Verstappen Red Bull 1-2 at Japanese GP, After Ricciardo & Albon Crash

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinches a convincing win, rebounding from an unexpected DNF in Melbourne with a third one-two finish in 2024. Carlos Sainz narrowly beat his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc for third after the race saw an early red flag due to a collision between Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon.

Just two weeks after an unforeseen first-race retirement in two years at the Australian Grand Prix—a race claimed by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz—Verstappen made a striking comeback at Suzuka. The reigning world champion outperformed his teammate Sergio Perez by a solid 12-second margin.

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The race initially faced a halt with a red flag on the first lap when RB’s Ricciardo and Williams’ Albon crashed into each other, leading to a collision for both into the barriers.

Following a 30-minute interruption to remove the damaged cars and repairs to the Turn Three barriers, Verstappen again outpaced Perez at the second start, swiftly taking the lead. The race unfolded with a mix of tyre strategies among the top 10 drivers.

Sainz secured third place, continuing his streak of podium finishes in 2024, even though it required him to overtake his teammate after Leclerc showcased an impressive performance on a unique one-stop strategy. Leclerc’s strategy came after a disappointing qualifying that saw him start from eighth.

Starting third, McLaren’s Lando Norris was eventually overtaken by both Ferrari drivers, finishing fifth. The MCL38 struggled to match the pace of the Ferraris throughout the race.

Fernando Alonso delivered a standout performance in the Aston Martin, securing a sixth place by fending off faster drivers throughout the weekend.

In the closing stages, facing intense competition from Oscar Piastri, also on a two-stop strategy, and Mercedes’ George Russell, who had opted for fresher tyres on his later second pit stop, Alonso managed to maintain his position ahead of both.

Piastri, unable to overtake Alonso, was caught and passed by Russell for seventh place during the final lap’s opening corner.

An earlier attempt by Russell to overtake at the chicane led to contact, forcing McLaren off the track, yet they retained their position. The race stewards’ subsequent investigation concluded there were no penalties needed.

Lewis Hamilton, starting from seventh, concluded the race in ninth. His race strategy was hampered by a disappointing performance and understeer issues. Capitalising on the race’s initial red flag, Mercedes switched to a hard tyre strategy aiming for a single pit stop. Hamilton, struggling behind Russell, eventually allowed his teammate to pass, a move he couldn’t counterbalance later in the race.

Yuki Tsunoda delighted the local fans by clinching tenth, rounding off the points positions.

In the Drivers’ Championship standings, Verstappen extended his lead to 13 points after the fourth race, with Perez moving back into second place. This left Leclerc trailing by an additional five points.

2024 Japanese Grand Prix Race Result