Max Verstappen has swept back to the top step of the podium with a win at the 2024 Japanese grand prix. There might have been the tiniest glimmer of hope that Ferrari, after winning in Australia, could take the fight to Red Bull, but it was quickly extinguished by the champion team.
The timing sheets for qualifying reflect yet another pole position for Verstappen but it wasn’t a straightforward pole for the Dutchman. In fact, he beat teammate Checo Perez to P1 by a scant 0.066 of a second. It wasn’t quite as close in the race, but Perez did put a much better performance than he delivered here in 2023. Perez’s second place finish, only twelve-odd seconds off Verstappen, is particularly noteworthy given that Suzuka is a stronghold for his teammate. Perez’s performance signifies a step forward and with such encouraging results, he is likely to be one on the phone, if he hasn’t been already, to push for the renewal of his Red Bull contract.
A crash between Alex Albon and Daniel Ricciardo, on lap one, brought out the red flag and saw the race stopped for around fifteen minutes for the repair of the tire barrier. The crash was nothing more than a lap one racing incident, but it certainly doesn’t offer any help to an under pressure Daniel Ricciardo. Especially considering the slew of younger drivers waiting in the wings to take his place.
Carlos Sainz was third for Ferrari ahead of teammate Charles Leclerc. It seems that the only inspiration that Sainz needed to drive the wheels off his car, metaphorically, was to be fired! The Spaniard has been pretty perfect in 2024 and is driving as good as he ever has. Charles Leclerc, too, drove a brilliant to complete a long-shot one-stop strategy. His fourth-place finish was a testament to his tire management while still delivering in terms of pace. Kudos to Ferrari too who pulled off a rather brilliant strategy for Leclerc – not words that you often associated with the Maranello based team.
Lando Norris was fifth for McLaren and just lacked a bit of pace to make a real attempt on the podium. The crafty Fernando Alonso was sixth while George Russell overtook Oscar Piastri, on the final lap, for seventh. Alonso had been dragging Piastri along, allowing him to stay within DRS-range, to protect the pair of them from Russell who had much newer tires on his Mercedes. But for a lock-up into the hairpin on the penultimate lap, Piastri likely would’ve held off Russell. As it were, Piastri finished behind Russell in eighth with Lewis Hamilton in ninth.
Tenth place belonged to home hero Yuki Tsunoda who drove exceptionally well to score the final point on offer. Yuki Tsunoda’s performance in the 2024 Formula 1 season has been impressive. At the outset, many would have expected him to deliver results comparable to those of the previous year. However, Tsunoda has exceeded all expectations by demonstrating a noticeable improvement in his skills and performance on the track. His ability to elevate his game has been a delightful revelation. It’s especially notable given that many anticipated that Daniel Ricciardo would be dominating the internal battle at RB.
