The race in Japan has just ended, with the triumph of Super Max Verstappen. Behind him are the only two who managed to threaten the Red Bull #1. P2 for Norris and P3 for Piastres, which perhaps have not fully met the expectations given in the free tests. Anonymous the Ferrari, with a final P4 for Leclerc and P7 for Hamilton. Among them the two Mercedes, with Russell in front of Antonelli. Let's go into the details of the Grand Prix in the land of the rising sun.
Smooth start to the race in Japan, everyone parades as they started
At the start, the top 10 remained as they started, with Verstappen and Norris who passed without bothering each other. The one who suffered the most was Lewis Hamilton, taken from the P8 with rubber hard more difficult to warm up. After the first laps, Max tries to open up the gap. Piastri and Russell, on the other hand, get closer to Norris and Leclerc respectively, while on lap 6 Hamilton passes Hadjar for seventh position. The road is now slightly clear for the Englishman where he can understand the true potential of the white compound.
Monotonous race in Japan, chaos breaks out at pit stops
Virtually nothing happens until the turn 18, when the first thoughts of changing tires begin to appear. The first to indicate a pit stop are those of the McLaren, with Norris starting to slow down. “Box to overtake Verstappen”, this is the message from Williams Joseph, the Englishman's engineer, but it is only a feint. The first actual return to the pits is George Russell on the lap 20 to try the undercut on Leclerc, with Ferrari not reacting. Between the two Papayas the first to stop is Piastres on the lap 21, while his teammate continues to set the pace in fuchsia. They stop the lap after Verstappen, Russell and Leclerc. Slow pit stop (3.3 seconds) for Max, who finds himself paired with Lando at the exit of the pits, but there do not seem to be any changes of direction from the reigning world champion. Behind, meanwhile, Charles stands in front of Russell, also overtaking Alonso on lap 24 putting him between himself and the Mercedes.
Hamilton and Antonelli also stop, rankings recomposed
At the turn 31 the top 7 conclude the pit stop waltz. Hamilton e Antonelli, which he became the youngest to lead a Formula 1 Grand Prix, stop for their tire change. The initial standings are recomposed, with Max ahead of Norris and Piastri, then Leclerc and Russell. Behind them are the last two to take to the pit lane, with the Italian ahead of the Englishman. Great race for the 18-year-old, who even recorded the quick ride in 1.31.4, same time as Norris in front.
Piastri closes in on Norris, heats up in Japan
Line of Business 40, 14 laps to go, the race heats up in Japan. In the land of the rising sun, Piastres he's starting to not want to stay behind anymore Norris and gets under the second of his teammate. Lando reacts, but the intention of the other McLaren is very clear. The first communications to the pit wall come 3 laps later from the #81 which begins to make it clear that it wants the driver swap, since according to him he has the pace to attack Max. Meanwhile, the Dutchman is 1.6 seconds ahead of Norris, but the gap begins to close as Norris picks up pace. He gets back under second on lap 48, but in the chicane before the main straight the #4 comes out better than its peer. These tips seem to be working, because 3 laps later Lando extends his lead. The winner of the Japanese Grand Prix is therefore Max Verstappen, who becomes the first driver to win 4 Grand Prix in a row in Japanese land. Then Norris, Piastri, an anonymous Leclerc in P4 followed by Russell and Antonelli, who showed phenomenal pace in the final part of the race. To the delight of the fantasy managers who fielded him, the Italian takes home the bonus of quick ride. P7 for Hamilton, P8 for a fantastic Hadjar, then Albon and closes the top 10 Oliver Bearman. Last place bonus achieved by Lance stroll. Almost all predictions were no, with no flags shown, 0 retirements and 3 teams putting both drivers in the top 10.
