JAPAN: Yawn

NUMBER THREE

Sometimes it really is quite boring.

Nevertheless, racing happened (sort of) so we shall discuss it.

It appears Verstappen is back. A pole start and a pole finish, with a masterclass of mistake-free driving in between. Some upshift issues and a McLaren disguising itself as a lawnmower in an attempt to overtake via the grass, but still Verstappen keeps his cool.

Now, with a circuit like Suzuka on which overtakes are challenging, racing tends to centre on strategy. McLaren doesn’t seem to get that memo. Don’t get me wrong, they come in P2 and P3 which is great, but could they have done better? At no point does Verstappen get away from Norris, and at no point does Norris get away from Piastri – they sit in a comfortable little group together. McLaren’s tyre strategy for both drivers is identical – they pit for hards one lap after each other, they nurse those tyres to the end. Fine for the bigger picture – P2 and P3 give them solid points for the Constructors’ Championship. But are Norris and Piastri, in their Papaya loyalty, sacrificing their own personal fights for glory? Piastri sits half a second behind Norris, with P4 well over 10 seconds behind the leaders, if I was him, I’d scrap the nursing and go for gold – with his teammate and that gap as a cushion if he overcooks it. In my eyes, it’s far too early in the season to be playing it so safe.

Ferrari split their strategy – Leclerc starting on mediums and switching to hards, with Hamilton vice versa. Leclerc starts and finishes P4, Hamilton gains a position from P8 to P7 – which, considering the rest of the top 10 do not change position at all, is a success. What is clear though, is Ferrari are lacking in pace. Leclerc crosses the line 16 seconds behind the frontrunners, and Hamilton is 30 seconds behind Mercedes. Improvement needed.

Let’s briefly look at the whole Red Bull/ Racing Bulls situation. They made the big swap – Tsunoda to Red Bull, Lawson to RB, and it just about pays off. Initially it’s a tad awkward – Lawson outqualifies Tsunoda at P14 vs P15. But the race sees the tables turn with Tsunoda coming in at P12, and Lawson dropping to P17. Let’s be honest, neither finish is great, but it’s progress for Red Bull. Hadjar, on the other hand, puts in a stellar performance and takes P8. If he proves himself to be consistent, could Hadjar be in the running for that (seemingly cursed) Red Bull seat?

From one rookie to another, Antonelli has yet another successful race for Mercedes. He takes P6, hot on the tails of his teammate Russell at P5. He also finds himself leading the Grand Prix for a ten lap chunk of the race, as his strategy sees a later pit, and puts in several fastest laps. Solid.

The top 10 is rounded off with Albon at P9 and Bearman P10 – both coming out with yet more fantastic results for Williams and Haas. This is Albon’s third consecutive top 10 finish for Williams, and Bearman’s second for Haas. Their respective teammates have less success, with Sainz at P14 and Ocon P18, but nevertheless, the battle is on for P5 in the Constructors’ with just four points separating the 2 teams.

The rest: Alpine still yet to score anything, with Gasly at P13 and Doohan P15, Sauber still nowhere at P16 and P19, and Alonso actually manages to finish a race for Aston Martin but it’s not quite in the points at P11, while Stroll brings up the rear at P20.

Fingers crossed for a bit more action next week.