By Louis Walker
Since 1976, there have been 36 Formula 1 World Championship races held in Japan, 30 at Suzuka, 4 at Fuji Speedway and 2 at Okayama International Circuit (as the ‘Pacific Grand Prix’). As the event typically takes a spot towards the end of the season, it’s had its fair share of championship deciding moments over the years, with 13 champions being crowned at the event. It’s no surprise then that the Japanese Grand Prix is a firm favourite among dedicated fans of the sport. Here are some of the most memorable races held in the country.
1976 - Fuji Speedway:
The first ever Japanese Grand Prix proved to be a nail biting end to an eventful season which saw Niki Lauda (Ferrari) leading James Hunt (McLaren) by 3 points, despite Niki missing 2 races after a near fatal crash at the Nürburgring earlier in the season. If you’ve seen the film Rush then you’ll already be familiar with this one (and if you haven’t seen it then you certainly should!). Despite torrential rain and fog making conditions treacherous, the race took place despite complaints from some of the drivers. With the trauma from his Nürburgring accident still fresh in his mind, Lauda would pit at the end of the first lap to retire the car, as he preferred to walk away with his life than risk the conditions again. This left Hunt needing fourth or better to win the World Championship. Hunt led most of the race comfortably before a drying track caused him to lose places (with Mario Andretti’s Lotus eventually winning the race). Then, on lap 64 of 73, Hunt suffered a puncture, with the required pitstop dropping him to fifth. However, on lap 71 he would overtake both Alan Jones and Clay Regazzoni, bringing up to third and winning the World Championship by just a single point.
1989 - Suzuka:
Another championship deciding race, this time between the McLaren duo of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. With Senna on pole and Prost second on the grid, Senna needed to win the race to keep his championship hopes alive ahead of the final round in Australia. However, a poor start meant that Prost instantly took the lead, and the pair would stay like this for the first 46 laps. Then, on lap 47, after getting a run on his teammate through 130R, Senna dived down the inside at the Casio Triangle (a slow speed chicane at the end of the lap). Prost however, had other ideas and turned into the corner as if Senna wasn’t there, with the two of them colliding and grinding to a halt. It seemed to be all over as Prost climbed out of the car, but Senna, not one to give up, managed to get the marshals to push his car so he could bump start it. With a damaged front wing, he had to drive a full lap before being able to pit for repairs, dropping him to second, five seconds behind Benetton’s Alessandro Nannini. It would only take two laps before the McLaren had the measure of the Benetton, and Senna would cross the line in first place. It seemed confusing then when it was Nannini who took the top step of the podium for his first Grand Prix victory, with Senna nowhere to be seen. He had been disqualified for cutting the chicane after rejoining the track following his collision with Prost. Despite both Senna and McLaren appealing the decision, the disqualification stood, and Prost was crowned champion under controversial circumstances.
1990 - Suzuka:
This race would be the mirror image of the previous year’s events. With Prost now at Ferrari after leaving McLaren at the end of 1990, it was he who had to beat Senna to keeps his championship hopes alive before Australia. Senna would again get a poor start from pole and allow Prost into the lead at the start. Neither driver would make it past the first corner though, as another daring move up the inside from Senna would cause both to crash again, this time with terminal damage to both cars, crowning Senna champion on the spot. It was another controversial end to a championship between two bitter rivals. With those two out of the picture, Benetton would once again win the race finishing both first and second with Nelson Piquet and Roberto Moreno behind the wheel. Aguri Suzuki would also put his Lola-Lamborghini into an unlikely third place, becoming the first Japanese driver to score a podium in an F1 race.
2005 - Suzuka:
If there was any doubt as to whether Kimi Räikkönen was a capable driver, this race certainly proved that he was. With mixed conditions leaving the title protagonists at the back of the grid, with Kimi starting 17th, it was always going to be an interesting race. It would be the Toyota of Ralf Schumacher that led the field at the start, but it wouldn’t be long before the safety car was deployed. Takuma Sato and Rubens Barichello collided at the first corner, giving Barichello a puncture. On the exit of the final corner Montoya attempted to go around the outside of Klien, the Canadian pushing the Colombian off the track and heavily into the barriers. Lap 20 saw Alonso drive around the outside of Michael Schumacher at 130R, a highly daring move that paid off for the Spaniard. Räikkönen meanwhile was picking off cars left right and centre, making up five places on the first lap alone. After all of the scheduled pitstops had taken place, he was up to second and gaining on leader Fisichella. Then on the final lap of the race, Räikkönen would drive around the outside of the Renault driver into turn one, taking the lead and going on to win the race. This was arguably Kimi’s greatest race in his career and a fine example of never giving up.
2007 - Fuji Speedway:
The first race to be held at Fuji Speedway since 1977 would prove to be similarly treacherous to its’ inaugural running in 1976. Such were the conditions that the first 19 laps were held behind the safety car. When racing finally got underway, there were many collisions, with Nick Heidfeld’s BMW-Sauber and Jenson Button’s Honda colliding almost immediately. Alex Wurz and Felipe Massa would collide shortly after, with Wurz’s Williams retiring on the spot. Reigning champion Fernando Alonso would also suffer a heavy accident in his McLaren, blaming aquaplaning for his crash. Bizarrely, there would be another crash during the safety car while Alonso’s McLaren was cleared away. Third place Sebastian Vettel rear ended Mark Webber as he slowed behind the leading McLaren of Lewis Hamilton. The crash saw Webber immediately out and Vettel coming into the pits to retire the car. Webber was suitably unimpressed by the incident, especially considering he had been driving the race with food poisoning, even vomiting into his helmet during the initial safety car at the start of the race. Hamilton would eventually go on to win the race with a thrilling duel on the final lap between Massa and Heidfeld deciding fourth and fifth places respectively (if you haven’t seen this footage look for it on YouTube).
2012 - Suzuka:
This last race is included in the list because as of January 2022, it was the last time a Japanese driver stood on the podium in F1, with Kamui Kobayashi’s Sauber finishing an impressive third place. Aside from a chaotic start at the first corner which saw Romain Grosjean collide with Mark Webber, with several other collisions occurring as drivers swerved to avoid the Lotus and Red Bull, the race was largely uneventful. Sebastian Vettel would achieve his second career grand slam, achieving pole position, leading every single lap and finishing with the fastest lap of the race.
The coronavirus pandemic has meant that for the last 2 years, the Japanese Grand Prix has been cancelled. With Suzuka due to hold the race on the 9th of October this year, let’s hope the race can return to the calendar and continue to provide more memorable moments in the future.
