Formula One returns to Fuji
The Fuji International Speedway returns to the Formula One calendar in 2007 having last staged a Grand Prix in 1977. Built in the Sixties in the style of a classic American speedway, Fuji hosted the very first Japanese Grand Prix in 1976 and again in 1977 before a thirty year absence from the calendar. Following a major facelift of the circuit and facilities by track designer Herman Tilke, the Speedway reopened in February 2005.
Although updated and modernised, Tilke has maintained the spirit of the Speedway's original layout by combining the unique one and a half kilometre pit straight with characteristic twists and turns to form a 4.563 km circuit. Widened run-off areas have improved safety for the drivers, with enhanced infrastructure and grandstands to accommodate an expected 280,000 spectators over the course of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend.
The circuit is located in the Shizuoka prefecture, approximately 100 kilometres from Tokyo, and is overlooked by one of Japan's most famous landmarks, the spectacular Mount Fuji. At 3776 metres, Mount Fuji is the highest peak in Japan and one of the country's most popular tourist attractions.
