, which was great to see.”
Like most other F1 drivers Perez sees Suzuka’s Esses as the most exciting part of the track, and one of the most challenging sections of any circuit around the world.
Suzuka debut came for Perez in 2014
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“I think generally, sector one is something that is really, really special. Just the flow, and the speed you need to carry. That’s something really enjoyable, in fact I think it’s the most enjoyable sector in the world. You have to really get it right from the beginning to be able to start the lap time.”
He says the hairpin is also important: “It’s a low-speed corner where you can lose a lot of lap time. You don’t lose that much in the high-speed. But you do a lot in the low-speed. So certainly, a great track, and really interesting.”
He believes that Suzuka will be especially exciting to drive in the high downforce 2022 cars.
“I think they will be good, because they’re good in the high-speed – these cars will come alive in those corners. And I think certainly there will be more overtaking with these cars at Suzuka, you are able to race better.”
Charles Leclerc: Can he keep the title battle alive?
Charles Leclerc seems to have been at the top of F1 for such a long time already that it’s hard to believe that he has only raced at Suzuka twice.
In fact thanks to the cancellation of the last two events his only appearances came with Sauber in 2018 and Ferrari the following year.
“For me, it’s really, really special” Charles Leclerc
He heads to Suzuka this year with a slim mathematical chance of winning the title, but all he can really hope to do is win a few more races and give the team some momentum heading into 2023. Suzuka would be a good one to add to his CV.
“I am really, really excited,” he says. “I love the track, especially the first sector. For me, it’s really, really special. And it has something that you never find anywhere else. Also the passion of fans, it’s incredible.”
Suzuka has not been a lucky venue for Leclerc. On his first appearance with Sauber in 2018 he qualified an excellent 11th, but he was involved in a collision on lap 2, and had to change his front wing. He was fighting back when he had to retire with a mechanical issue.
In 2019 he qualified second behind then Ferrari team-mate Vettel. However, his race was spoiled by another early collision, this time with Verstappen. After a stop for a wing he recovered to make the top six.
“I had a crash in Turn 2 and we finished sixth, I think it was the year where I was holding the mirror in 130R. Not the best record there! But that doesn’t change that I really like the track. And I’ve always been very competitive there, even though the end result was not there. So hopefully this year will be a game changer.”
As noted earlier Leclerc loves the Esses, and he believes that it is the most important part to get right.
“For me it is, because it’s a very high-speed track, and if you do one mistake in turn three for example, then you are losing four, five, six, seven. So it’s a really fun part of the track.”
However, he stresses that other parts are also important to get right: “It’s a very, very challenging track overall, because Turn 8 and 9 is very difficult. It’s a very high speed in Turn 8 and then you try to brake as straight as possible four for Turn 9.
Leclerc, seen here in 2018, professes his love for “special” Suzuka
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“Turn 13 and 14 is very tricky, because you never really know when to hit the apex in Turn 14, because it’s such a long corner. There are loads of corners that are tricky. Turn 10 and 11, you arrive from the Turn 10 so you sometimes lock the front right wheel, which is not expected. So maybe the trickiest of all is, is probably Turn 13-14, because it’s such a long one, and you’ve got so many different lines to take.”
So will the track suit the 2022 Ferrari relative to its main rivals?
“I think the first sector is going to be quite good for us,” he says. “I think the long straights will be a little bit less good for us. But let’s see, because I’m sure that by the time we will go there we’ll have understood a few more things about the car that will help us to be competitive there.”
Leclerc expects this year’s breed of high downforce cars to be fun to drive at Suzuka: “Yes, for sure again, mostly for the first sector. It should be a bit fun for Turn 15, because this will just become more and more flat. It was already very easy flat before, but it should be even more this year.
“And there are not too many slow speed corners, which with this car, maybe it’s a bit less exciting compared to last year, but the medium and high speed are better. So it should be a very good track.”
He also hopes that closer following through Spoon and 130R could generate more overtaking at the chicane.
“I think on the run down to Turn 16 it should be a big opportunity for overtaking, because this year’s car in the slow speed corners is not that much of an improvement to follow.
