Race Report: Japanese Grand Prix 2023

The Japanese Grand Prix is one race that most, if not all, F1 fans look forward to each season. And, in 2023, it was no different, with plenty of questions to be answered after last week's Singapore Grand Prix, which saw the first non-Red Bull winner of 2023 - Carlos Sainz. But, how would Red Bull fare being back in Suzuka now that the harsh streets of Singapore were firmly behind them? That's what everyone wanted to know.

Well, that answer came swiftly at the start of the weekend, with Max Verstappen topping all three practice sessions before sticking his car on pole, comfortably ahead of the McLarens in 2nd and 3rd. The Red Bull seemed to have to returned to it's dominate form. However, the real test would be during the Grand Prix, itself.

Race day, and it's the first dry Japanese Grand Prix in Formula One since 2019. Williams' driver, Logan Sargeant, starts from the pitlane after a crash in qualifying. He's also already picked himself up a 10-second penalty, with the FIA deciding that the team had effectively built him a new car overnight. Back on the grid, Verstappen leads the cars around the track before lining up in formation. The race is a go!

The top three of Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris get a good getaway, but it's Verstappen leading into turn one. Further back there is contact between Sergio Perez, in the second Red Bull, and Lewis Hamilton, in the Mercedes, which sets off a chain reaction-like effect, with more drivers tangling further back. Despite this, although battered and bruised, everyone is through turn one. With debris on track, the race is neutralised and the safety car deployed. The Alfa Romeos look worse for wear, with a right, front puncture and damaged front wing for Valtteri Bottas, and, what looks like some of a Williams front wing, stuck on the front of Zhou Guanyu's front wing. Both drivers, along with Alexander Albon in the Williams and Esteban Ocon in the Alpine, come into the pits for repairs. The following lap, still behind the safety car, Perez also pits for a new front wing.

With the Safety Car inbound at any moment, Verstappen backs the pack up before flooring it onto the pit straight. There is more carnage into turn eleven with Bottas off in the gravel. Replays show that Sargeant made contact with the Finn, spinning him off, before he manages to get going once again. Both with damage, it's another trip to the pits for Bottas. Sargeant joins him.

After having a look at the first lap incidents, the stewards decide that no further action will be taken. The same can't be said for the Bottas/Sargeant incident, with the latter getting a slam dunk five second penalty. And, he's not the only one. Perez is also handed a five second penalty because of a Safety Car infringement.

With the first ten laps behind us, it's still Verstappen out front. He leads Norris and Piastri by nearly four seconds. Our first proper pitstops are underway with Daniel Ricciardo's replacement, Liam Lawson, coming in for Alpha Tauri. Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin also make a stop, switching to hards.

Perez, who's been making up ground nicely since his trip to the pits on lap two, attempts a move on Kevin Magnussen. However, the Red Bull driver is too optimistic and sends the Haas spinning. Both with damage, they limp back to the pits. As Piastri pits from third, a virtual safety car is deployed to clean up the debris from the Magnussen/Perez clash. Perez, who is back out on track, tells his team over radio, "the car doesn't feel right." As a second five second penalty comes his way, he retires the car.

With the VSC now at an end, Ferrari tell Charles Leclerc; "box, opposite McLaren," which could suggest they're about try the undercut. Hamilton has a moment at the second Degner, going wide and allowing teammate, George Russell, to catch up, latching onto Hamilton's tail. However, it's not over for the Mercedes driver, pushing his teammate off track as he goes wide at Spoon. He quickly pits and is joined by Verstappen, Norris, home hero - Yuki Tsunoda and Lawson. Russell, who was stuck behind Hamilton, now finds himself in the lead, which is quickly taken away by Verstappen after a lunge at the hairpin.

Alonso, who is on older tyres than most, is falling down the order. He tells his engineer that they have"thrown him to the lions." Russell, on the other hand, is enjoying life on his older tyres. "Consider Plan B," he tells the Mercedes team. McLaren reiterate this to Norris, "we think Russell will try for a one-stop. Therefore, he is only a threat if we abuse our tyres." Meanwhile in the pits, there is another retirement. This time it's Lance Stroll with a failed rear wing on his Aston Martin.

