Japanese Grand Prix Offers

Where is it?

The Japanese Grand Prix is held at The Suzuka Circuit, in the city of Suzuka, with a population of just under 200,000 people. The circuit is about 38 km from Nagoya, and 200 km from Tokyo.

Most international flights land at Tokyo’s Narita airport (NRT) or Osaka’s Kansai airport (KIX). From Tokyo, there are domestic flights to Nagoya’s airport, Chubu (NGO). Alternatively, you can make your way to Nagoya from both Tokyo or Osaka via high speed Shinkansen trains.

We’d recommend staying in Nagoya for this race, as there isn’t much accommodation available close to the circuit. There is a regular train service, which takes about an hour.

Traditionally, this race is late in the season, and many world championships have been decided at Suzuka, but for 2025, the date has been moved to April. This means it coincides with the famous cherry blossom season in Japan, so it makes sense to make a longer holiday as part of your F1 experience.

What’s the circuit like?

The circuit was originally built in the early 1960’s on the orders of Soichiro Honda, who wanted a test track for Honda motorcycles and cars. It was built by by John Hugenholtz and the track has a figure-of-eight layout, with the 1.2 km long back straight passing over the front section via an overpass.

Suzuka is very much one of F1’s “Classic” circuits, and the drivers absolutely love it! The circuit length is 5.8 km, giving a lap time on the low 1:30’s.

It’s a genuine high speed track, with S curves, and the famous 130R, which rewards real commitment by the drivers.

What sort of race can we expect?

The race often has rain, which causes plenty of incidents and excitement, and if it stays dry, you can expect a fast, flowing race, with plenty of overtakes.

Michael Schumacher holds the wins record at six, with Lewis Hamilton currently on five, and he is the current lap record holder.

The circuit is the only one on the calendar with a cross-over, so it’s one to see just to experience the unusual layout.

Where’s the best place to watch?

Because of the cross over, and the very open layout, anywhere is the simple answer!

Grandstands D 1,2,4 & 5 and are on the ‘S’ Curves, and you can watch see the downforce in action and the driver’s commitment. The left flank of Grandstand G places you at the inside of 130R can be a place to see lots, of action. For overtaking, Grandstand I will give you a great view of the hairpin.

When is it?

This year, the race is on 6th April, starting at 14:00 local time.