The Suzuka circuit is the only F1 course designed as a figure eight. It offers every variety of turn, from the tight Spoon curve to the high-speed 130R.

The track is situated in the middle of Suzuka Land, a leisure park built for the families of Honda employees and recognisable from afar by its Ferris wheel.

Formula One debuted at Suzuka in 1987. Prior to that, two Japanese GPs were held at the circuit at the foot of Mount Fuji in 1976 and 1977. In 1994 and 1995 the Pacific GP was hosted at Japan's Aida track.

The 2004 Japanese Grand Prix remains etched in the memories of the teams taking part. On the Saturday, the circuit was completely closed off due to an approaching typhoon, which eventually made landfall elsewhere. On Friday the teams had packed everything up and secured their equipment amid torrential rainfall. The all-clear was given on Saturday afternoon and qualifying moved to Sunday morning. Formula One had already experienced nature's forces at Suzuka in 2000, when slight aftershocks of an earthquake could be felt during free practice.

The city of Suzuka lies on the southeast coast of the main Japanese island of Honshu and belongs to the Mie Prefecture. Local industry is mainly based on foodstuffs and textiles. Honda also has major production plants in Suzuka. The town is first mentioned in records going back to 645, and today has a population of almost 200,000. Suzuka has a medical university, and among its attractions are Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines.