107 Pursuit

The 2024 Japanese Grand Prix went underway last Saturday. This unique track has countlessly proved to be a true test of skill and strategy for the drivers. From unexpected maneuvers and strategy from the teams, let’s look at the highlights of this thrilling race!

Let’s begin with Thursday’s media day highlights.

Williams announces Logan Sargeant has received a repaired chassis to race in the Japanese Grand Prix. A replacement is expected by Miami, but before that, Sargeant will have to be careful.

In Press Conference 1, Tsunoda reveals VCARB has brought upgrades for this race following the good results at the Australian GP.

Now looking at Free Practice 1 and 2 on the same day, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri set the fastest time for the practices respectively. Logan Sargeant had crashed into the wall during his lap and the practice was on hold for a while to clear the track. Additionally, F2 driver Amuyu Iwasa made his F1 practice debut when taking the place of Daniel Ricciardo to drive for VCARB . He placed 16th in FP1. Below, we see the Japanese driver on the track.

FP2 was interrupted by rain requiring drivers to be on inters and then onto wet tires. Nevertheless, Piastri and Lewis Hamilton emerged as the top two drivers of the session. Yuki Tsunoda, for his home race, was ninth fastest.

Verstappen claimed number one once again during FP3 with his teammate Sergio Perez in second. After many discouraging moments this year, George Russell and Mercedes placed third during FP3. Kevin Magnussen fell into gravel but once he rejoined, he ended up in 20th place.

Red Bull goes into qualifying feeling confident as the top team from the Free Practices. With this, Verstappen and Perez placed front row, 1 and 2 respectively. Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz followed with Fernando Alonso claiming fifth place.

Before the quali session had begun, Piastri and Russell experienced a near collision with Russell just barely grazing by Piastri on his way out of the garage. Later that session, Hulkenberg’s time was erased for track limits.

The last of the final top 10 include Piastri, Hamilton, Leclerc, Russell, and Tsunoda. Even though Mercedes has had difficult times, they still manage to hang in the top 10.

It’s Race Day!

Lap 1 showed us some unexpected events with Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon crashing into one another and then into the wall.

Additionally, Yuki Tsunoda became the first japanese driver to score points since Kamui Kobayashi in 2021! Later, Zhou Guanyu retired from the race due to gearbox issues.

Another thing to note was Charles Leclerc’s tire degradation. Leclerc was experiencing some serious issues with the longevity of his tires but he somehow managed to drive on them longer than he should have and ended up placing fourth right after his teammate Carlos Sainz. What a drive from the Monegasque driver landing him Driver of the Day!

(Image derived from official Formula 1 website)

The results of the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix are as follows:

1. Max Verstappen
2. Sergio Perez
3. Carlos Sainz
4. Charles Leclerc
5. Lando Norris
6. Fernando Alonso
7. George Russell
8. Oscar Piastri
9. Lewis Hamilton
10. Yuki Tsunoda
11. Nico Hulkenberg
12. Lance Stroll
13. Kevin Magnussen
14. Valtteri Bottas
15. Esteban Ocon
16. Pierre Gasly
17. Logan Sargeant
18. Zhou Guanyu (DNF)
19. Daniel Ricciardo (DNF)
20. Alexander Albon (DNF)

As the season unfolds, each Grand Prix brings its own unique excitement, and Japan delivered in an eccentric manner. As we recap the race, we remember the resilience of the drivers and the impeccable work from the teams! Next up: the Chinese Grand Prix after 3 years of absence on the grid.