It was business as usual out front as Max Verstappen bounced back from some Singapore struggles to return to the top step of the podium. Behind him, there was carbon fibre confetti as multiple incidents unfolded in a surprisingly entertaining Japanese Grand Prix.
Find out how the rest of the pack fared:
Top of the class:
Max Verstappen – Qualifying: 1st | Race: 1st (+FL)
We are undoubtedly watching F1 history in the making, and although it certainly divides fans on how enjoyable it is, you can’t help but admire Max’s grit and determination to smash every record imaginable.
He put any questions of the Singapore slump behind to dominate at one of his favourite tracks, putting over half a second between himself and the rest of the pack in qualifying, nearly a second on his own teammate.
Sunday’s race looked to be a breeze as well, cantering to a 19-second victory without any real threat to fight off. Leaving Japan with 26 points means his lead of 177 points is pretty much unbeatable. In fact, he could wrap it up in the Sprint Race of the next round.
McLaren
Lando Norris – Qualifying: 3rd | Race: 2nd
Oscar Piastri – Qualifying: 2nd | Race: 3rd
The papaya-outfit’s incredible run of form continued to Suzuka, a track where expectations were high for them. Nonetheless, it is one thing being expected to perform well, and another for McLaren very much hitting and exceeding their targets.
They were best of the rest in qualifying, with rookie Oscar Piastri shading teammate Lando Norris by half a tenth in qualifying. The race on Sunday then saw Lando immediately jump into P2 at the start with Piastri slipping into P3.
A well-executed strategy saw the duo better their heroics at Silverstone with a double podium, Lando’s fourth of the season and a maiden one for Oscar. They were also miles ahead of Ferrari and Mercedes behind, but ultimately did not have enough pace in the bank to challenge Max out front.
McLaren’s 33 points was their best haul in a weekend since Monza 2021, and more importantly, saw them take a huge bite into Aston Martin’s points lead. With the gap closing to 49 with six events to go, there’s plenty to play for in the battle for P4.
Honourable mention of the week goes to Alpine. They may not be reaching their targets for the season, but to respond to a disappointing double-Q2 exit to both cars scoring points is a result they should be pleased with. It was Esteban Ocon who had the bragging rights, making up 5 places from 14th to finish 9th, whilst Gasly took the final point on offer after starting 12th.
The struggle bus:
Sergio Pérez – Qualifying: 5th | Race: DNF
To put it bluntly, this was a hall-of-shame performance from the Mexican, especially with Max looking so dominant out front. A lowly P5 in qualifying actually marked an improvement on recent form but that was the only positive to take.
Sergio’s race unfolded as soon as the lights went. He forced Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton wide with contact and had to change his front wing due to damage. The Mexican then picked up a five-second penalty for a safety car infringement.
His day got worse from here on out by crashing into the Haas of Kevin Magnussen at the turn 11 Hairpin on lap 12 with an over-optimistic move. This brought out a brief VSC to clear up the damage but Pérez was withdrawn from the race after falling a lap down.
Sergio was deemed at fault for the incident and picked up another penalty. The team then chose to send him back out in the race to serve the penalty so it wasn’t carried over to the next Grand Prix in Qatar. This was a big brain move, but perhaps not quite the outcome the stewards were aiming for with handing out a penalty.
With the pressure so high on Sergio with his form not coming close to that of Max, weekends like this simply don’t help him argue his case.
Williams
Alexander Albon – Qualifying: 13th | Race: DNF
Logan Sargeant – Qualifying: 20th | Race: DNF
The Grove outfit are having a much better season this year, but it’s safe to say Suzuka was very unkind to the team as both cars failed to finish the race.
Alexander Albon was sent into the air before turn 1 after contact with the Alfa Romeo of Valtteri Bottas. He would make it half distance before calling it a day and parking his #23 in the garage.
Logan had an even worse time, a hefty crash at the final corner left the rookie last on the grid. He also failed to set a lap within the 107% rule in qualifying, after which he was forced to a pit lane start due to car changes in parc fermé.
This was further punished with a 10-second time penalty to serve in the race due to using too many new replacement parts. His race ended on lap 22 after soldiering on with damage caused when he locked up and hit Bottas on lap 5 at the hairpin.
Dishonourable mention goes to the FIA for failing to close the loophole allowing drivers back on track after seemingly retiring. It was smart of Red Bull to send Sergio back out onto the track to serve the time penalty, however having gone multiple laps down the Stewards should really be stepping in at a time like this by forcing the team to retire from the race.
The paddock heads to the Losail Circuit in Qatar next for round 17 of the Championship. The track will be hosting a Grand Prix for the first time as a contract holder after being used as a replacement event for Suzuka in 2021. We’ll also see the track under the lights hosting Sprint Race #4 of the season, so perhaps the lack of data may spring a surprise or two? Check in on the weekend of 7th & 8th October to find out!
