It’s cherry blossom season and for Formula One, the Japanese Grand Prix is at its earliest in the year as it has ever been in the sport’s seven-decade history. Tune in on The Roar from 3pm (AEST) for lap-by-lap updates.
It has been only six months from the last time F1 blasted around the legendary Suzuka circuit and Max Verstappen rebounded to a dominant victory, after failing to win the previous race in Singapore.
The reigning world champion arrives at this 5.8km high-speed technical circuit under the same circumstances, having retired from the Australian Grand Prix with a brakes problem. It was again Carlos Sainz – like in Singapore – who won in Melbourne.
Suzuka has long been a circuit to suit the Red Bull and with the swag of upgrades brought to the RB20 this weekend, Verstappen will likely have the field’s measure come the 53-lap race.
It is a circuit with very few overtaking opportunities. There is the only the single DRS zone down the pit-straight, so emphasis will be placed on strategies – which will likely be two stops even with the hardest compounds in Pirelli’s range.
Verstappen’s unbeaten run of pole positions in 2024 continued, with a 0.066-second difference to teammate Sergio Perez – as Red Bull lock out the front-row of the grid.
Ferrari, who were favoured to be best of the rest behind the Red Bulls instead struggled in qualifying. Melbourne winner Sainz their best chance at a podium from fourth, while Charles Leclerc was at sea and starts eighth.
Last year, Oscar Piastri scored his maiden F1 podium here, with he and McLaren teammate Lando Norris comfortably the second best team behind the mighty Red Bull in last year’s race. The Briton heads up the second-row behind the Red Bulls, while Piastri the day after his 23rd birthday will start sixth.
Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda once again showed up RB teammate Daniel Ricciardo, to bump the under fire Aussie out of the top ten.
Tsunoda is yet to score points on home soil, so will he continue to the pressure his teammate with another good race result?
With it shaping to be another race for Verstappen to lose, who will be picking up the pieces behind the flying Dutchman?
Lights out: 3pm (AEST)
Venue: Suzuka Circuit, Mie Prefecture
TV: Fox Sports
Online: Kayo Sports
2023 winner: Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
Grid
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull), 3. Lando Norris (McLaren), 4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), 5. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), 6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren), 7. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), 8. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 9. George Russell (Mercedes), 10. Yuki Tsunoda (RB), 11. Daniel Ricciardo (RB), 12. Nico Hülkenberg (Haas), 13. Valtteri Bottas (Sauber), 14. Alexander Albon (Williams), 15. Esteban Ocon (Alpine), 16. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin), 17. Pierre Gasly (Alpine), 18. Kevin Magnussen (Haas), 19. Logan Sargeant (Williams), 20. Guanyu Zhou (Sauber)
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Goodness me!. That was a walk in the park. Crash Bandicoot Albon strikes again, Brilliant to watch Hamilton, as I predicted, get owned by Russell week to week and heart goes out to Gasly and Ocon who appear to be fighting with one hand tied behind their backs. Hulkenberg almost in the points again and Sainz must be taking plenty of calls from rival teams with his value increasing week to week.
Blink
Roar Rookie
The three top guys driving for their careers this season are Sainz, Perez and Tsunoda. All are performing exceptionally well to date.
Blink
Roar Rookie
On Verstappens Australian blip: the previous longest winning streak was 9 races to Sebastien Vettel in a Red Bull that also came to an end on the fourth lap of an Australian Grand Prix (history repeats from Martin Brundle).
andrew
Roar Rookie
Good to see Oscar in the points again. Dan must be having a few sleepless nights about the young Kiwi Liam Lawson.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Well that then wraps up this live blog of the Japanese Grand Prix on The Roar. Thank you again for tuning in. Please as always, keep the conversation going. We'll be back with more coverage as F1 returns to Shanghai for the first time since the championship celebrated its 1000th race in 2019. April 21 at 17:00 AEST for more prime time F1 action. Until then, see you later.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Thoughts on that one then Roarers?
