The lap
Fuji International Speedway · No Chicane
9 corners, 4 of which decide the lap. What each one asks of the car, and what you do about it.
Main straight
T1
Coca-Cola
100R
Hairpin
Dunlop
T13–15
Panasonic
StraightFast cornerMedium cornerSlow corner
The lapA 1.5 km main straight bolted onto a technical back half. The straight makes wing expensive and the final sector makes it necessary — the straight usually wins.
Set up forLow drag for the straight, then traction out of Panasonic. The middle sector is where you accept a compromise, not where you optimise.
Classic mistakeOptimising the twisty section. You'll gain two tenths there and lose four down the straight.
Works hardestRears from the slow final sector
Length4.6 km · road course · JP
Corner by corner
Every corner on this layout
A • marks the corners that decide the lap.
T1 Turn One •
Braking from top speed
The end of a 1.5 km straight, slightly downhill, into a tightening right.
- Technique
- Bleed the brake as speed falls. This is where a downforce car locks fronts if you hold pressure.
- Demands
- Braking-limited · Low speed — aero does little · Wants yaw on entry
T2 Coca-Cola Corner
Medium left
A quick left immediately after Turn 1, taken with the car still settling.
- Technique
- Treat it as part of Turn 1's exit rather than a separate corner.
- Demands
- Sustained mid-corner load · Wants yaw on entry · Transient, not steady-state
T3 Turn Three
Medium right
A linking corner leading toward 100R, easy to compromise.
- Technique
- Get straight early to protect the entry to the long right that follows.
- Demands
- Sustained mid-corner load · Front grip limited
100R 100R •
Long fast right
Long and quick, loading the car for a sustained period at high speed.
- Technique
- Steady and committed. Corrections here cost the whole middle sector.
- Demands
- High speed — aero is live · Front grip limited · Sustained mid-corner load · Aero platform sensitive
HP The Hairpin •
Very slow
The slowest corner on the lap. Prototypes hate it; GT3s are comfortable.
- Technique
- Get it stopped and pointed. Don't try to carry speed.
- Demands
- Low speed — aero does little · Wants yaw on entry · Traction-limited
300R 300R
Fast left
A quick left with real commitment required, in the middle of the technical sector.
- Technique
- Trust the car. Lifting here costs you into Dunlop.
- Demands
- High speed — aero is live · Wants a settled rear · Rear grip limited
DL Dunlop Corner
Medium right · downhill
Downhill and awkward, with the car light on entry.
- Technique
- Be settled before turn-in. The camber and grade work against you.
- Demands
- Sustained mid-corner load · Braking-limited · Transient, not steady-state
NC Netz Corner
Slow left
Tight and slow, setting up the final corner.
- Technique
- Protect the exit — you need to be straight for Panasonic.
- Demands
- Low speed — aero does little · Wants yaw on entry · Traction-limited
PC Panasonic Corner •
Final corner
The last corner before the enormous straight. Its exit is worth more than anything else on the lap.
- Technique
- Everything is subordinate to getting to full throttle early here.
- Demands
- Traction-limited · Exit-phase limited · Rear grip limited · Low speed — aero does little
Corner names and numbering follow common usage; some circuits number differently between layouts.
Sideways
Where to go next
The ranked answer is per car. Pick yours to see what this lap asks of it.
This lap, car by car