Japanese Grand Prix – The Editors’ Top/Flop

After a two-hour interruption due to heavy rain in Suzuka, the Japanese Grand Prix ended with Max Verstappen's victory, followed by his teammate Sergio Pérez and Charles Leclerc. Here is our weekend's top and flop.

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Rédigé par Par

The editorial team’s top picks for the Japanese Grand Prix.

The flawless performance of Max Verstappen.

With a new victory at the Japanese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen was never worried by his pursuer Charles Leclerc, who finished over 20 seconds behind him at the finish line. In a post-race interview, Max Verstappen learns that he is a double world champion, amidst general confusion following Charles Leclerc’s five-second penalty and the allocation of all points by the FIA, despite the race being shortened. Although the announcement was somewhat marred by the misunderstanding of the situation, the Dutchman truly deserves his second world title, displaying unwavering mastery and superiority throughout the season.

The best result of the season for Esteban Ocon.

Esteban Ocon defended like a devil against a particularly relentless Lewis Hamilton, with the two drivers almost stealing the show at Suzuka. Despite numerous overtaking attempts, the British driver couldn’t get the upper hand on the Alpine driver. With fifteen minutes to go, Mercedes was hoping for a potential pit stop from Esteban Ocon and execute an undercut, but the Frenchman ultimately continued without changing his tires, crossing the finish line in 4th position. This not only marks the best result for the driver this season, but also for Alpine, as they gather valuable points to reclaim 4th place in the constructors’ championship. It was a highly successful weekend, quite different from the last races in Singapore and Monza!

Sebastian Vettel’s mastery, 6th at Suzuka

Sixth in the Japanese Grand Prix and [Sebastian Vettel voted Driver of the Day in Japan](/f1/news/28690-sebastian-vettel-voted-driver-of-the-day-in-japan.html)

“>Elected driver of the day: the four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has won almost everything at Suzuka, in his last race in front of the Japanese crowd. After making a mistake at the first turn, the German managed to recover and relied on the restart to regain the lead. He showed great intelligence by fitting intermediate tires, being one of the first to do so in the race restart. The Aston Martin driver then resisted Fernando Alonso’s pressure very well, while also preserving his tires. We should also remember his impressive qualifying performance on Saturday, making it to Q2 and Q3 to secure 9th place on the starting grid.”

The failures of the Grand Prix of Japan’s editorial team.

The lack of security (and visibility)

The event was not directly visible on television, but it eventually caused a stir when the footage was revealed: a recovery tractor was present on the track, while Pierre Gasly overtook it at over 200 km/h. This happened under the intervention of the safety car, following Carlos Sainz’s accident (see below). However, Pierre Gasly had meanwhile passed through the pit lane to change his front wing and therefore accelerated to catch up with the pack, just as the marshals were displaying the red flag. The French driver was naturally surprised and very angry to see this truck on the track, especially since Jules Bianchi died following an accident involving a recovery vehicle on the same circuit in 2014.

After the race and the drivers’ criticisms, the FIA has decided to launch an investigation into the presence of the tractor on the track during the Japanese Grand Prix.

“>The FIA announced an investigation into the deployment of this truck on the track. It is time to take safety seriously, especially in rainy conditions that make the track slippery and extremely dangerous, even at reduced speed under the Safety Car. The lack of visibility during the race has also been pointed out by many drivers, starting with the Spanish Ferrari driver, who could have been involved in a terrible collision if another driver had hit him. « I was in a dangerous position in the middle of the track and I knew that the other drivers couldn’t see me (because of the spray). If the drivers can’t see anything, you leave everything up to chance. It’s pure luck that they didn’t hit me », Carlos Sainz stated after the race.”

Carlos Sainz’s mistake in the first lap.

Starting in third position, Carlos Sainz slid on a water puddle during the first lap of the Japanese Grand Prix, losing control of his Ferrari F1-75 and spinning into a long slide that would end with a terrible crash against the safety wall. This accident took him out of the race and triggered the intervention of the Safety Car. It was a mistake that could have cost much more if another driver had hit him, as mentioned above, when car number 55 returned to the track after the impact. “I tried to avoid the debris from Perez and ended up in a large water puddle. I experienced aquaplaning, and there was nothing I could do to control the car. At that moment, my only concern was not being hit,” explained the Spanish driver after the race.

The Mercedes disappointment.

After starting the weekend strong at Suzuka, with a one-two in the second free practice session on Friday, Mercedes ultimately fizzled out. On Saturday, Lewis Hamilton qualified in 6th place for the race, while George Russell could not do better than 8th position. Lewis Hamilton crucially lacked top speed, unable to overtake Esteban Ocon, even though he closely followed him throughout the race. George Russell couldn’t do much better, unable to resist Fernando Alonso’s attacks and ultimately finishing the race in the same position as he started. If someone had told us last season that Mercedes would one day be challenged by Alpine…

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