The Japanese Grand Prix has been a mainstay on the F1 calendar since for 30 years now, the race has been held on a handful of occasions at Fuji Speedway, but is most synonymous with Suzuka.
The track has played host to many a title decider throughout its history, most famously between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost at the peak of their rivalry in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
In more recent years, it has been a race dominated by champions: the last driver to win the race who wasn’t a world champion at the time was Sebastian Vettel in 2009 (he went on to win four titles and fourCHECK Japanese Grands Prix).
Fast forward to 2016, and another fierce intra-team battle for the world title is set to take centre stage once again. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg have enjoyed a rivalry likely to go down in the annals of F1 history for a number of years now, but we appear to be on the cusp of one of the most defining moments of their scrap.
Hamilton arrived in Malaysia last weekend trailing Rosberg by eight points in the drivers’ championship, knowing he had to put an end to the German’s streak. Hamilton duly took pole and looked dominant in the race, while Rosberg dropped all the way to the back of the field at Turn 1 after being hit. The momentum looked to have taken a decisive swing in the favor of the Briton, who was on the verge of moving back into a healthy championship lead.
But it wasn’t to be. With a 20-second lead over the pack and the race win all but secured, Hamilton’s engine gave way with 17 laps remaining, forcing him to park up and retire from the race. Rosberg recovered from his setback to finish third, ensuring his points advantage grew to 23 points with five rounds remaining.
Suzuka has seen its fair share of drama throughout its time as an F1 circuit. Will 2016 offer another memorable or poignant grand prix?