For the first time in 399 days, Red Bull drivers Max Verstappenand Sergio Perez will share the front row of the grid for a grand prix tomorrow.
That may seem surprising given their team’s domination of the last two seasons. But the world champions’ drivers have rarely competed for victory directly against each other during that time.
Although Perez pushed his team mate to his slimmest pole winning margin of the season so far, it was admittedly helped in no small part by Verstappen’s sub-optimal run through the final sector. That could suggest that this will be the closest that Perez could get to the pole-winning RB20 on Sunday – especially as Verstappen has so far been quickest in each and every session he has participated in so far this weekend.
After limited long running this weekend thanks to Friday’s second practice session ending up effectively washed out, Verstappen insisted that Red Bull cannot take for granted that they will be as strong as usual in the race. However, Lando Norris, who starts directly behind the two Red Bulls in third on the grid, is not buying that.
“They complained about their race pace, but I don’t think they’ve had a bad race in the last, four or five years, so I think they’re going to be good tomorrow,” said the McLaren driver.
“Of course we’ve got a lot of pressure from behind so we have to keep an eye on the mirrors. But at the same time I want to go forward and I think we have pace to stay where we are, so that’s my goal.”
For the first time since 2018, a championship title will not be sealed after the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday. But how will the 52 laps of Suzuka likely play out and what are the main factors that will shape who ends up on each step of the podium?
Weather
Heading into the weekend, there appeared to be a real chance that Sunday’s race could be the first wet grand prix of the 2024 season. But almost from the moment the paddock gates opened on Friday, that risk of rain has gradually reduced.
Currently, forecasts project a maximum probability of around 20% that rain will hit Suzuka on Sunday. While that’s not low enough to completely write off the possibility, it’s looking increasingly like drivers will face a straightforward, dry race.
One constant over the weekend has been the generally colder conditions because of the race being moved to April. However, while the…
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