Polesitter Max Verstappen restored order with a dominant win at Suzuka Sunday (April 7th) morning, controlling the race from start to finish to win the MSC Cruises Japanese Grand Prix, well ahead of teammate Sergio Perez. It was Red Bull’s third 1-2 finish of the season. Verstappen also added the fastest lap on lap 50 to give the team maximum points. The victory was Verstappen’s third straight Japanese GP win, matching the accomplishment of Michael Schumacher.
The Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished third and fourth, while McLaren’s Lando Norris took fifth, ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso in sixth. The Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished seventh and ninth, sandwiching Oscar Piastri in eighth. And RB’s Yuki Tsunoda delighted the home crowd by taking the final point in 10th.
“It was very nice,” Verstappen said. “I think the critical bit was of course the start, to stay ahead. After that the car just got better and better for me throughout the race.
“Everything just went really well. It couldn’t have been any better.”
In the Drivers’ Championship, Verstappen boosted his lead to 13 points (77-64) now over Perez (Verstappen entered the race leading Leclerc by just four). Leclerc holds third with 59 points.
In the constructors’ standings, Red Bull leads Ferrari 141 to 120, with McLaren a distant third with 69, ahead of Mercedes with 34 points.
The Race
Verstappen aced the start at lights out and was unchallenged into turn 1 as order held at the start. Back in the field, contact between Alex Albon and Daniel Ricciardo at turn 3 sent both into the barriers, resulting in a red flag.
After a 30-minute delay to repair the barriers and clear the track, green flag racing resumed with another standing start. Verstappen again controlled the start, and by lap’s end, had a near one-second lead over Perez.
Back in the field, the Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon made contact. Luckily, both were able to continue their quests to remain on the lead lap.
By lap 6, not much had changed in the top 10, save for Leclerc taking seventh from Hamilton.
Verstappen’s lead was over two seconds by lap 8, aided by a few fastest laps, as well as an error by Perez on lap 6, where he ran wide on the circuit’s Degner 2 curve.
Leclerc began to pressure Piastri around lap 9 and was quickly in DRS range. Behind them, Hamilton and Russell, both on…
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