Max Verstappen has returned to his dominance after the unfortunate DNF in Melbourne. With a strong performance at the Suzuka Circuit, the Red Bull drivers have got back on track by securing the first and second podium positions. Mad Max secured pole position after beating his colleague Perez by a distance of 12 seconds at the Japanese Grand Prix.
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The race was red-flagged after two laps when Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon ended up colliding with each other and spun their cars into the barriers, leading to a 30-minute delay before the race could resume. After the restart, Verstappen was the race leader, followed by Perez, Norris, and Alonso. With the medium tyres in the race, the Dutchman maintained his lead.
During the final laps, the Australian Grand Prix winner, Carlos Sainz, led the race. While his tires wore off, he pitted a lap later, giving Verstappen the lead once more. Sainz’s position dropped to ninth, but he quickly recovered and went on the attack with the freshest tires by overtaking Hamilton and, with nine laps to go, passed Norris to take fourth place. A few circuits later, by the advantage of DRS, he went past his teammate, Leclerc managing to grab the third position at the Japanese Grand Prix.
“It was very nice,” says Verstappen. “I think the critical bit was of course the start, to stay ahead, and after that, the car got better and better for me throughout the race. I don’t know if it had to do with the clouds coming in, but yeah, it was very nice. Everything just went really well, the pit stops went well, the strategy I think worked out well, so it couldn’t have been any better”, the Dutchman added.
Japanese Grand Prix Results 2024
The results of the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix are listed below.
| Position | Driver |
| 1 | Max Verstappen |
| 2 | Sergio Perez |
| 3 | Carlos Sainz Jr. |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc |
| 5 | Lando Norris |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso |
| 7 | George Russell |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri |
| 9 | Lewis Hamilton |
| 10 | Yuki Tsunoda |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg |
| 12 | Lance Stroll |
| 13 | Kevin Magnussen |
| 14 | Valtteri Bottas |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon |
| 16 | Pierre Gasly |
| 17 | Logan Sargeant |
| DNF | Zhou Guanyu |
| DNF | Daniel Ricciardo |
| DNF | Alexander Albon |
Verstappen’s perfect performance reminded the grid of his dominance and silenced all concerns from his previous race setback. The grid and fans are eagerly looking forward to the upcoming race and the events that will unfold.
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Fiza is a writer at The Sports Orbit, focusing on F1 coverage. She is currently pursuing her master’s in broadcasting journalism and has a profound love for motorsports. She finds F1 to be the most engaging among others due to its adrenaline rush. She got interested in the sport after watching an F1 race with her brother and uncle, and she’s been hooked ever since. Her favorite team is Mercedes and she is a fan of Lewis Hamilton. Besides her dedication to F1, she enjoys activities like reading, practicing her calligraphy skills, and experimenting with cooking.
