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Here’s how the full grid looks at the Suzuka Circuit.
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1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
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2. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
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3. Lando Norris (McLaren)
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4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
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5. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
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6. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
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7. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
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8. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
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9. George Russell (Mercedes)
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10. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)
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11. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)
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12. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
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13. Valtteri Bottas ( Sauber)
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14. Alexander Albon (Williams)
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15. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
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16. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
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17. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
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18. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
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19. Logan Sargeant (Williams)
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20. Zhou Guanyu (Kick Sauber)
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Howdy everyone, Joey Lynch here, and welcome to live coverage of one of the most beloved races on the F1 calendar: the Japanese Grand Prix, in the shadow of the cherry blossoms at the legendary Suzuka Circuit.
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This the fourth race in the 2024 campaign, this is the earliest that the circuit has even been used since it first became part of the tour in 1987 but this hasn’t stopped Max Verstappen from bringing some sense of normalcy by claiming pole position, his third-straight in the Mie Prefecture, fourth on the bounce in 2024, and fifth consecutive overall.
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After being forced to retire last time out in Australia when his brakes exploded — which I believe is the non-technical term – the Dutchman has cut a fiercely determined figure ever since he arrived at a track he considers one his favourites, a place where he made his F1 debut here as a 17-year-old back in practice in 2014.
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Gold, Silver and… Papaya? 😅#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/RbwAcEagZz
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2024
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He’s gone coast to coast the previous two times he’s started atop the grid in Japan and given that he’ll start on the front row alongside Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez, there’s little reason to believe the world champion doesn’t have the speed to be a prohibitive frontrunner to do so again. Should he take out the chequered flag, he’ll start a new streak of wins that was cut short at nine in Australia, his brake failure denying him what would have been a record-equalling tenth win – his own record, naturally – on the bounce.
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Pérez would end qualifying six-hundredths of a second back from his teammate’s time of 1min 28.197sec and was even able to log a faster than him in the middle section of the circuit on their final runs. It’s the 27th one-two in Red Bull’s history but only their third in the last six years, the other two coming at Abu Dhabi in 2022 and Bahrain in 2023. Front row lockouts are a bit more common here, however, with this now the 16th front row lockout for a team in 34 races at Suzuka.
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The best of the non-Red Bull contingent, Lando Norris and his McLaren looked as if he was maybe going to mount a challenge at the start of Q3 but, illustrative of the sheer pace of the Red Bulls, couldn’t stay with them in finishing almost three-tenths off the front two.
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“We proved last year we could keep in touch and not be miles behind so that will be our target tomorrow but realistically we are too far away to challenge them,” said Norris. “They are too quick for us. Yes, we are quicker in quali but in the race, they always pull away a bit more, I am always realistic I think our competition is with the guys behind.”
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The winner at Albert Park last time out, Carlos Sainz and his Ferrari will start the race from fourth, with the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso in fifth – his highest start in Suzuka in the last 10 years – and Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren in sixth. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are in seventh and ninth for Mercedes, the best qualification performance for Hamilton so far this season, sandwiched around Charles Leclerc, while local favourite Yuki Tsunoda will start from tenth.
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Lights out at 2pm JST, 4am GMT, 12am EDT
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Where in the world are you watching from? 🌍#F1 #JapaneseGP @ROLEX pic.twitter.com/bNK4RULIhY
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2024
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Key events
Today shapes as an incredibly intriguing race on the tactical front, with no real clear optimal strategy.
It’s probably a two-stopper, but what kind of two-stopper? A lot of the teams have brought two sets of hard tyres for the race but this doesn’t include the Red Bulls, Ferraris, or Aston Martins — meaning that we could see a battle of teams with varying strategies of when and how often they use their hards.
It’s around 23 degrees Celsius – which I think is around 70 in freedom units — in Suzuka with very little chance of precipitation, so that should remove one potential pratfall that teams need to navigate.
One unexpected attendee in Japan is Toto Wolff, who has been compelled to head to Suzuka in response to Mercedes early season woes.
“I had planned not to come to Japan because there’s so much on back in Europe, things to do, but then I felt not coming to Japan was the wrong choice,” he said.
And on the subject of Wolff, former world champion Sebastian Vettel has hinted he could be tempted to make a comeback to F1 after confirming he’d been having conversations with the Mercedes team principal amongst others.
And Hamilton, the driver he’d ostensibly be replacing at Mercedes, seems a fan of the idea.
Logan Sargeant is having some kind of month. If you’re just catching up, the American had his car effectively taken off him and given to teammate Alexander Albon by Willaims a fortnight ago at Albert Park after the latter crashed his car in practice, with Albon subsequently finishing outside the points.
However, a shortage of spare parts and the lack of a backup available until Miami means that Albon will retain Sargeant’s chassis in Japan as his teammate races on the repaired chassis that Albon broke in Australia. These were chassis that, alongside the rest of the car, Sargeant promptly put into the wall half an hour into FP1.
That damage, however, wasn’t of the sort that couldn’t be repaired and the 23-year-old was able to qualify in 19th.
“After what happened yesterday and only getting a few laps in FP3 this morning, it was a pretty good turnaround,” he said. “We put the car in a good place for qualifying considering the limited amount of running and made the right decisions. I don’t think there was a lot left on the table.
“I’m pretty happy with the way I drove but we’re missing a little bit this weekend as a team in terms of pace. Tomorrow will be a bit of a degradation race and how we manage that in Sector 1 will be key. We’ll try to have a good start, manage the race and hopefully that leaves us in a decent spot.”
And again, with all of this going on, it’s probably a good time to check in again on Logan Sargeant Meme Watch.