In an attempt to make his one stop work, Russell pits on lap twenty-five, fitting the hard tyre. He comes back onto the track in ninth, behind Ocon and Alonso who are squabbling for the final point positions. However, the Brit isn't there long, getting past the duo rather quickly. Back up front, Norris posts the fastest lap of the race and asks his team to switch positions with the other McLaren driver, Piastri, who currently sits ahead of Norris in second. Norris dives down the inside at turn one but is stopped in his tracks by his teammate. Norris, confused, is back on the team radio. "What is he doing?" he asks them. On lap twenty-seven, the positions are reversed.

After starting from the pit lane, Sargeant takes another trip into there. However, it's the end of the road for the Williams driver as he parks up his car into the garage, making him the fourth retirement from the race. No, make that five retirements. Second Williams driver Albon also pulls into the garage, leaving only fifteen cars left on track. Things start to look interesting down at Red Bull, with Perez, who retired early on, being strapped back into his car. If he does go back out on track, he'll be a massive fifteen laps down.

Over half way and the second pit stops begin to take effect. Alonso comes in, followed by Tsunoda. We also see new tyres for Leclerc, Hamilton, Piastri, Gasly, Norris, Verstappen and Sainz. Verstappen comes out and retains his lead, setting the new fastest lap of the race in the process; a 1:34.183. As for Verstappen's teammate, he looks as if he's finally ready to rejoin the race, which he does. Twenty-six laps down.

Finding himself in fourth after the pit stops, Piastri is on a mission to get back in a podium position. He attempts a move on Russell, using DRS, but is too far back. He tries again the next time around, making it stick into turn one. He's back in the top three. Perez, who has done an out lap, pitted and then another out lap, is told to"retire the car." A double DNF for Red Bull, but with one car still running. You can't make this up.

Russell's tyres seem to be giving up after his one stop. He now has Leclerc right on his gearbox, with Hamilton not far behind again. Leclerc makes a move going into turn one and turn two, leaving the Mercedes pair to squabble it out behind. However, they need to be careful, the second Ferrari of Sainz is catching the duo rapidly. After Leclerc's impressive pass on Russell, the Monegasque finds himself under investigation for passing off the track. But it's ok. There will be no further action.

Less than ten laps to go and there are teammate battles all over the track, with the Mercedes duo, Alpine duo and Alpha Tauri duo all within one second of each other. The Mercedes battle starts to heat up and both drivers are told; "give each other room." Hamilton, however, seems to be the faster car but can find no way past Russell. Eventually, they are told to revert positions, but Russell disagrees, thinking they can find away to copy Sainz's tactic from Singapore. Giving in, he let's Hamilton past, who is told to keep giving Russell DRS. It's no use. Sainz slips up the inside into turn one, taking the position from Russell.

Onto the last lap and it's Verstappen who leads, twenty seconds ahead of Norris, who is sixteen seconds ahead of Piastri. But at the end of the day it's Verstappen back on top, taking a thirteenth win of 2023 and scoring enough points to crown Red Bull as constructors champions! Norris comes home second and Piastri third to claim a double podium for the McLaren team. Leclerc is fourth, with Hamilton fifth and Sainz, sixth. The final points go to Russell, Alonso, Ocon and a very frustrated Pierre Gasly.

So there it is. Our questions have been answered and Singapore was just a blip for the Bulls. Congratulations to Red Bull for another World Championship. Will there be more celebration in Qatar for the team?

See you in a fortnight!

Let’s Talk: Biggest F1 Talking Points This Week

Not only was the Singapore Grand Prix arguably the best race of the season so far, it was one that led to many interesting talking points that stemmed from throughout the weekend. From Red Bulls "disaster," to new driver contracts, there was a lot to talk about. Shall we dig in?

