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Circuit

Suzuka International Racing Course

Suzuka, Japan

Suzuka is one of very few circuits in the world laid out as a figure of eight, with the track crossing over itself via a bridge. Its opening sector is a continuous run of linked esses that flows like almost nothing else in racing, a rhythmic sequence where each corner sets up the next and a single mistake ruins the whole lap. Later the fearsome 130R and the tightening final hairpin add their own demands.

A classic Japanese circuit revered by drivers, it rewards precision, commitment and a car that flows through fast direction changes. The connected nature of the lap means there is nowhere to hide, which is exactly why a great lap of Suzuka is so prized.

The gap, in metres

2026 Qualifying here. Each driver’s time gap converted to the distance it actually puts them behind at racing speed.

#DriverGapDistance
1Kimi Antonellireference
2George Russell+0.29823.3 m
3Oscar Piastri+0.35427.7 m
4Charles Leclerc+0.62749.1 m
5Lando Norris+0.63149.4 m
6Lewis Hamilton+0.78961.8 m
7Pierre Gasly+0.91371.5 m
8Isack Hadjar+1.20094.0 m
9Max Verstappen+1.484116.2 m
10Gabriel Bortoleto+1.496117.2 m

Across the full field, Kimi Antonelli to Lance Stroll covers 324.5 m.

See the full 2026 Qualifying drawn to scale

On the radio here

1,249 messages recorded at this circuit, 2018 to 2025.

Every session drawn to scale

The radio archive, season by season