Max Verstappen, the Dutch driver from Red Bull Racing, emerged victorious in the Japanese Grand Prix, recovering from his previous retirement. This marked his third consecutive win in Suzuka. Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, secured second place, while Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz finished third. The race saw teams strategically saving their tires, anticipating a two-stop race due to the high track temperature of 40 degrees. Aston Martin took a different approach by using soft tires for Fernando Alonso. Other drivers, including Nico Hulkenberg and Valtteri Bottas, also opted for the soft compound. Verstappen made a great start, leaving his competitors behind and maintaining Red Bull’s 1-2 position. However, there was a major incident involving Alex Albon and Daniel Ricciardo, resulting in both drivers hitting the wall and the race being stopped for repairs. Despite the interruption, Verstappen led the cars back to the track for a new standing start.
Once again, the Red Bull cars lined up in formation as they approached Turn 1, with Norris and Sainz close behind, while both Mercedes cars struggled with the hard compound tires.
Charles Leclerc, who was looking to recover from a disappointing weekend, managed to overtake Lewis Hamilton, while Tsunoda pushed George Russell into 10th position.
However, Russell quickly regained his position on lap 4, placing himself behind his teammate and in the fight with the leading group.
On the following lap, Stroll continued to climb up the standings, reaching 12th place by using the DRS on the start-finish straight to pass Ocon’s Alpine at Turn 1.
The difference between Perez and his teammate exceeded one second, and a moment of understeer at Degner 1 caused him to lose another second, giving Verstappen a bit of breathing space.
Hulkenberg became the first driver to make a pit stop, switching his soft tires for the hard compound, prompting Sauber to respond with their drivers in the following laps.
The Hinwil team successfully avoided the wheel nut issue that had plagued them in previous races, allowing Bottas to pass Tsunoda’s RB after his pit stop.
Despite experiencing understeer and oversteer with his RB20, Verstappen continued to increase his lead to 2.9 seconds.
Norris was nearly 3 seconds behind Perez, while Sainz reported over the radio that his former teammate was struggling, with Leclerc starting to pressure the second McLaren.
However, Leclerc’s attempts to overtake were thwarted when Oscar Piastri closed in on Alonso, who was still running on soft tires.
To address concerns about degradation, McLaren decided to pit Norris at the end of lap 11, and a quick 2.3-second stop by the team improved their chances of holding onto third place.
Piastri followed suit on the next lap to avoid a possible undercut from Ferrari, allowing Leclerc to get closer to Alonso, who had fallen behind Sainz.
With Russell remaining less than a second behind his teammate and Hamilton struggling with pace, the seven-time champion questioned whether a position swap was necessary.
Mercedes agreed with these comments and instructed Hamilton to let Russell pass him on lap 14, while Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu retired from the race due to a gearbox issue.
Perez and Sainz made pit stops at the end of lap 15, but McLaren’s previous stop allowed Norris to overtake Red Bull, despite the team servicing their driver in 2.1 seconds.
Norris caught up to Hamilton, who reported difficulties with understeer, and the McLaren driver made a bold move on the outside of the Mercedes at Turn 1, securing fourth place.
On the next lap, Perez executed a daring overtaking maneuver on Hamilton at the fast 130R corner, while the race leader made his first pit stop and came out in second place.
Perez continued his overtaking skills by repeating the move on the other Mercedes, this time on the inside of the left-hand 130R corner.
Mercedes’ strategic decision to run the more durable hard compound for a longer period was not proving advantageous at this stage, as Sainz became the next driver to overtake Hamilton.
Verstappen quickly closed the gap to Leclerc with fresher tires and used DRS to position himself alongside the Ferrari, eventually passing him at the first corner to take the lead.
Hamilton expressed the need for a change as soon as Alonso overtook him, while Sainz had already passed Russell approaching the Spoon Curve moments earlier.
Mercedes decided to end Russell’s long stint by making a pit stop at the end of lap 22, followed by Hamilton a lap later, both opting for another set of hard tires.