“But in the medium and high-speed it’s a huge improvement, and we can follow much closer, and especially with a corner like Turn 13-14, where you’ve got a lot of different lines possible, it should make overtaking much easier.”
Carlos Sainz: Looking for his second win
For Carlos Sainz the 2022 season has been one of frustration, and while he had the high of his first victory at Silverstone, there have been many disappointments along the way. A success in Japan would mean a great deal.
Sainz makes no secret of the fact that Suzuka is a special place for him, and his first race there for Ferrari – and with a car that will be capable of winning the race – will no doubt be a special experience for the Spaniard.
“Suzuka is officially my favourite track in the calendar,” he says. “And I’m not saying it because we’re going there, but because since Covid, I missed it so much, that it has become my favourite one, and the one that I want to come back to the most.
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“It’s the fact that it’s an old school track that penalises a driver if you do our mistake, but the flow it has, every single corner is different, every single place you’re on the limit, playing with the white lines, the grass, the gravel. And the circuit itself is a piece of art.”
Sainz has raced at Suzuka on five occasions. It was only on his most recent visit with McLaren in 2019 that things really came together, and he took a solid fifth place. “I remember ’15, ’16 and ’17 I had incredible speed, but never put together a very shiny result,” he admits. “And then finally, in ’19 I remember we had the typhoon on Saturday. We had to do quali on Sunday. And I had so many good laps that quali, and I pulled away massively in the race out of the midfield, and I finally nailed a perfect weekend in Suzuka.”
Sainz stressed there are many challenging parts of the track: “There’s nothing more to say about the Esses apart from that they are the best combination of corners in the calendar.
“For me Turn 8 is crazy, with the compression that we have. With this generation of cars it will be nearly flat. It’s an incredibly narrow, fast-turning corner that you just need to get the turning point right at the (180mph) 290km/h that we do it.
“The hairpin is great, because you brake turning a bit right, and then it’s a bit banked, and the corner is always difficult to get right. Spoon is different kind of corner, a lot longer, always a bit of understeer and the car getting away from you.
Sainz scored fifth on last Japan appearance in 2019
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“130R is a bit of an Eau Rouge where the car is easy flat, but still gives you goosebumps every time you go through there. And the last chicane is a great overtaking point, with a good run down to Turn 1 that gives you another good overtaking point. It’s also not only a good qualifying track, but also a good race track.”
It’s always a special challenge in wet conditions.”There’s still quite a lot of grip in the rain, which is good. The only issue there are the rivers, there’s a lot of rivers that come on the track and it makes aquaplaning quite difficult. And the problem is that when it rains, it rains! But it’s always good fun with the level of grip there is.”
Sainz expects Ferrari to be competitive relative to Red Bull, given the strengths of the red car.
“I think we will be good in sector one and two, sector three, with the long straight, at least there’s no DRS which is where Red Bull is super powerful. I think we have a good chance of being competitive and fighting for the pole and win.”
“You cannot understand how such a heavy car can go so quickly around a high-speed corner”
Like others he believes that the 2022 machines will be spectacular to drive at Suzuka, if a little clumsy in the slower corners.
“Where these cars don’t feel great is low speed, but high speed is one of the strengths of this generation of cars. Yes, they feel heavy, but the fact that they’re heavy makes them feel even more exciting, because you cannot understand how such a heavy car can go so quickly around a high-speed corner.
“Silverstone showed that in these kind of corners like the Esses we haven’t lost anything compared to previous seasons, and in some corners we’re even quicker, so it should be even more fun.”
Will drivers be able to follow more easily out of Spoon and on the run to 130R, and thus overtake into the chicane?
“Spoon is naturally a corner that understeers, and with these cars in traffic we understeer more than other years. So you can be closer, but when you’re closer, your balance shift is towards understeer, while in the past it was general loss of downforce or even more rear. This year it’s understeer. So Spoon will not be an easy corner to follow.
“But then with a DRS zone and the slipstream through there it should be fine. Normally at every track while last year you needed more than a second to overtake faster than the car in front, this year is less than a second. So it should be possible.”
