After a week of no racing, F1 is heading to Suzuka for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, which will be the 3rd round of the season. The circuit is usually a fan-favourite and a driver-favourite, thanks to its high-speed corners. However, there are some significant changes to the circuit this year that could affect the performance of the cars and drivers.
While there are many storylines to follow ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, this is one to keep an eye out for.
Changes in Suzuka Circuit ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix
For this year’s race in Suzuka, a section of the track has been completely resurfaced. This section includes the exit of the final chicane of the track up to the end of the first sector.
The resurfacing is done on the infamous esses on the Suzuka circuit. Resurfacing usually provides the drivers with more grip and allows them to go faster. But this could also increase tyre degradation during the race. We noticed this effect during the last race in Shanghai. The resurfaced track allowed the cars to travel faster than ever around the circuit. We could see a similar effect in Suzuka this weekend.
🇯🇵 | IT’S RACE WEEK!!
The first of a triple header, we will get plenty of on-track action the coming weeks!#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/c9NPRFl6yg
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) March 31, 2025
Some other notable changes concern the kerbs and grass run-off areas around the circuit. The most notable one is at turn 9, where there used to be a single kerb. This has now been replaced by a double kerb. This will make the drivers more cautious while taking on turn 9, as the double kerbs could damage the floor of the car or could significantly affect the pace of the car for that lap.
Gravel traps have also been placed on the outside of turns 2,7,9,14, and 17. This will once again make the drivers more cautious, as gravel traps are much more punishing than the grass runoff that used to be there earlier. Hence, this will prevent drivers from exceeding track limits.
The FIA have decided to make these changes to improve the standard of racing and safety. It will be interesting to see how the teams and drivers cope with these changes this weekend.
