F1 Japanese Grand Prix review

The Red Bull driver converted pole into victory at the Suzuka Circuit, after a lengthy delay following an opening lap crash for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and heavy rain forcing a restart to be delayed.

The Dutchman was never headed once racing resumed, as title rival Charles Leclerc was demoted to third post-race after cutting the final chicane on the last lap, promoting Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez into second and securing the title.

Drivers were left criticise the FIA after a tractor was deployed on track to recover Sainz’s stranded vehicle as cars still circulated, while there was confusion over how many points would be awarded in a race that wasn’t run to full distance.

In the latest Autosport Podcast, Martyn Lee is joined by Dutch F1 journalist Erwin Jaeggi, and Autosport’s Luke Smith and Alex Kalinauckas to review a wet afternoon at Suzuka, where once again confusion from the sport’s decision makers became an unnecessary talking point.

You can listen to the podcast using the player below, or via all good audio platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.