Formula One back in Suzuka to witness Max Verstappen's next attempt to clinch title

Formula One returns to Suzuka after a three year absence with Max Verstappen taking another crack at winning his second world title.

It is a reflection of the Dutchman’s dominance that can have as disastrous a race as he did at Marina Bay - equalling his worst finish of the season - and still be within striking distance of title number two.

Engine suppliers Honda have upped the ante with an increased sponsorship running to tens of millions to have their name on the car once again in the expectation of a championship victory at the home circuit they own.

And a much anticipated return it is to at a venue as adored by fans as it is by the F1 drivers themselves. The hilly demanding figure of eight track is among the greatest on earth.

In an age of neutered modern F1 circuits where show appears to have priority over sport, old-school Suzuka stretches the drivers’ every nerve and fibre from the fast T1 hairpin to the snaking S curves that require so much precision, through Degner, Spoon and the legendary 130R, taken at speeds approaching 300kph.

Suzuka is a circuit drenched in iconic moments where the world championship has been won at least 11 times. From Ayrton Senna’s two controversial title-deciding smashes with Alain Prost to Mika Hakkinen’s second championship ahead of a crestfallen Eddie Irvine in 1999 and the start of Michael Schumacher’s five-year domination the following season.

Red Bull's Sergio Perez celebrates after winning the Singapore Grand Prix on October 2, 2022. Reuters

Then there was the seminal James Hunt championship victory in 1976. After heroically coming back from a near death crash earlier in the year, rival Niki Lauda refused to race in a downfall of biblical proportions and the English bon vivant’s