During the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League, the atmosphere was different compared to our previous visit to Japan. This time, the blossoms were in full bloom. However, regardless of the season, it is clear that Max Verstappen is dominating. He had a 20-second lead over the closest non-Red Bull driver at Suzuka, just like he did six months ago. The only notable difference was that this time there was another Red Bull car separating Verstappen from Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
The race between Sergio Perez, Lando Norris in the McLaren, and the two Ferraris was captivating. They employed different strategies and made various tire choices. However, all of this action was happening far behind Verstappen, who was comfortably leading the race.
Being unchallenged at the front allowed Verstappen to extend his lead even further. His exceptional tire management skills were rewarded on a track known for its high tire degradation, especially on hot days like this one. Verstappen was able to run the first stint longer than anyone else, giving him an advantage in the remaining two stints. As the race progressed, the gap between Verstappen and the other drivers continued to widen.
Christian Horner, the team principal of Red Bull, has run out of words to describe Verstappen’s performance. Other teams are also acknowledging Verstappen’s dominance. Toto Wolff, after seeing his Mercedes drivers finish in seventh and ninth place, admitted that no one will be able to catch Verstappen this year. Verstappen’s driving skills and the performance of his car are truly remarkable, especially when it comes to tire management.
The race would have been completely different without Verstappen’s presence. Unlike the situation in Melbourne, where Verstappen was absent, this race had intense battles between Perez, Norris, Sainz, and even Fernando Alonso. Perez successfully defended his position against Norris, Sainz, and Alonso during the first turn and the Esses section. He repeated this feat after the race restarted following a red flag caused by a collision between Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon.
During the red flag period, teams had the opportunity to change their starting tires. Only Mercedes and Red Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda decided to switch compounds among the top 10 starters. Mercedes opted for a one-stop strategy, changing from medium to hard tires. Tsunoda, on the other hand, switched from mediums to softs. As a result, Charles Leclerc, who started on mediums, was able to overtake Hamilton on the restart, and Tsunoda passed Russell.
The break also allowed teams to adjust their front wing angles. The Red Bull drivers took advantage of this opportunity to make changes, as the track conditions were different from the previous days. Verstappen, however, was initially hesitant to make any adjustments.
Passing was extremely difficult on this track due to the high tire degradation. It was only after the pitstops that overtaking started to occur, as the new-tyred cars were much faster than those on old tires. Perez, Norris, and Sainz easily overtook the Mercedes drivers, showcasing the advantage of fresh tires.
Hamilton and Russell soon realized that their one-stop strategy was not working, as their tires were deteriorating rapidly. Meanwhile, Leclerc, who was on a one-stop strategy, was able to run much longer than Alonso, Piastri, and even the Mercedes drivers on their hard tires. Leclerc’s performance highlighted the speed of the Ferrari.
Norris, who had made an early pitstop, was unable to hold off Perez, who had newer tires. Leclerc made his first pitstop at the same time Norris made his second. As the race progressed and different strategies played out, it was lap 36 when everyone had made their final stops.
In the distance, Verstappen was on his way to his third victory in four races. Perez was comfortably ahead of Leclerc and Norris, but Sainz was rapidly closing in on them with his fresher tires. Sainz overtook Norris and was instructed by the team to pass Leclerc to continue his pursuit of Perez. However, Sainz was too far behind Verstappen to mount a serious challenge.
Ferrari secured a respectable 3rd and 4th place, with their two-stop strategy proving superior to Leclerc’s one-stop. Leclerc, despite his one-stop strategy, was able to beat Norris, mainly due to Sainz forcing the McLaren to make an early pitstop.
Alonso drove a tactical race, strategically slowing down to keep Piastri within his DRS range and prevent Russell from overtaking. There were some close moments between the Mercedes and McLaren drivers, but Russell managed to pass Piastri on the final lap, finishing in 7th place behind Alonso.
Hamilton, who was not under threat from Tsunoda in 10th place, held on to score a point, much to the delight of the local crowd.