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Max Verstappen will start from pole position as Red Bull stand on the brink of a sixth constructors' championship. Should the Dutchman and team-mate Sergio Perez combine to outscore Mercedes , the title will be secured at Suzuka. Oscar Piastri became the first rookie to qualify on the front row since Nico Hulkenberg in 2010, and he is followed by his McLaren counterpart Lando Norris in third. The Ferrari paring of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz sandwich Segio Perez to round out the top six, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton just behind. The Japanese Grand Prix will get under way at 6am BST. … [Read more...] about F1 live: The Japanese GP as it happened

Verstappen’s lead was challenged on the run to the first corner by the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri but he clung on to his advantage and dominated from there. Piastri got ahead of Norris when he benefited from a virtual safety car while in the pits, but Norris was faster in the middle stages of the race, so McLaren swapped their positions. Mercedes ’ George Russell looked to be a threat to McLaren’s 2-3, due to gambling on a one-stop strategy, but was passed in the late stages by Piastri, Charles Leclerc ( Ferrari ), Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari). 2023 F1 Japanese Grand Prix results Cla Nº Driver Car / Engine Laps Gap 1 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 53 - 2 4 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 53 -19.387 3 81 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 53 -36.494 4 16 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 53 -43.998 … [Read more...] about 2023 F1 Japanese GP results: Verstappen beats McLaren duo

The Red Bull driver's Suzuka victory, which put him two away from equalling his record for most wins in a single season, moved Verstappen 177 points away from team-mate Sergio Perez in the standings. The Mexican driver last outscored his team-mate in the fourth round of the campaign in Azerbaijan, where Perez clinched the second of his two wins so far in 2023. Since then, Verstappen has done nothing but increase his championship lead, taking a record-breaking 10 victories in a row, a streak that only ended in Singapore earlier this month, when Carlos Sainz won for Ferrari . Verstappen's win in Japan, where Perez had a nightmare race and retired, left the Dutchman with 400 points scored to his team-mate's 223. With 180 points available in the remaining six races, Verstappen's 177-point advantage means he needs to score just three more points before the season ends to wrap up his third consecutive title. The next race, the Qatar Grand Prix, is the first of two … [Read more...] about How Verstappen can win his third F1 title in Qatar sprint

In the final stages of the Suzuka race, Gasly was asked to let Ocon by as the pair was set to finish ninth and 10th. Gasly angrily protested on the radio but eventually relented by letting his team-mate by at the very last possible moment, in the third sector of the final lap. Gasly was asked to let Ocon by to return the favour from earlier in the race, when Gasly passed Ocon but then failed to overtake Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso ahead of the pair, thereby having to revert the positions. But a puzzled Gasly said that while Ocon undercutting him was a scenario he was aware of, the late reversal was never discussed in the pre-race strategy briefings. "It wasn't discussed before the race," Gasly said. "It was clear with the strategy they had planned that at some point Esteban would undercut me, but my pace was faster and I would have to pass him back. "I overtook him anyway on the race track because I had fresher tyres. "It was never said that we would need to invert … [Read more...] about Gasly: Alpine’s Ocon swap wasn’t discussed before Japan F1 race

Verstappen was largely unchallenged throughout the Suzuka race en route to a commanding win but faced a battle against the fast-starting pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris into the first corner. Front-row starter Piastri flanked Verstappen as the race began with third-placed Norris on the Dutchman's left, which Verstappen reckoned gave him limited space to work with to ward them both off. Explaining his defensive efforts, Verstappen explained that both McLaren cars had made a "jump" off the line and that keeping the inside line from Piastri's clutches was his first port of call. "Of course, the start was a bit tight in the first two corners, but after that, the car was very nice to drive again," Verstappen said. "I saw in the right mirror that Oscar had a little bit of a jump on me, but then at the same time, I saw in my left mirror that Lando had a real jump on me. "I tried to close off Oscar but he was still there, and then I saw on the left side Lando coming … [Read more...] about Verstappen explains “tight” McLaren battle into F1 Japanese GP first corner