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
------DRIVER'S------ 77 -- Max Verstappen 64 -- Sergio Perez 59 -- Charles Leclerc 55 -- Carlos Sainz 37 -- Lando Norris 32 -- Oscar Piastri 24 -- George Russell 24 -- Fernando Alonso 10 -- Lewis Hamilton 9 --- Lance Stroll 7 --- Yuki Tsunoda 6 --- Oliver Bearman 3 --- Nico Hülkenberg 1 --- Kevin Magnussen 0 --- Alexander Albon 0 --- Zhou Guanyu 0 --- Daniel Ricciardo 0 --- Esteban Ocon 0 --- Pierre Gasly 0 --- Valtteri Bottas 0 --- Logan Sargeant
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
-----CONSTRUCTOR'S----- 141 - Red Bull Racing 120 - Ferrari 69 -- McLaren Mercedes 34 -- Mercedes AMG 33 -- Aston Martin 7 --- RB Honda 4 --- Haas Ferrari 0 --- Williams Mercedes 0 --- Sauber 0 --- Alpine
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
RACE REPORT Following the blip that was the Australian Grand Prix for Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing, the reigning world champion put on a clinical performance at Suzuka to a claim a hattrick of wins in Japan. Red Bull also secured a one-two finish, with Sergio Perez completing the team’s third one-two finish in the opening four races of the 2024 season. The Japanese Grand Prix started with a red flag on the opening lap, as Daniel Ricciardo and Alexander Albon found the tyre wall on the outside of Turn 3, suspending the race. Ricciardo was caught out having made a slow start, with Albon on the quicker soft tyres coming around the outside – but with nowhere to go, as the Aussie was covering off Lance Stroll to the inside. The restarted, with only Mercedes inside the top ten making the bold choice to have switched straight to the hard compound and trying to only make a single stop during green flag running. This ultimately went against them, though the second stop for George Russell benefitted him in his fight against Oscar Piastri for seventh. There was contact between the pair on Lap 50, with Piastri being forced to use the run-off. On the penultimate lap, the Mercedes driver was able to utilise DRS to breeze past the Aussie. Ahead of Russell though, was Fernando Alonso who boldly started on the soft tyres and managed to keep his Aston Martin in sixth. The two-time world champion again using his wit to out-race Russell and Piastri. Ferrari also tried a different strategy with Charles Leclerc, trying the one-stopper during green flag running. That as well, not allowing the Monegasque to keep the top three spot he initially had – but finished four places up from where he started. Sainz with a strong middle stint on the mediums, had the upper hand when he switched to the hard compound at the end – to pass the McLaren of Lando Norris. On home soil, Yuki Tsunoda became the first driver since compatriot Kamui Kobayashi’s emphatic podium in 2012 to score points in Japan. Claiming an excellent tenth, in a race where under-fire teammate Ricciardo failed again. RB did pip their rivals such as the Haas duo and Stroll in the pits to be ahead of the queue fighting for the final point. There was further pit-stop dilemmas for Sauber, as both Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou encountered slow stops. Though for the former unfortunately, there was a terminal mechanical issue that took him out. The sister Williams of Logan Sargeant also, having moment at the Degner corners – ending up in the gravel and being relegated to the rear of the field behind the Alpines.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
POST-RACE INTERVIEWS - Hosted by Mark Webber VERSTAPPEN - "It was very nice. The critical bit was the start to stay ahead." "The car got better and better." "Couldn't have been any better." "Very happy to be back here on top." PEREZ - "It was a good weekend for team." "Doing the restart again is always hard to keep the focus." "We paid the price a little bit, because we were off the balance in the first stint." "On the hard stint I was a lot more comfortable." SAINZ - "I had a good race to be honest." "It was quite tough out there with the degradation, I had to overtake a lot of cars today." "In the end we managed, we were quick on the hard tyres and I could get the move done to get on the podium."
Brumby Jack's acquaintance
Roar Rookie
Almost as good as the old "Super Maldonado Kart"
Blink
Roar Rookie
Great scrap for Piastri near the end. Maybe he'll get the place back from the stewards after being forced off but probably not. Great result for Sainz and Ferrari and Red Bull again.
Stuart Thomas
Expert
Nicely done Max and a new nickname has emerged from Sarah and I. Alex 'crash Bandicoot' Albon. We now have the full grid covered.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
RESULTS FROM THE 53-LAP JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 1. M. Verstappen (Fastest Lap) 2. S. Perez 3. C. Sainz 4. C. Leclerc 5. L. Norris 6. F. Alonso 7. G. Russell 8 O. Piastri 9. L. Hamilton 10. Y. Tsunoda 11. N. Hülkenberg 12. L. Stroll 13. K. Magnussen 14 V. Bottas 15. E. Ocon 16. P. Gasly 17. L. Sargeant RET G. Zhou RET D. Ricciardo RET A. Albon
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE JAPANESE GRAND PRIX! A hattrick of wins for Verstappen in Japan, as Red Bull also take the one-two finish with Sergio Perez in second. And another smooth drive from the smooth operator Carlos Sainz for third.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 53/53: FINAL LAP Russell is through on Piastri then, as the McLaren couldn't hold the Mercedes any longer.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 52/53: Piastri within half a second of Alonso again, so should have DRS next time round. Russell still within touching distance of the McLaren ahead too.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 51/53: Alonso meanwhile has a lapped Alpine in between him and the chasing duo of Piastri and Russell behind.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 50/53: Piastri under threat from Russell here, as Alonso edges out of the DRS range from the McLaren behind. Russell actually forces Piastri to use the run off into the Casio Chicane. But the McLaren stays ahead for now. Alonso again playing his games ahead of them.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Lap 49/53: Verstappen meanwhile has maintained an eleven-second lead over teammate Perez, as Red Bull charge towards a one-two finish here with 5 laps remaining.