Suzuka's iconic 130R corner has been sold to a video game

Naming rights to one of F1's most iconic corners was not something we had on our bingo card today, but here we are.

Have you ever heard of Umamusume? If you have: congratulations, you are a nerd. Welcome. If you haven't, Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a Japanese franchise which began life as a mobile game in 2021.

'Umamusume' literally translates to 'horse girls' and, yes, the game and subsequent manga/anime series centres around girls 'with the ears, tails, and capabilities of horses', who replace racehorses in the fictional world they inhabit.

The franchise has been a phenomenon in Japan and found a reasonable amount of success internationally, raking in billions of dollars since the game's original release in 2021 and its release outside of Asia in 2025.

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130R becomes 'Umamusume 130R'

So, why is your friendly neighbourhood F1 website writing about the horse girl training/racing game? Well, developer Cygames announced this week that Umamusume has agreed a deal to become the first founding partner of the Japanese Grand Prix.

The company has also acquired the naming rights for Suzuka's legendary 130R corner for a period of 'approximately one year', with the corner now officially called the 'Umamusume 130R' for the next 12 months.

A statement announcing the partnership added: "Promotional material will be displayed at the Umamusume 130R starting with the 25th JAF Suzuka Grand Prix (rounds 11 and 12 of the 2026 Japanese Super Formula Championship), to be held from November 21 to November 22."

No promotional material will be displayed at the corner during next year's Japanese Grand Prix, although there will be other various activations at the track and in fan zones.

The developer wrote: "In Umamusume, players assume the role of a trainer and work in tandem with their Umamusume trainee to achieve victory in races. Each racer pursues her goals relentlessly, supported by her trainer, family, and friends.

"Cygames believes that this pursuit reflects the spirit of F1, where drivers and their teams work together to reach the top. The desire to support these similar themes of competition and camaraderie has led Umamusume to become a founding partner."

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