Suzuka will remain on the Formula 1 calendar until at least 2018 following the signing of a new contract with F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

Ecccelstone met with Suzuka president Hiroshi Soda in London this week to agree to the terms of a new five-year deal which starts in 2014.

This means that Honda, the Japanese car manufacturer which owns the Suzuka circuit, will get a home race when it returns to F1 as engine supplier for the McLaren F1 team in 2015.

Ecclestone told Autosport, “It is great to see Honda back in F1 in 2015. I am sure that the Japanese Grand Prix will attract greater attention than ever.”

Suzuka remains a favourite amongst racing fans and drivers alike so it’s good to see it remain on the calendar despite previous concerns around the fact that the Japanese Grand Prix gets no investment or backing from the Japanese government.

Suzuka president Soda told Autosport that it made financial sense to still have the Japanese GP at the circuit.

Photo By Morio (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons