GP Japan: Timetable, standings, track info

Japan GP Timetable

It is of course a lot later in Japan than in the Netherlands and so you have to get out early this weekend to see all the action live. In fact, two of the three free practice sessions at Suzuka Circuit are night work to follow. All times at a glance:

Championship standings

For Max Verstappen there will be a good chance in Japan to secure his second world title. Although rival Charles Leclerc and especially teammate Sergio Pérez caught up with him again in Singapore, Verstappen has enough to win with the fastest lap to secure the title. Then it doesn’t matter where Leclerc and Pérez end up. If those two finish low or even fall out, it will be a little easier for Verstappen. The Dutchman must score at least eight points more than Leclerc and six points more than Pérez to secure the title.

Among the constructors, Red Bull is still proudly at the front, behind it it remains exciting between Ferrari and Mercedes, but especially between McLaren and Alpine. It seems that the slight trade-off between McLaren and Alpine may continue in the coming races. In Singapore, McLaren took full advantage of their rivals’ double outages by finishing well within the top 10 with both cars.

Circuit

The circuit of Suzuka is very popular with many drivers. It is a spectacular track to drive, with a wide variety of turns. The circuit was designed by the Dutchman Hans Hugenholtz, the same man who is also responsible for Circuit Zandvoort. A piece of Dutch pride, in a sense. The fans always create a special atmosphere here, because the Japanese often dress up in special costumes to cheer on their favorite driver or team. The hats in particular are often striking. You can bet that there will be a lot of support for Max Verstappen and Red Bull, of course because of the use of Honda engines. In addition, for the first time this year there is simply ‘Honda’ on the car, to complete the party.

The Suzuka Circuit, fully known as the Suzuka International Racing Course, was opened in 1962. A year later, a Formula 1 Grand Prix of Japan was held for the first time, although it was not yet part of the world championship at the time. That was only the case from 1987, when Formula 1 returned to Japan after a ten-year absence. Since then, Suzuka has hosted most of the Japanese GPs, with only Fuji Speedway being held in 2007 and 2008. The Japanese GP has had a black edge since 2014, when French driver Jules Bianchi was tragically hospitalized after a collision with a shovel that was salvaging another car. Bianchi fell into a coma and died less than a year later.

This weekend the Formula 1 drivers will drive 53 laps in the GP of Japan, over a total distance of almost 307.5 km. The race lap record at Suzuka is held by Lewis Hamilton, who completed the circuit in 1:30,983 in the previous Japanese GP in 2019. Incidentally, his teammate Valtteri Bottas won the race that year and Hamilton came in third. Sebastian Vettel then finished in second place with his Ferrari. Max Verstappen retired after 14 laps after he suffered damage to his car in a collision with Charles Leclerc on the opening lap. Verstappen can hope that things will go better this year, because more than ever for him depends on the GP of Japan.