10 things we learned from the 2024 F1 Japanese Grand Prix

Was the final result of the Japanese Grand Prix predictable? Ultimately, yes, but how this year’s Formula 1 race at Suzuka unravelled wasn’t entirely typical thanks to the variance in strategies across the field.

With a little over six months between last year’s race in Japan and this year’s round, it was a prime opportunity to determine the progress made from the end of 2023. Among the other stories, there was also a successful homecoming, ever-escalating repair bills in one corner of the field, and discussions over a previous favourite returning to the grid.

Here are the key things that we learned from this year’s Japanese GP weekend.

1. Verstappen barely broke a sweat as Red Bull reclaimed form

Although tyre wear was high, both drivers managed their races well. Perez admitted that he’d perhaps over-consumed tyre life in the opening pair of stints on the yellow-walled tyre, but this did not prove too detrimental to his fortunes over the course of the race. After dropping the ball in Australia as Red Bull struggled to contend with the higher level of graining prevalent throughout, an out-and-out degradation race continues to be the team’s bread and butter.

The only minor moment of conflict, if you can generously call it as such, was Verstappen’s note on the radio about front-wing level. Race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase had suggested that carrying less front wing would help his RB20 counter oversteer when the fuel started to burn off, but Verstappen wanted more wing dialled in at the start. The championship leader then conceded that he might have been off in his estimations – Lambiase dryly replying that “I won’t say I told you so, but understood.”.

“We had, not an argument, but he said, ‘are…