The Suzuka Circuit will remain on the Formula 1 (F1) calendar until 2029 after that motor racing series today announced a five-year extension with the Japanese Grand Prix.
The track has staged an F1 race every year since 2009, apart from in 2020 and 2021 when the grands prix were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Suzuka's contract had previously been due to expire at the end of the upcoming 2024 season, with the current deal having been signed in April 2021.
Historically, Japan has usually been one of the last races of the season with 12 Drivers’ Championships settled there, including most recently in 2022 when Max Verstappen sealed his second consecutive title (he has since won a third).
This year, however, the Japanese Grand Prix will move to a new slot in April, between races in Australia and China, as part of F1’s efforts to rationalize its calendar and become net zero by 2030.
Last year’s Japanese Grand Prix was attended by 222,000 fans across the race weekend, up from 200,000 in 2022.
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By GlobalDataStefano Domenicali, Formula 1 president and chief executive, said: “Suzuka is a special circuit and part of the fabric of the sport, so I am delighted that F1 will continue to race there until at least 2029.
“Our fans in Japan embrace Formula 1 with a unique passion and we look forward to working with the promoter to give fans the experience they deserve for years to come.”
The Japanese Grand Prix will this year be held on April 7. The 2024 season, which features a record 24-race calendar, gets underway on March 2 in Bahrain.
In November, F1 extended its deal to race in Sao Paulo in Brazil until 2030. Before that, it also extended its contract with the Belgian Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps racing circuit until at least 2025.
In early July, meanwhile, the promoter of the Austrian Grand Prix prolonged that event's stay on the F1 calendar until 2030.
Recently, F1 also announced that Madrid will become home to the Spanish Grand Prix from 2026, leaving previous hosts Barcelona fighting for their future as an F1 destination.
Until at least 2035, the race will be held in the Spanish capital, at a circuit built around the Ifema Madrid exhibition center close to the city’s airport.