Inconsistency by Race Control and Stewards

One of the biggest talking points is one debate we hear, time and time again - inconsistencies when it comes to investigations and penalties. This is nothing new, but has been highlighted once again by the lack of consistency when it comes to stewarding races. Over the course of the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, a small handful of drivers seemed to get away with numerous incidents, such as impeding in qualifying and track advantages. On the other hand, some penalties don't seem to be "harsh" enough when compared to similar incidents from some time ago. For example, what has happened to "drive through" or "stop-go" penalties? We seem to be only seeing the five second time penalty, which is, at least, some consistency. And, Formula One isn't the only victim of this, with other Formulas also experiencing inconsistency in one form or another when it comes to stewarding. But why is this such an issue? Alpine driver, Pierre Gasly, has repeatedly voiced his frustrations when it comes to this matter, saying that they, the stewards, need to make it "black and white." Is it because it's never the same stewards and opinions differ? I don't know. All I know is that drivers, teams and fans want more consistency when it comes to this matter.

Liam Lawson - On The Sidelines For 2024??

Despite some impressive performances after an impromptu debut, a full time 2024 race seat with Alpha Tauri seems to be slipping from Liam Lawson's grasp, with the team reportedly set to keep Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo at the team. And in all honesty, this doesn't sit right with me.

With Alpha Tauri as the junior Red Bull team, they have built themselves a reputation of being the first step into Formula One for Red Bull's Junior drivers, which is exactly what Lawson is. Tsunoda has been with the Alpha Tauri team since 2021, but is yet to make quite the impression that Lawson has in only three races. Ricciardo, who started off at Alpha Tauri - then Toro Rosso, in 2011, recently made a comeback to the team after he replaced Nyck de Vries, who was dropped after a string of poor performances. Unfortunately for Ricciardo, his returned was short lived, with a broken hand caused by a crash during practice at the Dutch Grand Prix. Thus, enter Lawson, who, after three races, sits only one point behind Tsunoda in the championship and has given Alpha Tauri their best finishing position so far in 2023 - 9th at the Singapore Grand Prix. However, if rumours are to be believed, this hasn't been enough to convince Red Bull of putting Lawson in a full time seat for next season. Why is that so? Do they want experience over potential? Tsunoda and Lawson seems like a decent line up to me. If they go with Ricciardo, are they no longer a junior team? It's an interesting thought, and one I think many will have an opinion over.

Was Singapore a "Blip" for Red Bull, or is There More Trouble On The Horizon?

One thing that made the Singapore Grand Prix quite the spectacular, was Red Bull's fight back into the points after a miserable weekend thus far. After dominating 2023, Red Bull were nowhere during the Singapore weekend, falling out of qualifying at the end of Q2 and finishing the race in 5th and 8th position. But what exactly was going on? Was it a blip? Most likely, so. But what's interesting is that this isn't the first time a dominant team has struggled around F1's night race. Take Mercedes in 2015, after dominating the first half of that season, Singapore came and the team suffered issues that no one could explain. After Singapore, they were back.

It's no secret that the Singapore street track is more difficult than most, with bumps and short corners, it can be a challenge for many, and if previous races are to go by, Red Bull suffers most at "bumpier" venues. For example, Spa. Former Red Bull man, Dan Fallows - current Technical Director of Aston Martin, said: “It tends to be quite bumpy in places and also kerb-riding is quite important in these cars. So, you tend to have to run the cars maybe higher than at other circuits as well. That has, in the past, been an incredibly unique challenge for some cars. Certainly, I think Red Bull are the most obvious example of that.”

So, all in all, it was most likely a blip and come Suzuka, they'll be their dominant selves once again.

Obviously, the Red Bull story was the biggest talking point of the weekend but certainly, the other points talked about in the post are just as interesting. Do you have any opinions? Are their any other points that were just as intriguing? Let me know in the comments below.

Race Report: Singapore Grand Prix 2023

If you've been waiting for a nail-biting kind of race in 2023, you're in luck, as the Singapore Grand Prix delivered all kinds of chaos, beginning yesterday in Qualifying, when both Red Bulls were knocked out of Q2. Taking advantage of Red Bull's woes was Carlos Sainz, throwing his Ferrari on pole for a consecutive race weekend. George Russell and Charles Leclerc line up alongside him in 2nd and 3rd.

