The Japanese Grand Prix of the 2024 Formula 1 season took place this weekend and the Suzuka circuitknown for its great technical challenge and its demanding and complicated curves that test all the drivers on the grid at every lap, witnessed another great victory for the Dutch Red Bull Racing driver, Max Verstappen, who reaffirmed once again why he is the clear favorite to win the world championship again in the current campaign.
The Grand Prix was quite attractive, especially at the beginning of it with a collision between drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Alexander Albon, which resulted in the race being stopped, as well as a rather dangerous maneuver by Williams driver Logan Sargeant when driving in reverse in the middle of the track. .
“He is going backwards, it is very dangerous,” were the words from the commentators. in the official broadcast when seeing this. You could even see how the Asturian and former world champion Fernando Alonso passed him very close while he was doing that maneuver.
The crash between Ricciardo and Albon forced both to abandon the race
In words after the incident, Ricciardo commented on the following: “When I started coming into Turn 3, Albon was there. I have seen his (camera) on board. I don’t even know if he wanted to be there. But his traction was much better on the soft and I thought ‘well, there’s room’, until there wasn’t, I didn’t see it. I always assume that maybe there’s someone there, it’s the first lap, so I never tried to use the full width of the track and be completely ignorant. But obviously there wasn’t enough space.”
Despite the fact, Ricciardo did not give it much importance and commented which is something that usually happens in the competition: “Today was a unique case. I don’t look and think ‘oh, it’s part of this year’, like… ‘when it rains, it pours’, or whatever. I feel like it was just one of those things that sometimes happens,” adding: “We know that in 24 races I’m likely to be involved in another incident on the first lap, these things are likely to happen. It obviously sucks when they happen. But I don’t see it beyond a simple accident.”
Verstappen the sole leader of the race
The race resumed and the leading Red Bull Racing driver was dominating full time, being supported by his teammate the Mexican Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez, with the Spaniards Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso seeking to subtract the times to be able to reach them; We must not forget the British driver and McLaren’s number one, Lando Norris who had a very good race this weekend in Japan.
Once again Max Verstappen, 26 years old, continued to demonstrate his skill and the skills he possesses behind the wheel, as well as his determination to defend first place tooth and nail; The podium culminated with the Aztec driver ‘Checo’ Pérez in the second place and Carlos Sainz from Ferrari in third place, making it clear that he will end his last year as a driver for the red Maranello team in style.
Mad Max, as Verstappen is known, achieved his fifty-seventh victory in Formula 1, leaving its extensive dominance in the drivers’ championship and Red Bull Racing’s in the constructors’ championship much more firmly established. The Austrian team demonstrated its high level, being and making the difference once again in the highest category of professional motorsport, ensuring an enviable performance at the Suzuka circuit, owned by its motorist, Honda.
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