Whoever hexed Logan Sargeant, COUNT YOUR DAYS pic.twitter.com/6jlsx2dcrU
— claire – worthy design 🙂 (@BelieveInFood13) April 5, 2024
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everyone when it comes to logan sargeant pic.twitter.com/5fgmydL58S
— julia ⁴ (@juliaunboxed) April 5, 2024
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logan sargeant seeing his 47264828 new fans after williams has started treating him like shit pic.twitter.com/JngRTFgPn2
— jay (@oscarsdias) April 4, 2024
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f1twt coming together to defend logan sargeant pic.twitter.com/cOdUlAtL58
— noura (@1644CORE) April 5, 2024
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Soaking in that pre-race atmosphere 📣💯#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/lia8NzZfiU
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 7, 2024
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Perhaps it’s no surprise that Verstappen loves racing in Japan, given that the Red Bull thrives at a frenetic figure-eight circuit where it does a better job than most of protecting its tyres on a challengingly abrasive surface.
Of course, Verstappen isn’t alone in holding great affection for this circuit. I myself love it because it’s been around long enough for me to drive around it in F-1 World Grand Prix on the Nintendo 64, ensuring it will always hold a special place in my heart.
But this circuit has created far more legendary moments that just me going coast-to-coast with a digital version of ‘Driver Williams’ – it’s traditional place as the final race of the season creating iconic moments and tussles that have left an indelible mark on F1 folklore. Here’s Giles Richards on why this course sets hearts racing.
Red Bull has put in place their first set of upgrades coming into this race, including new cooling inlets, and updates to the car’s floor and brakes. Here’s what Verstappen, hoping to join Michael Schumacher as the only driver to win three straight races here, had to stay after putting them to good use to set the pace in qualifying.
“Overall, in qualifying the laps have been very nice and it was a great result for the team,” he said.
“In the last lap I tried to push a bit more and I was gaining quite nicely in sector one, but ran out of tyres at the end so lost a bit of time which was a shame. We have to work on our long runs as we have not been fully happy with these and still feel like we can work to control the balance of the car a bit more.
“It wasn’t perfect, but to still be on pole on a lap that I felt like could have been better, is great. We made some good changes within the car and I really enjoyed Sector 1; around here it is really fun to drive and the car is improving every year, especially in the high speed.
“All in all, the team has a front row start, which is a perfect start to the race tomorrow, but I expect it to be very competitive. It is great to be here, the support is always amazing and hopefully we can give the fans a good race.”
Here’s how Giles Richards saw qualifying yesterday.
How the grid will line up in Japan
Here’s how the full grid looks at the Suzuka Circuit.
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 Hulkenberg (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. Zhou Guanyu (Kick Sauber)
Preamble
Howdy everyone, Joey Lynch here, and welcome to live coverage of one of the most beloved races on the F1 calendar: the Japanese Grand Prix, in the shadow of the cherry blossoms at the legendary Suzuka Circuit.
This the fourth race in the 2024 campaign, this is the earliest that the circuit has even been used since it first became part of the tour in 1987 but this hasn’t stopped Max Verstappen from bringing some sense of normalcy by claiming pole position, his third-straight in the Mie Prefecture, fourth on the bounce in 2024, and fifth consecutive overall.
After being forced to retire last time out in Australia when his brakes exploded — which I believe is the non-technical term – the Dutchman has cut a fiercely determined figure ever since he arrived at a track he considers one his favourites, a place where he made his F1 debut here as a 17-year-old back in practice in 2014.
Gold, Silver and… Papaya? 😅#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/RbwAcEagZz
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2024
"}}” config=”{"renderingTarget":"Web","darkModeAvailable":false}”>
He’s gone coast to coast the previous two times he’s started atop the grid in Japan and given that he’ll start on the front row alongside Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez, there’s little reason to believe the world champion doesn’t have the speed to be a prohibitive frontrunner to do so again. Should he take out the chequered flag, he’ll start a new streak of wins that was cut short at nine in Australia, his brake failure denying him what would have been a record-equalling tenth win – his own record, naturally – on the bounce.
Pérez would end qualifying six-hundredths of a second back from his teammate’s time of 1min 28.197sec and was even able to log a faster than him in the middle section of the circuit on their final runs. It’s the 27th one-two in Red Bull’s history but only their third in the last six years, the other two coming at Abu Dhabi in 2022 and Bahrain in 2023. Front row lockouts are a bit more common here, however, with this now the 16th front row lockout for a team in 34 races at Suzuka.
The best of the non-Red Bull contingent, Lando Norris and his McLaren looked as if he was maybe going to mount a challenge at the start of Q3 but, illustrative of the sheer pace of the Red Bulls, couldn’t stay with them in finishing almost three-tenths off the front two.
“We proved last year we could keep in touch and not be miles behind so that will be our target tomorrow but realistically we are too far away to challenge them,” said Norris. “They are too quick for us. Yes, we are quicker in quali but in the race, they always pull away a bit more, I am always realistic I think our competition is with the guys behind.”
The winner at Albert Park last time out, Carlos Sainz and his Ferrari will start the race from fourth, with the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso in fifth – his highest start in Suzuka in the last 10 years – and Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren in sixth. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are in seventh and ninth for Mercedes, the best qualification performance for Hamilton so far this season, sandwiched around Charles Leclerc, while local favourite Yuki Tsunoda will start from tenth.
Lights out at 2pm JST, 4am GMT, 12am EDT
Where in the world are you watching from? 🌍#F1 #JapaneseGP @ROLEX pic.twitter.com/bNK4RULIhY
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2024
"}}” config=”{"renderingTarget":"Web","darkModeAvailable":false}”>
Lando Norris knows the reality of trying to chase down the Red Bulls on the front of the grid today but, as he told Giles Richards, he’s not afraid of Verstappen.