With the Red Bulls down in 11th and 13th on race day, Sainz leads everyone away cleanly for the formation lap. There are different strategies being played out up and down the field, with the majority starting on the yellow striped medium tyre. Others, such as Leclerc, have gone bold with the soft compound, with the remaining few, including the Red Bulls, going long on the hards. When the lights go out, Sainz gets a good start, keeping the lead into turn one.

After falling to third, Russell is quickly passed by his teammate; Hamilton, who seems to have made the move off track at Turn Two. Kevin Magnussen, who joined Nico Hulkenberg in making Q3 for Haas, falls from sixth to eighth. But, it's the Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez that the world is watching. Verstappen passes the Alpha Tauri of Liam Lawson for tenth, before making a move on Hulkenberg for ninth. Perez stays stationary in thirteenth. The yellow flag is shown in Sector Two/Three during the first lap. Yuki Tsunoda has stopped his Alpha Tauri. Luckily, he has parked up out of the way, so no Safety Car is needed. Back at Mercedes, Hamilton gives third place back to Russell. But now it's Lando Norris on the radio, telling his McLaren team that Hamilton should give him his place back also.

The first pitstop of the evening is underway with Zhou Guanyu stopping for Alfa Romeo. He gets rid of his soft tyres, throwing on the hards instead. Race control decide to note Hamilton for gaining an advantage over the McLaren on the first lap. On lap four, they reverse positions, cancelling any means for an investigation. Remember Tsunoda's DNF? A replay shows that it was caused by a puncture, after making contact with Perez on the opening lap. Could this explain as to why Perez is still trundling around down in thirteenth? Does he have damage, also? As for Verstappen, he's still in ninth, stuck behind Magnussen. But, with the help of DRS, he makes the move at Turn Fourteen, with the Alpine of Esteban Ocon his next target.

Up front, Sainz is still leading, with Leclerc just a couple of seconds behind. Both Ferraris seem to be holding Russell off for now. Sainz tells his team: "I could go at this pace forever," hinting that he may currently be in tyre management mode. However, Leclerc's opinion differs. "I think Carlos is slowing down," he tells his engineer. Alexander Albon in the Williams is currently lapping faster than the leader. Despite this, within a couple of laps, Leclerc has dropped out of DRS range to his teammate, managing to set the fastest lap of the race in the process, which is soon beaten by Sainz.

The infamous DRS train begins to form in the lower half of the points positions with Magnussen as the "conductor." Behind him sits Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly, with Lawson and Perez not too much further behind. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri is told over team radio that a rain shower is imminent. This could spice things up!

A yellow flag is thrown at Turn 8 with Logan Sargeant in the barriers after a bout of understeer. He gets going again, but the track is littered with debris from the Williams' front wing. Team strategists may be experiencing a nightmare as they decide whether to bring in their drivers. However, the Safety Car is deployed and a stampede of cars enters the pits. Red Bull, as expected decide to stay out, preferring track position over new rubber. After a slow stop for Leclerc, the order back on track is Sainz, Verstappen, Russell, Perez, Norris, Leclerc and Hamilton. Fernando Alonso, the sole Aston Martin running after a crash in qualifying caused Lance Stroll to withdraw, has trouble entering the pitlane, locking up and crossing that all important white line that shouldn't be crossed. He is noted by the stewards.

With the Safety Car coming in, Sainz backs up the pack behind him, bolting clear of Verstappen at the restart. Verstappen, however, is under pressure from Russell, and Leclerc from Hamilton. Both Mercedes get past their respective rivals. Perez, who sits in fourth, gets passed by Norris, with Hamilton also eyeing up last year's race winner. Valtteri Bottas, who also started on hards, stayed out during the Safety Car. Like the Red Bulls, he's struggling and falls further back down the grid to sixteenth place.

Perez, the new leader of the DRS train, has a large group of cars challenging him for seventh. But, the Red Bull driver has other things on his mind; complaining over team radio that Hamilton overtook him off track and should give the place back. Unfortunately for him, Hamilton is long gone, getting past Verstappen further up the road, who quickly then looses another place to Leclerc. Sainz, still leading, is taking a slower approach to winning the race. "He's managing a lot, he is very slow, I guess he is trying to back us up," Russell reports to the Mercedes team.