The Dutchman saw off an early assault from the two McLarens at the start of the race and lived up to Lando Norris' pre-race prediction that the Woking team would have little answer to the Dutchman if he led beyond Turn 2. Verstappen crossed the line 19.3s clear of Norris, having been considerably out of reach across the 53-lap race at Suzuka beyond the opening laps. The only moments of close action that the championship leader faced were in his defence of the lead into the first corner, as he pulled across to the inside of the corner to ward off any threat from fellow front-row starter Oscar Piastri. Norris then placed his car on the outside, but could not get enough purchase into the second corner to come up for air with the lead, but displaced Piastri nonetheless in the process. The Briton then attempted to challenge Verstappen on a subsequent restart after a lap 1 safety car was produced to clear debris resulting from a clash between Valtteri Bottas and Alex Albon - … [Read more...] about F1 Japanese GP: Verstappen on verge of title after win as Red Bull secures crown

It was business as usual for Max Verstappen as the reigning World Champion wrapped up the Constructors’ Championship for Red Bull with his 13th win of this season at the Japanese Grand Prix. The Dutchman was matchless at the Suzuka circuit as he romped to the victory by almost 20 seconds ahead of the McLarens of Lando Norris with Oscar Piastri third. His 26 points meant Red Bull won the Constructors’ Championship as they took an unassailable lead in the standings. However, it was a tale of two Red Bulls as Sergio Perez, twice pitting for a new front wing after hitting rivals, retired his RB19 from last place on lap 15 due to crash damage. The story of his race included two new front wings, two penalties, and a strange retired-unretired-retired situation. The Max Verstappen show resumes at Suzuka On a sweltering hot and windy Sunday at the Suzuka circuit, Max Verstappen lined up on pole position while Logan Sargeant, facing a 10-second penalty for Williams breaching the third … [Read more...] about Japanese Grand Prix: Max Verstappen wins the race and the teams’ title, Perez implodes

Here are the complete results from the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, where an intriguing race played out in the afternoon sunshine. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has dominated the Japanese Grand Prix from start to finish, having weathered a first-corner attack from the two McLarens that briefly saw Lando Norris get ahead into Turn 1. The two McLarens held on to take second and third place, but in inverted positions from their grid slots as Norris clearly demonstrated more pace to be given the nod for a team swap. Norris finished some 20 seconds behind Verstappen and, in turn, 15 seconds clear of Piastri. A race of attrition as Red Bull wraps up Constructors’ Championship There was carnage early on, with Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas picking up a front puncture and front wing damage in a collision with Williams’ Alex Albon – both would eventually retire due to damage. Sergio Perez was in the wars as well, picking up front wing damage on the first lap in a clash with … [Read more...] about F1 results: 2023 Japanese Grand Prix results and standings

Pierre Gasly conceded ninth place to Esteban Ocon on the final lap of the Japanese Grand Prix, having received an order he wasn’t happy about. Gasly had been running in ninth place with a lap to go at Suzuka, only to cross the line in 10th place after Esteban Ocon got past on the final lap – the circumstances for which weren’t immediately clear as Gasly didn’t appear to have suffered a mechanical issue. Intriguingly, Gasly had also shown some anger crossing the line, sticking up his middle finger in apparent disgust – even if it wasn’t clear who that anger was aimed at. Alpine radio messages reveal team order to give position to Esteban Ocon While Alpine were set to score ninth and 10th anyway, the team made the call to swap the two drivers around in the closing stages of the race – a decision Gasly was apparently furious about. Ocon had pitted on Lap 1 to ditch his mediums and swap to the hard tyres, running two long hard tyre stints to the chequered flag. With Gasly … [Read more...] about Radio messages reveal Pierre Gasly’s fury with Alpine after Esteban Ocon team order