Did you know that Suzuka is one of only four circuits on the current calendar where Lewis Hamilton has not tasted victory? Or that Ferrari last triumphed at the Japanese circuit in 2004, with Michael Schumacher taking the spoils? Ahead of this weekend's 2014 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, we present the key facts, stats and trivia...
Circuit: Suzuka
Circuit length: 5.807 km
Number of corners: 18 (9 right, 9 left)
DRS zones: 1
Race laps: 53
Race distance: 307.471 km
2014 tyre compounds: medium, hard
Circuit lap record: 1m 31.540s - Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren, 2005
First world championship Grand Prix in Japan: 1976, Fuji (won by Mario Andretti, Lotus)
Number of races: 29 (25 - Suzuka, 4 - Fuji)
Number of races at Suzuka with at least one safety-car appearance: 5 of the last 12
Longest race at Suzuka: 1994 (1h 55m 53.532s)
Shortest race at Suzuka: 2006 (1h 23m 53.413s)
Last year's pole position: 1m 30.915s, Mark Webber, Red Bull
Last year's podium: 1 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 2 - Mark Webber (Red Bull), 3 - Romain Grosjean (Lotus)
Most appearances (current field): 14 - Jenson Button; 12 - Fernando Alonso; 11 - Kimi Raikkonen; 10 - Felipe Massa; 8 - Nico Rosberg; 7 - Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton; 6 - Adrian Sutil
Most Japanese Grand Prix wins (driver): 6 - Michael Schumacher; 4 - Sebastian Vettel; 2 - Gerhard Berger, Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill, Mika Hakkinen, Fernando Alonso; 1 - Mario Andretti, James Hunt, Alessandro Nannini, Nelson Piquet, Riccardo Patrese, Rubens Barrichello, Kimi Raikkonen, Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button
Most Japanese Grand Prix wins (constructor): 9 - McLaren; 7 - Ferrari; 4 - Red Bull; 3 - Benetton, Williams; 2 - Renault; 1 - Lotus
Most Japanese Grand Prix wins (engine manufacturer): 10 - Renault; 7 - Ferrari; 5 - Ford, Mercedes; 2 - Honda
Most Japanese Grand Prix pole positions (driver): 8 - Michael Schumacher; 4 - Sebastian Vettel; 3 - Ayrton Senna; 2 - Mario Andretti, Gerhard Berger, Jacques Villeneuve, Lewis Hamilton; 1 - Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Rubens Barrichello, Ralf Schumacher, Felipe Massa, Mark Webber
Most Japanese Grand Prix pole positions (constructor): 9 - Ferrari; 6 - McLaren; 5 - Red Bull; 4 - Williams; 2 - Lotus, Benetton; 1 - Toyota
Most Japanese Grand Prix pole positions (engine manufacturer): 10 - Renault; 9 - Ferrari; 4 - Honda; 3 - Ford; 2 - Mercedes; 1 - Toyota
Number of wins from pole at Suzuka: 12 from 25 races (48 percent)
Lowest winning grid position: 17th (Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren, 2005)
Laps led (current field): 186 - Sebastian Vettel; 55 - Lewis Hamilton; 51 - Fernando Alonso; 50 - Jenson Button; 26 - Romain Grosjean; 10 - Kimi Raikkonen; 4 - Felipe Massa
Most podium places (current field): 5 - Kimi Raikkonen, Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel; 2 - Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button, Felipe Massa; 1 - Kamui Kobayashi, Romain Grosjean
Number of Japanese drivers to have started at least one Grand Prix: 17
Best finish by a Japanese driver in Japan: 3rd (Aguri Suzuki, 1990 & Kamui Kobayashi, 2012)
Percentage of 2014 season complete: 74 percent
Maximum number of world championship points still available to a single driver: 150
Significant running sequences going into this weekend: Ferrari - 81 consecutive races in the points - the longest run in F1 history; Renault - 114 consecutive races in the points as an engine manufacturer; Daniel Ricciardo - 12 consecutive points finishes; Mercedes - 6 consecutive pole positions; Lewis Hamilton - 2 consecutive Grand Prix hat-tricks.
Fascinating fact: The world championship has been clinched more times in Japan - 13, if you include the 1995 Pacific Grand Prix - than in any other country. The most recent champion to be crowned Japan was Sebastian Vettel who in 2011 secured his second straight world title. This year’s main hopefuls Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton are both yet to triumph at Suzuka - Rosberg's best finish is fifth, for Williams in 2009, while Hamilton’s best is third, for McLaren in the same race.
Young blood: Max Verstappen will become the youngest person ever to drive in an official F1 session when he takes part in FP1 on Friday aged just 17. He’ll be the 16th Dutchman to take part in a world championship event. Two other Dutch drivers have taken part in sessions this year - Robin Frijns and Geido van der Garde.
Potential record breakers: Mercedes have scored seven one-two finishes this year. They need three more over the remaining five races to tie McLaren's 1988 record for the most one-twos in a season, and four more to eclipse it.
Turbo history: If a Ferrari-powered car wins the race it will be the first Ferrari turbo win since the 1988 Italian Grand Prix.
(source: f1.com)