Leclerc managed to stay ahead of Perez at Turn 1 on lap 26, but ran wide at the first Degner, allowing Red Bull to overtake. Norris was now right behind Leclerc, engaged in a battle for third place.
Both teams opted to make their pit stops on that lap. Ferrari had a slightly faster stop than McLaren, resulting in Leclerc emerging in clean air while Norris ended up behind Russell in eighth place.
However, Norris wasted no time in overtaking Russell and staying close to Leclerc in the battle for third place, successfully passing him on the outside of Turn 1.
Leclerc’s impressive performance on a potential one-stop strategy positioned him to secure a podium finish once the cars ahead, including his teammate, made another pit stop.
Piastri was ahead of Leclerc, but McLaren chose not to use the Australian driver as a possible obstacle to help his teammate close the gap to Ferrari while he made his pit stop.
Perez emerged behind Norris after his second pit stop, but easily overtook him using the DRS function before Turn 1. He then repeated this move on Leclerc.
Sainz’s pace began to drop with his worn tires, so he made his final pit stop on lap 36. He returned to the race in seventh place, behind Hamilton’s Mercedes.
The Spaniard, aiming for a possible podium finish, used the DRS to overtake the driver who will replace him at Ferrari in 2025 at the first corner.
Sainz was determined and was informed that he would not be hindered by team orders as long as he could overtake Norris, who was sandwiched between two Ferraris in the battle for third place.
Logan Sargeant had a promising race until his car was destabilized on the Degner 1 kerb, causing him to run wide on the gravel and drop to last place.
Norris had a moment at Turn 11, giving Sainz the opportunity to overtake him using DRS at Turn 1. Sainz then took third position from Leclerc a few laps later.
Russell, on medium compound tires, closed in on Piastri and attempted a late move at the final chicane. This forced McLaren to use the escape area to maintain seventh position.
FIA Stewards observed Russell for forcing another car off track, but Piastri remained ahead and defended his position on the inside line at Turn 1.
Piastri ran wide at the chicane on the penultimate lap, allowing Russell to get close enough on the final lap to overtake him at Turn 1 using DRS.
Verstappen had concerns about Red Bull’s performance during practice, but had no competition as he cruised to his third victory of the 2024 season, extending his lead in the championship.
Perez finished 12 seconds behind Verstappen and almost missed out on the bonus point for the fastest lap of the race. Sainz secured his third podium in three races to start the season.
Norris couldn’t replicate his podium success from last year and settled for fifth place, while Alonso secured sixth position as the only Aston Martin driver to score points.
Mercedes faced another challenging race, but Russell took advantage of Piastri’s mistake to claim seventh place, while Hamilton struggled and finished ninth in Suzuka.
Despite an exciting race, Tsunoda converted his top-ten starting position into a point at home for the first time, completing the list of drivers who scored in the Japanese GP.
© 2024
The world of sports is in shock with the bombshell news that has just been revealed. A soccer star, known for his incredible skills, is about to transfer to a new club. The news was confirmed by sources close to the player, who disclosed that he is seeking new challenges and opportunities in his career.
The player, whose name cannot be revealed due to contractual reasons, is considered one of the best in the world in his position. His transfer to the new club will certainly make a big impact in the sports scene and leave fans eager to see his performances in the future.
Furthermore, rumors suggest that the transfer will involve a record amount in terms of market value. This only adds to the speculation surrounding the deal and fuels the fans’ expectations.
However, not everyone is happy with the news. Fans of the player’s current club have expressed their sadness and disappointment with the decision. They believe that the player is abandoning the team that helped him become a star and that he should show more loyalty.
Despite the controversies, the transfer is almost complete and the player is excited about the new challenge ahead. Now we just have to wait for the official announcement and see how this change will impact the world of soccer.
Stay tuned for more updates on this bombshell news and don’t miss any details of this transfer that promises to shake up the sports world.
