This weekend marks Formula 1’s return to Japan with the Suzuka circuit set to play host to one of the calendar’s more popular races in the form of the Japanese Grand Prix.
While the race was initially scheduled to be a part of the calendar in 2021, it was ultimately replaced by the Turkish Grand Prix, following the restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Max Verstappen can claim the 2022 Drivers’ Championship this weekend, with the Dutchman driver needing to win and set the fastest lap to wrap things up.
Having claimed five wins at Suzuka, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton is the grid’s most successful driver in Japan, and the British star will be looking to build on that experience and claim his first win of the season.
The 2022 Japanese Grand Prix will take place on the 5.807 kilometer Suzuka Circuit with qualifying scheduled for 08:00 CEST ( 15:00 local time) on Saturday, October 8, and the race at 07:00 CEST (14:00 local time) on Sunday, October 9.
When is the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix?
| Date | Session | Local | UK (BST) | US (EST) | US (PST) | AUS (AEST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 7 | Practice 1 | 12:00 | 04:00 | 23:00* | 20:00* | 13:00 |
| Oct 7 | Practice 2 | 15:00 | 07:00 | 02:00 | 23:00* | 16:00 |
| Oct 8 | Practice 3 | 12:00 | 04:00 | 23:00* | 20:00* | 13:00 |
| Oct 8 | Qualifying | 15:00 | 07:00 | 02:00 | 23:00* | 16:00 |
| Oct 9 | Race | 14:00 | 06:00 | 01:00 | 22:00* | 15:00 |
* Denotes previous day
Who won the last Japanese Grand Prix?
The 2019 edition of the Japanese Grand Prix was won by Valtteri Bottas who was still with Mercedes at the time.
The Finnish driver managed to leapfrog pole man Sebastian Vettel at the start, only losing the lead briefly when making his pit stops. Vettel would finish second for Ferrari with Lewis Hamilton finishing third.
The result secured Mercedes their sixth consecutive double of Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, with the result leaving Hamilton and Bottas as the only two drivers with a mathematical chance of winning the championship.
The race would also see Hamilton claim the lap record around Suzuka with the British driver breaking a 14-year-old record held by Kimi Raikkonen, by settling a lap time of 1:30.983.
