This year’s Japanese Grand Prix marks the 30th to be held at the highly-rated figure-of-eight Suzuka circuit, a venue that has gone down in folklore as bearing witness to some of the most iconic moments in Formula 1 history – and one of the lowest. Motorsport Week reflects on some of those moments as Suzuka prepares for the big 3-0.
1989 – Clash at the chicane
Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost’s relationship as McLaren team-mates had irrevocably deteriorated, and the title was on the line at Suzuka. Senna, following a poor start, gave chase to Prost and made his move during the closing stages. Prost defended, and the cars collided at the chicane. Prost climbed from his car while Senna was push-started by marshals and went on to re-claim the lead from Alessandro Nannini. But he was excluded for cutting the chicane post-clash, and that controversially handed the title to Prost.
1990 – Revenge at Turn 1
The rivalry between Senna and Prost had not calmed down in the intervening 12 months – if anything, it had exploded. And it exploded dramatically at Suzuka. Senna wanted pole position moved sides but this requested was denied by FISA President Jean-Marie Balestre. An infuriated Senna vowed that Prost would not be ahead into Turn 1 – and he was right, as the pair came to blows at high speed. Both were out on the spot, and the collision confirmed Senna as champion.
1994 – Hill’s wet weather masterclass
Damon Hill and Michael Schumacher were locked in a controversial title battle and the penultimate round of the campaign took place in atrocious conditions at Suzuka. A mid-race red flag period broke the Grand Prix into two parts, with an aggregate timing system used. Schumacher held an advantage under the red flag but Hill fought back and opened a sufficient enough buffer during the second segment of the race to overhaul his deficit. Hill won by a net three seconds, ensuring that the pair would go to Adelaide split by just a point.
1996 – I’ve got a lump in my throat
Hill missed out to Schumacher in both 1994 and 1995, while his impending exit from Williams ostensibly left 1996 as his final title chance. Hill headed to Suzuka nine points clear of team-mate Jacques Villeneuve, meaning the battle was still open but controlled the race after the Canadian bogged down from pole position. Villeneuve’s exit due to a loose wheel sealed the crown for Hill, whose win prompted that famous line from Murray Walker. Hill’s achievement meant he became the first ‘son of’ to win a Formula 1 title, following in the footsteps of his double World Champion father Graham.
1998 – Mika’s moment
Hakkinen went into the Suzuka finale four points clear of Schumacher but it was the Ferrari driver who led the way through qualifying. Though his aspirations were dealt a blow when he stalled on the formation lap, consigning him to the back of the grid, and giving Hakkinen a clear run. The McLaren driver controlled proceedings while Schumacher’s fightback ended when he suffered a tyre failure shortly after mid-distance. That confirmed Hakkinen as champion – and he went on to cap his championship-winning season with a victory.
2000 – Schumacher ends Scuderia’s wait
Schumacher had come close in 1997 and 1998 but finally, in 2000 he ended Ferrari’s 21-year wait for a Drivers’ title by triumphing in a brilliant duel against Hakkinen. It was one of the greatest head-to-heads in history, as the pair traded blows in an epic qualifying session before continuing their scrap in race trim. Hakkinen claimed the lead from pole sitter Schumacher but the Ferrari driver jumped ahead through the second round of stops, an advantage he held through to the chequered flag, with the result clinching his third crown – and first with Ferrari – with one round spare. Schumacher and Hakkinen, split by just two seconds, were a minute clear of the rest.
2005 –Heaven 17
This race had it all. A wet qualifying session mixed up the grid, leaving several of the favourites mired down the order – but with competitive machinery at their disposal. Fernando Alonso pulled off an extraordinary move on Schumacher around 130r just one race after his coronation confirmed the end of the Ferrari driver’s reign of the sport. But that was merely an aperitif to the denouement. Raikkonen, from 17th on the grid, reeled in long-time leader Giancarlo Fisichella and swept around the outside of his Renault rival into Turn 1 at the start of the final lap. An all-time classic.
2006 – No eight for the great
The 2006 season turned on its head as Alonso’s enormous mid-year advantage was eradicated by a resurgent Schumacher and Ferrari. The duo arrived at Suzuka level on points, with Schumacher in front on win countback. Schumacher moved into the race lead early on while Alonso recovered from fifth to hold second place as the duo glided around the figure-of-eight circuit. Alonso chased Schumacher but the Ferrari ace held firm – at least until his engine let go just 17 laps from home. Alonso won, thus opening a 10-point advantage that all-but-sealed title number two.
2011 – Seb doubles up
Sebastian Vettel was the Suzuka supremo during his Red Bull days, winning upon its return to the calendar in 2009, and adding further wins in 2010, 2012 and 2013. Even in the season where he did not triumph on Japanese soil he still departed the circuit on top of the world. A conservative strategy from Red Bull dropped Vettel from the lead to third by the chequered flag, not that he cared much, as he celebrated clinching his second world title. Vettel’s regression in the race order was good news for Jenson Button, as he took a popular victory in a country he regards as a second home.
2012 – Kamui’s moment
Kamui Kobayashi had firmly established himself as a tenacious racer who would make opportunities where they seemingly did not exist. In 2010 he starred on home soil with a sequence of brilliant lunges into the hairpin, but it was in 2012 when he reached the high point of his F1 career. In a year where Sauber displayed strong pace on high-downforce circuits Kobayashi started third, rose to second, and though he was overhauled by Felipe Massa, he kept Button at bay by half a second to mount the podium places, to the delight of the vocal home crowd.
2014 – Tragedy in the torrent
The 2014 running of the Japanese Grand Prix marked a brilliant display of wet weather driving by Lewis Hamilton, overhauling Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg into Turn 1, as Typhoon Phanfone affected the country. But their title battle paled into insignificance when Marussia driver Jules Bianchi left the circuit through Dunlop curve and struck a recovery tractor that was retrieving Adrian Sutil’s crashed car. Bianchi sustained a diffuse axonal injury and never regained consciousness; he was transferred to his native France in November and died the following July, becoming the first active Formula 1 driver to lose their life at a Grand Prix since Ayrton Senna.
2016 – Rosberg’s finale
No-one knew it at the time but the 2016 event proved to be the final victory for eventual champion Rosberg. Having edged a distracted Hamilton to pole position, he then mastered the start while Hamilton fell to third, behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. Their positions remained unchanged throughout the remainder of the race, enabling Rosberg to notch up his 23rd victory. The win gave Rosberg a sufficient enough points buffer to finish runner-up to Hamilton across the remaining four Grands Prix and still claim the title. That exact situation unfolded – and Rosberg bowed out as champion.
