Max Verstappen bounced back from his retirement in Australia with a commanding drive to victory during Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix 2024, taking the chequered flag ahead of Red Bull team mate Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
Verstappen led the way from start to finish as warmer than expected weather conditions, a variety of tyre strategies and a first-lap accident involving RB’s Daniel Ricciardo and the Williams of Alex Albon all played their part in proceedings.
It meant a third successive pole-to-victory conversion for the Dutchman at Suzuka, while also marking a third win from four races in 2024, boosting his lead in the drivers’ championship after it was dented by a brake-related retirement last time out at Albert Park.
Fresh from an improved qualifying display that saw him finish just over half a tenth away from pole, Perez backed up Verstappen to give Red Bull another one-two finish after their perfect results in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to kick off the season.
Australian Grand Prix winner Sainz was the last of the front-runners to make their final pit stop and benefitted from fresher rubber to clear McLaren’s Lando Norris and team mate Charles Leclerc in the closing laps – the latter having completed one stop fewer on an alternate strategy.
Leclerc kept Norris at bay in fourth and fifth places respectively, while Fernando Alonso continued to lead Aston Martin’s charge en route to sixth, finishing just in front of the squabbling Mercedes and McLaren machines of George Russell and Oscar Piastri.
Piastri, on ageing hard tyres, and Russell, on newer medium tyres, had come close to colliding towards the end of the race when they went wheel-to-wheel at the final chicane, with the stewards looking into the incident after the Australian argued he was forced off the track.
Lewis Hamilton mirrored Russell’s strategy en route to ninth, having questioned Mercedes’ approach earlier in the race, with home hero Yuki Tsunoda taking the final point on offer for himself and RB as he battled his way to 10th via a series of fine overtakes.
Haas’s Nico Hulkenberg was one of Tsunoda’s victims in 11th, while Lance Stroll was another to make some eye-catching passes – particularly through the Esses – but ultimately went without reward in P12, commenting over the radio that Aston Martin’s lack of straight-line speed made it feel like they were in a “different category”.
Kevin Magnussen took 13th in the other Haas, in front of Kick Sauber’s Valtteri Bottas and the Alpines of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, who survived contact when the action resumed following Ricciardo and Albon’s coming together at the original race start.
Logan Sargeant had a trip through the gravel in the closing moments of the race but the Williams man reversed out and continued on his way to P17 and last, avoiding the same fate as the aforementioned Ricciardo and Albon, and the other Kick Sauber of Zhou Guanyu, who retired early on amid apparent technical trouble.
After four drama-filled rounds, the F1 paddock will head to China with Verstappen leading the drivers’ standings with 77 points, followed by teammate Perez with 64 and Leclerc with 59, while Red Bull (141 points) holds the advantage over Ferrari (120) in the constructors’ battle.
Credit Photo : F1
