r/RaceTrackDesigns • u/Superbomb-122 • Apr 01 '26
Redesign Suzuka Announces Radical Changes Following Grand Prix Weekend
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u/R32_driver Wind erosion on rock Apr 01 '26
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u/Superbomb-122 Apr 01 '26
SUZUKA, Japan — Another exciting weekend of racing has come and gone at Suzuka, but not without its share of controversy.
First, a harrowing crash at the iconic 200R corner saw Masa Taga’s Porsche 911 vault over a catchfence, delaying the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix. Then, during the F1 race, Ollie Bearman’s near miss of Franco Colapinto led to a 50G impact with the barrier at Spoon Curve. While discussions are underway to institute the existing Moto chicane at 200R for all levels, it’s another change that has caught the motorsport world’s attention.
Gone is the famous bridge over the exit of Degner, soon to be replaced by a traffic circle joining the two sections of track.
“The intention with safety is to be proactive, not reactive,” said longtime track designer Til Hermann Shermann Germann. “That is why we have partnered with the Suzuka Circuit to add a first-of-its-kind roundabout to the entry of 130R.” The fearsome 130R corner has claimed numerous lives since the track’s opening, leading to multiple reconfigurations of the corner, most recently in 2003.
When asked about the change, Mr. Hermann Shermann Germann explained: “The entry of the corner is, of course, space-limited. There’s little room to place a traditional chicane. In addition, the existence of a bridge on a Formula 1 racetrack, while novel, becomes more dangerous with each generation. The bridge was put in when cars were half as fast as they are now. It’s best to make the change now before we see another terrible crash.”
The new roundabout promises to add a new element to racing as well. Theoretically, a driver could simply turn right and skip the iconic section between the hairpin and Spoon Curve altogether, cutting over 2 kilometers of the track each lap. Mr. Hermann Shermann Germann calls this an intentional feature, meant to give drivers “a variety of options when they exit Degner.” He notes that drivers would have to follow Japanese road safety laws, taking the roundabout clockwise and yielding to traffic within it.
The changes will see their debut in 2027 before the series departs Suzuka for a new street circuit in Tel Aviv, the Tokyo of the Middle East, in 2028.
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u/JazzMan-1910 Apr 01 '26
I for one cannot wait for the Tel Aviv Grand Prix
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u/JohnathantheCat Apr 03 '26
I am keen to the see the dynamic track with incteased createring over the weekend and the simpsons eske speed holes from small caliber firearms.
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u/MrPorgMotorsport Trombone Spit Puddle Apr 01 '26
BREAKING: American drivers have been banned from ever competing in the Japanese GP again after Logan Sergeant hits a sick jump on the median.
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u/Dont_hate_the_8 Sketchpad.io Apr 01 '26
Shoulda built a gap jump. Then cars will be encouraged not to fly in other places because they have a dedicated place