Japanese GP Review
Race Recap
Singapore is a tough act to follow, but that was a poor effort. Take nothing away from the amazing track, Japanese fans, or Red Bull’s achievements, but that is not a race I will be looking back on. There was carnage at the start, with Perez and Hamilton squeezing and making contact and an airborne Albon. Max covered the McLarens and bolted away. There was a safety car from debris and some retirements from both Williams, Bottas, and Stroll. Perez took out Magnussen, and the strategy formed around a simple two-stop. The gaps opened, and Verstappen took another win to secure the constructor’s championship. There was a double podium for the Papaya team and a first for Piastri. Russell was overtaken late by Sainz, as Ferrari and Mercedes finished alternately from P4-P7. Alonso limped to P8, ahead of the Alpines. The early start was perhaps not worth it. There was barely a fight for the win, a lack of exciting overtakes, and little tension throughout. However, Suzuka is a great track for the drivers, and many would have enjoyed that experience. We will go again in two weeks.
Race Rating – 4/10
Driver of the Day – Max Verstappen
I said last week that Carlos drove a rare, perfect drive. This was another one. That qualifying lap was an all-timer, seven tenths to his teammate, and just a joy to watch. The Red Bull was cooking this weekend, and Max’s relentless pace when he got in the zone is something we are used to seeing, but we shouldn’t underestimate it. A slow start was negated by smart driving, covering the McLarens. Championship number three, here we go.
Team of the Week – McLaren
A double podium at any point this season is an incredible weekend, give the Red Bull domination. Looking beyond just the points, the pace was surprisingly close to Max, especially from Lando. Without that confusion under the virtual safety, behind a slow-moving Perez, he would have been 10 seconds closer. McLaren have gone from the slowest car to the fastest (non-Red Bull) car. That is outrageous from the Woking team, and it’s looking good for 2024.
Best Overtake – Lewis Hamilton on Fernando Alonso in 130R
There weren’t many good overtakes this week, but I am a sucker for a ballsy send on the inside of 130R, one of the quickest corners on the calendar. Lewis pulled it off with full commitment—a lovely move on the 2-time World Champion, even if it was rather inevitable.
Raw Reaction
The focus was all on the constructor’s championship victory for Oracle Red Bull Racing. It’s two in a row for Christian Horner, and this car has been formidable since Bahrain, foiled only by Perez forgetting how to drive and Singapore being bumpy. The celebrations were rightfully exuberant; they have blown away the field. Adrian Newey can see airflow with the naked eye and he dreams of regulation loopholes. Red Bull deserve their flowers, but please, can someone produce some form of competition? The Austrian and Dutch anthems haunt my nightmares.
Ws and Ls
W – Oscar Piastri – There’s a rookie on the podium for the first time since Lance Stroll, and the Australian will surely have a better career. A stellar qualifying and solid pace, plus a helping hand from a virtual safety car, it never looked in doubt for the 22-year-old.
W – Charles Leclerc – Not many stand-out drives today, but the piano man needed a little boost in confidence to show everyone that he’s still that guy and Mr. Ferrari. After some stunners from Sainz, Charles quietened the noise with a victory against his teammate in the race and qualifying.
L – Sergio Perez – It’s back-to-back disasterclasses from the Mexican. A rough start with some damage wasn’t Checo’s fault, but the rest of it was. Locking up and punting Magnussen was a rookie mistake and shouldn’t be happening to a man with 13 years’ experience. A safety car infringement also gave him another two points on his super license. The pressure builds.
L – Logan Sargeant – Williams are in a catch-22 with Logan. Gamble on the rookie coming good but risking him being a bust. Or sign someone like Liam Lawson and gamble on his success instead. The pressure of being without a contract may be harming his confidence, leading to multiple crashes in qualifying and the race in Japan, but it could just be a step too far for the American.
Team Talk
Mercedes – Things are not all rosey at Mercedes. The media has made a big deal of Hamilton’s comments about development, suggesting they need to listen to him more and he needs to take more responsibility. Both the drivers have championship ambitions, and the team seems closer to providing them that, but this was another weekend of mild animosity. Swapping positions, attacking each other, Lewis forcing George off track at the spoon curve, and arguments over the radio about letting cars through. These two are both number one in their heads; Russell was never going to be the new Bottas. The team is hurt by this; points are being lost, and it'll get worse over time. When you compare them to Ferrari and McLaren’s driver teamwork, I worry for Toto’s headphones, desk, and mental health.
Stewards Notebook
Distracting us from Perez’s nightmare performance was a rare loophole found by the team. Checo caused a collision and received a 5-second penalty. It seemed he would be punished in Qatar, as he had already retired, until he was sent out six laps down. He served the penalty and retired straight afterwards. Very amusing.
Gasly and Ocon were attempting to recover from their poor qualifying and managed to get to P9 and P10 with Ocon in front. Gasly then was swapped with Ocon, to chase down Alonso with his fresher tyres, but failed to do so. He was then asked to swap back to play the team game. He wasn’t happy. Angry team radio followed, with expletives and hand gestures occurring for the whole last lap and cooldown. It was very French of him, and he argued the overtake would have happened anyway. Although I agree with his frustrations, the meltdown over one point is not a good look for a struggling Alpine team.
The Story Continues
A sprint weekend in Qatar is up next, with Verstappen needing a few points on Saturday to secure the Driver’s Championship. Although this is likely to be an anti-climax, it will still be a special moment, and there’s plenty to look forward to. Will McLaren close the gap further to Aston Martin and even challenge for the win? Will there be a surprise in the midfield, and will the track erode the cars like last year?