Halfway through the race and Magnussen is shown a black and white flag after forcing a driver off track. He falls out of DRS range to Ocon and has the second Alpine right on his tail. Gasly attempts a move but Magnussen closes the door. Perez is still leading the DRS train up ahead, Alonso sitting patiently, waiting to pounce. Elsewhere, Verstappen's tyre woes continue with him telling the team, "it is like driving on ice." Could we soon be seeing a Red Bull pitstop?

Alonso considers a move but is blocked by Perez. Ocon, taking advantage of this, pushes his way past the Aston Martin, claiming eighth at turn nine. Up front, Sainz believes it's time to push. He tells Ferrari, "Let me know when you think it's good to push. I should have 1s of pace in hand." The message is relayed to Russell who responds, "I'm surprised he didn't say 2s." But, back to Perez and the DRS train. With evident front wing damage from his lap one clash with Tsunoda, Perez is passed by Ocon, Alonso and Gasly. Red Bull finally decide to bring in their driver, switching him from hards to mediums. A lap later, Verstappen follows suite, with both drivers rejoining last and fifteenth, respectively.

Despite getting past Alonso and Perez just a few laps prior, Ocon is out. Parking his Alpine at the side of the track at the pit exit. A disappointing end to a decent race, on his birthday too. A Virtual Safety Car is deployed. With the front runners already past the pits, it's the midfield drivers of Magnussen and Albon taking advantage of the slower ontrack action. They throw on new rubber and head on out again. The next time around, Mercedes pull in both of their drivers, fitting them with the extra pair of medium tyres that they had available. They return to the track in fourth and fifth, with fresher rubber than their competitors. Alonso also stops for Aston Martin, taking his five second penalty he received from his earlier pitlane adventures. A slow stop drops him out of the points to fifteenth. And with that, we're back racing.

Sainz leads Norris by just over one second with Leclerc under three seconds further back. The Mercedes duo are ten seconds behind Leclerc but, with their new rubber, this is looking like a sprint to the finish. They quickly pass Leclerc, and set their sights on the leaders. In the midfield, Verstappen is on the hunt for points. He passes Zhou and then Hulkenberg, moving himself into ninth, before barging his way past Lawson, who doesn't make it easy for the World Championship leader.

As for Perez, he is stuck behind Albon. They are both noted by the stewards for a pit exit infringement. However, like Verstappen, they are taking advantage of their fresher tyres and are moving up the field. They pass Zhou, Hulkenberg and close in on Lawson. Talking of Verstappen, he's past Piastri for seventh and is quick to make another move, this time on Gasly for sixth position. At the back, Bottas slips into the pit lane to retire after a miserable afternoon/evening.

Five laps left and Sainz leads from Norris by less than a second. Russell finds himself a second behind Norris and Hamilton a second behind Russell. Sainz, trying to hold onto the lead for his life, tells Ferrari that he is purposely giving Norris DRS. But, with four laps left, the top four are split by only 1.7 seconds.

There's a brief yellow flag for Albon who seems to have stopped on track. The stewards are quick to note an incident that happened between the Williams driver and Perez. Perez moves up to tenth as Albon falls down the field but manages to get going once again. However, while this plays out, it's starting to kick off up front. Russell is clinging onto the back of Norris with no way past, giving Sainz a chance to pull clear a little.

Final lap and it's close. But, there's drama as Russell closes in on Norris. He clips the barrier and finds himself stuck in the wall. Sainz manages to hold on, taking only his second win ever in Formula One. Norris comes home second with Hamilton in third. Verstappen, who was closing in on Leclerc, doesn't quite beat him to the line, with the duo finishing in fifth and fourth, respectively. Gasly comes across the line in sixth, followed by Piastri, Perez (who received a five second penalty for his clash with Albon), Lawson and Magnussen.

Phew, what a race. You can't deny, it's been a pleasure to watch Red Bull and Verstappen make history, but this race was a breath of fresh air. With only one week until the next race, we'll have to wait to see why Red Bull were so off the pace this weekend. But until then, we'll celebrate Sainz's victory. See you in Suzuka.