In the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League, Max Verstappen and Red Bull had a triumphant performance in the Japanese Formula 1 Grand Prix, securing a comfortable 1-2 victory despite strong competition from Ferrari. Verstappen, who has now won in Suzuka for the third consecutive time, maintained the lead from the start and controlled the race from there. Ferrari showed their strength as the second-best team this year, employing different strategies for Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz to secure fourth place.
The race had a setback early on when a collision between Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon caused a disruption and required repairs to the barriers. Only 18 of the 20 cars remained in the race after Turn 3. Albon’s Williams team now faces a challenging assessment process to determine the extent of the damage, as they do not have a spare chassis available for the next race in Shanghai.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell of Mercedes made the strategic decision to switch to harder tires during the red flag period, creating some variation in the race after the restart. Hamilton was overtaken by Leclerc, while Russell allowed Tsunoda to pass, but quickly regained his position. The timing of pit stops became a crucial factor in the race, with Valtteri Bottas benefiting from an early stop that propelled him ahead of Tsunoda.
Verstappen maintained control of the race after his pit stop, but had to overtake Leclerc on the track to regain the lead. Despite Leclerc’s strong pace, he made a mistake that allowed Sergio Perez to pass him. Lando Norris, running in third place for McLaren, also made a pit stop and lost his advantage over Ferrari due to the timing of his stop. Norris’ strategy ended up costing him, as Sainz was able to catch up and overtake him, securing a spot on the podium.
Leclerc finished in fourth place, followed by Norris in fifth. Mercedes had a challenging race due to their early tire strategy, but managed to progress, with Russell securing seventh place after a late overtake on Oscar Piastri. Hamilton, on the other hand, struggled to catch up and finished behind Piastri in eighth place.
Tsunoda had a memorable home Grand Prix, with Sauber’s slow stops working in his favor. He faced competition from Lance Stroll of Aston Martin for the final position, but Tsunoda’s long stint on hard tires allowed him to comfortably secure tenth place. Nico Hulkenberg of Haas also overtook Stroll and finished in eleventh place.
Alpine had a disappointing race, with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly struggling to keep up with other cars on the same strategies. They finished in fifteenth and sixteenth place, benefiting from the misfortune of other drivers like Ricciardo, Albon, Zhou Guanyu, and Logan Sargeant.
Despite Sargeant’s incident in the gravel, he was able to reverse and continue the race, avoiding a safety car intervention.
