Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, driving for Red Bull Racing, showcased his skills at the Japanese Grand Prix, despite the challenging weather conditions. Red Bull proved once again that they are the team to beat, leading the timesheets in the first practice session. The Suzuka circuit, with its figure-of-eight layout, is a favorite among drivers and provides the perfect opportunity to test the capabilities of their racing machines. Verstappen, with his upgraded RB20, aims to bounce back from his previous retirement and replicate his impressive performance in September.
Verstappen’s dominance in Japan last year served as a turning point in his season, as he went on to win the next eight races. However, his streak was interrupted due to a mechanical issue in the last race. Nevertheless, Verstappen showed his prowess once again in the current practice session, setting the fastest lap time of 1:30.056s.
While Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc acknowledged the gap between his team and Red Bull, he remains determined to fight for pole position. Leclerc believes that there is still work to be done to match the pace of Red Bull and Verstappen. On the other hand, Carlos Sainz, Leclerc’s teammate and the winner of the Australian Grand Prix, expressed optimism about Ferrari’s progress. Sainz was pleased with the team’s performance, as he finished as the closest non-Red Bull driver in the first practice session, just three-tenths behind Verstappen.
“It is still the first practice session. We are uncertain about the amount of fuel and the engine modes they are using.
“Last year, we were eight-tenths slower in qualifying, so being two-tenths behind in FP1 is a positive start. However, they will be challenging to beat.”
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko acknowledges the potential threat from Ferrari in the long runs, despite suspicions of their higher engine modes and lower fuel levels.
“That Ferrari is quite fast. But we believe or are confident that they ran with less fuel and a higher engine mode compared to us today,” discussed the Austrian.
“However, they are still very close to us. Leclerc’s three laps in the long run were quite impressive.
“We have a significant upgrade, but there wasn’t enough time for fine-tuning during the first outing.
“Hopefully, tomorrow we have dry sessions so that we can extract the maximum performance from the car. We aim to be ahead, especially in qualifying, but also in the race.”
This race weekend holds great importance for Sergio Perez, who faced a comprehensive defeat by Verstappen last year at this circuit and retired twice.
However, the Mexican driver, who remains optimistic about securing a contract extension, appears more competitive this time and finished under two-tenths behind in FP1.
Given that Suzuka is not an easy track for overtaking and turbulence behind another car is becoming a bigger issue, grid position will be crucial.
Perez has never been particularly strong in maximizing the car’s potential over a single lap, and he has yet to qualify on the front row this season.
On the other hand, Ferrari has struggled with generating enough tire temperature in one lap, which could hinder their performance in the cooler temperatures.
After dominating the practice sessions, Charles Leclerc was surprised by the handling of his SF-24 when it mattered most, resulting in him being surpassed by Lando Norris. This setback greatly diminished his chances of winning the race. McLaren, on the other hand, has consistently capitalized on such mishaps since their impressive turnaround last season, especially with their exceptional performance in high-speed corners at the Albert Park Circuit. This was evident when they secured a double podium finish at Suzuka. However, Norris had expressed caution before the weekend, acknowledging that Ferrari’s improved high-speed cornering capabilities could pose a challenge for McLaren. Despite this, both drivers were optimistic about the potential of the MCL38 car, with Oscar Piastri confident that McLaren can compete at the highest level. McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella emphasized the team’s goal of solidifying their position in third place, despite Mercedes’ expectations of a challenging weekend. Mercedes had a decent showing, with Lewis Hamilton describing FP1 as his best session so far in the new W15 car. Hamilton intends to make minimal changes to his setup to maintain the positive progress he has made. However, his performance decline in FP3 in Australia highlighted the vulnerability of Mercedes if the conditions push them out of their optimal operating range. Aston Martin remains a relatively unknown entity among the top teams, with Lance Stroll being the chosen driver to test the team’s new updates. Fernando Alonso’s AMR24 will also receive the overnight improvements as Aston Martin aims to retain the talented Spanish driver. In the midfield, the rebranded RB team has emerged as the most capable outfit to challenge the established order at the top.
Yuki Tsunoda has made it to the final qualifying session in two out of the first three races and turned his eighth-place starting position into a seventh-place finish in a challenging grand prix two weeks ago.
The Japanese driver has never achieved a higher ranking than 12th at his home circuit, but he arrives with a lot of momentum as his value in the F1 driver market continues to rise.
On the other hand, Daniel Ricciardo faced another setback in his ongoing attempt to recover from his difficult start to the season, completing a disappointing total of only nine laps.
During the first practice session, the Australian driver was on the pit wall while Ayumu Iwasa had his first experience behind the wheel of the VCARB 01. Unfortunately, Ricciardo’s plans were thwarted by the rain that arrived later.
Meanwhile, Haas has been cautious in managing expectations about their performance, but they have managed to score points in the last two races, including a double top-10 finish in Australia.
Similarly, Williams is also facing challenges, as Logan Sargeant’s crash during the first practice session means that the team’s drivers will need to be extremely careful.
Fortunately, the American driver was lucky to avoid damaging his car and missing consecutive races. However, he will have to use older parts due to a shortage of spares.
Sargeant insisted that his recent mistake was not a repetition of the errors he made in his rookie F1 season, but he will have to put those memories aside for tomorrow’s race.
Alpine has taken initial steps to reduce the excess weight that has been affecting their performance since pre-season, and Esteban Ocon placed his A524 car on the verge of the top 10.
The French driver believed that they could have scored points in Australia if it weren’t for an unscheduled pit stop to remove a visor tear off from a brake duct in the later stages of the race.
However, the seven-tenth gap to Norris in 10th place during the first practice session showed that teams like Alpine and the continuously improving Sauber team rely on retirements to achieve good results.
With limited data to rely on and colder track temperatures expected for the rest of the Suzuka weekend, there may be more opportunities for teams to take advantage of.