Max Verstappen is unbeaten in a single round this season with four points out of four and took pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix. An imperious world champion on the track for which he has great affection, he tested his Red Bull at Suzuka with an ease that belied the challenge. With teammate Sergio Pérez also finishing second, there was an undeniable feeling that Red Bull’s early season dominance was assured in Japan.
Verstappen has been top of the table in all four meetings this season and never looked to take his eye off the ball at Suzuka this weekend. He was pushed hard by Pérez, who was six-hundredths behind, but closest to the rest of the field was McLaren’s Lando Norris, who made a good run to take third but was still almost three-tenths clear of the front two.
Relating to: Lando Norris: ‘I am not afraid of Max Verstappen in any way. ‘I want to prove myself’
Norris’ assessment of the rivalry was telling of how Suzuka had once again highlighted the true pecking order in F1 this season. The 26-year-old was pleased to have secured his best grid position of the year but also accepted the fact that race day belonged firmly to the Red Bulls.
McLaren was also so strong at Suzuka last year that he and teammate Oscar Piastri, who finished sixth, went side-by-side with Verstappen three times at turn one, but the Dutchman held his ground. Another such attack was the best Norris could have hoped for on Sunday.
“Last year I was side by side with Max in Turn 1, hopefully we can try to do that but it’s difficult, they’re fast.” “They complained about their race speed [in practice] But I don’t think they’ve had a bad race in the last 4-5 years. They will be better tomorrow.”
With Japan being the fourth race of the season and overall the best indicator of true form for the upcoming season, Norris admitted Red Bull’s pace could not be denied and the best the rivalry could hope for was a podium place: as he and Piastri managed last season.
“We proved last year that we can stay in touch and not be miles behind, so we will be off the mark tomorrow but realistically we are too far away to challenge them,” he said. “They are too fast for us. Yes, we are faster in qualifying but in the race they always get a little further away, I’m always realistic, I think our competition is with the guys at the back.”
Verstappen’s 36thhe Career pole position was exactly the comeback he wanted after his huge disappointment with a brake failure at the final round in Australia that probably cost him the victory. The 26-year-old driver, who also turned his previous two wins into dominant wins at Suzuka for the third consecutive year in Japan, will look to lead once again on Sunday.
Red Bull is uniquely suited to high-speed, high-energy tracks with its superiority in fast corners, while the car, whose tires are extremely forgiving, will have an advantage against high abrasive wear. surface.
The team also brought its first batch of upgrades of the season to this meeting, including new cooling intakes and updates to the floor and brakes. After an already incredibly strong start, they appear to have maintained their advantage over their rivals.
Verstappen had made a strong opening in the third quarter and by the end of his first heat lap the Dutchman had gained a significant advantage. Norris finished almost four-tenths ahead of Pérez until he upped the ante by leaving his McLaren two and a half tenths clear.
In the final laps, Verstappen was in control once again, but at least there was a good performance from his teammate. The world champion opened the first section by going even faster but lost out to Pérez in the middle, but the recovery in the final part of the lap was decisive and his time of 1 minute 28.197 seconds was just six hundredths of a second ahead of his teammate. However, Norris failed to improve but did enough to finish an impressive third.
While Lewis Hamilton and George Russell took seventh and ninth place for Mercedes, Hamilton still expressed his satisfaction. He described the car as “the most beautiful car he has felt in the last three years” and said that its performance, especially in the first sector where balance is important, was extremely encouraging and gave him great information to feed back to the team on the current limitations. Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz was fourth and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso was fifth.
Despite wins in the first two rounds, Verstappen remains just four points ahead of Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ championship following his DNF in Australia, while Red Bull leads Ferrari by just four points in the constructors’ standings.
Local hero Yuki Tsunoda received a thrilling reception as he powered his RB into Q3 and finished the race in 10th place. Oscar Piastri took sixth place with McLaren and Leclerc took eighth place with Ferrari. Russell was investigated for unsafe swinging into the pit lane in the first quarter and Mercedes were fined €5000.
Daniel Ricciardo was 11 years oldhe Nico Hulkenberg for RB 12he 13 for Haas and Valtteri Bottashe Sauber 14 for Alex Albonhe 15 for Williams and Esteban Oconhe For Alpine. Lance Stroll was 16 years oldhe 17 for Aston Martin and Pierre Gaslyhe Kevin Magnussen for Alpine at 18he For Haas, Logan Sargeant 19he 20 for Williams and Guanyu Zhouhe For Sauber.