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Japan · Figure Eight

Suzuka

Formula 1's only figure-8: 5.807 km of John Hugenholtz's 1962 masterpiece near Suzuka, where the back straight crosses over the front and the uphill Esses, the Spoon and the flat-out 130R define a driver's circuit like no other.

Length
5.807 km
3.608 mi
Turns
18
Direction
Clockwise
In use
2003-present

Suzuka International Racing Course

Suzuka opened in 1962 near the city of Suzuka in Mie Prefecture, built by Honda as a test track and designed by the Dutch architect John Hugenholtz, who also laid out Zandvoort. Its Grand Prix configuration measures 3.608 mi (5.807 km) over eighteen turns and runs clockwise, but its defining trait is geometric: it is the only figure-8 layout in Formula 1, the 1.2 km back straight crossing over the front of the circuit on an overpass. That crossover, the constant changes of elevation, and a rhythm-driven flow of corners have made it one of the most respected drivers’ circuits in the world.

130R

The corner Suzuka is most feared and admired for is 130R at Turn 15, a long left-hander at the end of the back straight taken at well over 300 km/h in a modern Formula 1 car. Named for its original 130-metre radius and reprofiled into a two-part radius for 2003 on safety grounds, it remains a near-flat-out test of commitment where lap time and courage are the same thing.

The Esses and the Spoon

The first sector is dominated by the uphill S Curves (Turns 3–6), a flowing left-right-left-right sequence where a single connected line through every apex sets up the whole lap: the rhythm test that drivers prize above all else at Suzuka. The back half of the circuit threads the two blind Degner right-handers (Turns 8–9), passes under the crossover bridge to the Hairpin (Turn 11), and sweeps through the long double-apex Spoon Curve (Turns 13–14) onto the straight that leads to 130R.

A lap of Suzuka

After the fast downhill opening complex at Turns 1 and 2, the Esses climb away to the Dunlop Curve (Turn 7) and the Degners, then the figure-8 crosses over itself into the Hairpin, 200R (Turn 12) and the Spoon. Out of 130R the lap closes with the tight Casio Triangle chicane (Turns 16–18), the last real overtaking chance and the scene of many decisive moments. Andrea Kimi Antonelli set the Formula 1 race lap record here in 2025 at 1:30.965 for Mercedes.

Corner-by-corner

  • T1

    Turn 1

    • Right

    A fast right-hander entered downhill at full throttle off the start/finish straight, tightening on the way in; the first half of the high-speed Turn 1-2 complex and a frequent first-lap flashpoint.

  • T2

    Turn 2

    • Right

    The downhill continuation of the opening complex, taken fast as the track keeps falling away toward the Esses; some guides call it a right-hander that tightens on exit, others a left, so its handedness is flagged for the build-stage geometry check.

  • T3-6

    S Curves (Esses)

    • Left–right

    The celebrated uphill esses: a flowing left-right-left-right sequence (Turns 3-6) climbing away from the opening complex, taken at high speed where rhythm and a connected line through every apex set up the whole first sector.

    The S Curves are Suzuka's signature rhythm test. Climbing uphill in a continuous left-right-left-right flow, each apex feeds the next, so a mistake at the first compromises the entire sequence and the long run that follows. Drivers rate carrying speed cleanly through the Esses as one of the most satisfying, and most lap-time-critical, challenges in Formula 1, a section that rewards commitment and a perfectly connected line above outright braking or traction.

  • T7

    Dunlop Curve

    • Left

    A quick uphill left-hander closing out the Esses sector, taken with commitment as the track continues to climb toward the Degner braking zone.

  • T8

    Degner 1

    • Right

    The first Degner curve, a fast, blind-entry right-hander where misjudging entry speed sends a car straight into the gravel; named for East German rider Ernst Degner.

  • T9

    Degner 2

    • Right

    The second, slower and sharper Degner right-hander, taken with careful throttle control on exit; the corner was split into two discrete radii in 1987.

  • T10

    Turn 10

    • Right

    A near-flat slight right-hander taken under the iconic crossover bridge, where the back section of the figure-8 passes over the front; it feeds the braking zone for the Hairpin.

  • T11

    The Hairpin

    • Left

    A tight, slow left-hand hairpin reached after the crossover; a prime overtaking opportunity and a corner where a clean exit is critical for the run to 200R.

  • T12

    200R

    • Right

    A long, gentle right-hand sweep taken at or near full throttle, named for its approximate radius; carries speed out of the Hairpin toward the Spoon.

  • T13-14

    Spoon Curve

    • Left
    • double apex

    A long, double-apex left-hander (Turns 13-14) named for its spoon-like shape; precise braking and a patient throttle release through the second apex maximise exit speed onto the long back straight to 130R.

  • T15

    130R

    • Left

    A legendary, near-flat-out left-hander at the end of the long back straight, taken at well over 300 km/h in a modern F1 car; named for its original 130-metre radius, it is one of the most committing high-speed corners in motorsport.

    130R is the corner that defines Suzuka's reputation for high-speed bravery: a long left taken at full or near-full throttle, where the margin for error at over 300 km/h is tiny. The corner was reprofiled for 2003 into a two-part radius after safety concerns, but it remains a flat-out test of nerve: the kind of corner where lap time and courage are the same thing. It sets up the final braking zone into the Casio Triangle chicane that decides so many races.

  • T16-18

    Casio Triangle

    • Chicane

    The tight right-left-right chicane (Turns 16-18) that closes the lap, reached under heavy braking from near top speed after 130R; the last real overtaking spot and the scene of many decisive, and infamous, moments before the cars accelerate onto the start/finish straight. Some sources count the chicane as Turns 16-17 with Turn 18 as a separate final right-hander.