Prixview - 2025 Japanese GP

Apr 04, 2025

The Circuit

Honda built the 3.6m Suzuka International Circuit as a company test track in 1962.
Suzuka’s figure-eight shape is its defining feature: the long back straight that bridges over the first half of the lap is the only overpass in all of F1.
Suzuka is a narrow track with only one DRS zone and few conventional overtaking spots. Hope for rain if you want excitement.

The Lap

Drivers start on the short DRS straight before braking for a wide right-hand combo at Turns 1-2. Especially with DRS, this combo of corners is the best spot to overtake.
That first combo sends drivers directly into the five quick bends that form Suzuka’s “esses” (S).
The heavy braking Turn 11 hairpin slows drivers all the way down before spitting them out toward the back straight.
That back straight is where drivers will reach top speed as they go flat out over the bridge and through Turn 15 before finishing the lap.

Top of Mind

The fight at the front appears to be Lando vs. Oscar for now, until Red Bull proves it can give Max a faster car. The fight between teammates has been clean so far, but that bubble could burst any week.
Max Verstappen and George Russell have outperformed their rookie teammates and kept their respective teams in the top three of the team standings. Either of them could steal a win on the right week.
Liam Lawson has been demoted from Red Bull after two races. He’ll trade seats with Yuki Tsunoda who has raced for Red Bull’s second team since 2021.
- Japan is Yuki’s home race and he’s personally sponsored by Honda, so there is a timeliness to this move. It’s still brutal for Lawson who will hope to rebuild his confidence in the midfield.
Williams is tied with Ferrari in the team standings after last week’s disqualifications.

Odds and Predictions

Schedule

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