Double victory for Red Bull in Japan, race marked by first-lap crash

(Patria) - Max Verstappen achieved a dominant victory this morning at the Japanese Grand Prix, marking his third consecutive win in Formula 1 races in that country.

Sergio Perez completed a perfect day for Red Bull in second place, ahead of Carlos Sainz in a Ferrari, writes MaxF1.net.

Verstappen and Perez maintained their leading positions at the start, as did the other drivers in the top nine. Alonso, the only driver on soft tires in the top 11 (others on mediums), couldn't advance from fifth place.

However, after only half a lap of racing, a red flag was shown due to an incident between Ricciardo and Albon before the third corner.

Ricciardo was ahead of Albon and moved to the right to better position himself for the third, left-hand corner. As Stroll was on the inside, the Australian had no other option, while Albon was alongside Ricciardo with half his car before the Australian closed the door.

The interruption lasted about half an hour. The top nine positions remained unchanged from the initial start, while Hulkenberg and Bottas held 10th and 11th place ahead of Tsunoda.

During the interruption, Mercedes drivers Hamilton and Russell switched from mediums to hards, and Leclerc took a new set of medium tires.

Suzuka, your top ten! 🙌

MAX points for Red Bull, a brilliant strategic battle between Ferrari, Merc, McLaren and Aston...

...and Yuki sends the fans home happy 😁#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/4o6rJQug3t

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 7, 2024

The top six drivers maintained their positions. Leclerc overtook Hamilton, and Tsunoda passed Bottas, Hulkenberg, and Russell, while Russell did not regain his position at the start of the fifth lap.

Soon, the first pit stops began for drivers on soft tires. Among the leaders, Norris was the first to pit, switching from mediums to hards on lap 11, while Piastri did the same a lap later.

After 15 laps, Sainz and Perez switched from mediums to mediums, causing Perez to lose a position to Norris. Verstappen pitted a lap later, putting Leclerc in the lead for the first time this season.

But his lead didn't last long, as Verstappen overtook him at the start of lap 21 in the first corner. A lap later, Perez regained the position he lost to Norris in the pits and moved into third place.

Mercedes kept Hamilton and Russell on track on hards for a long time to make only one pit stop, and Ferrari kept Leclerc on mediums even longer for a single tire change during the race.

Ferrari's plan worked, as Leclerc finished fourth after letting the faster Sainz through in the closing stages. Sainz had made two tire changes and finished on the podium for the third time in three races this year. Norris, after starting third, had to settle for fifth place.

Alonso managed to fend off late pressure from Piastri and finish sixth, while Russell, like Hamilton, eventually pitted a second time and used fresher tires to overtake Piastri and finish seventh.

Chequered flag moment 🏁

Max also now joins Schumacher, Vettel and Hamilton in the '3000 laps led' club 👏#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/ayXNWU2EwZ

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 7, 2024

Piastri was eighth on the track where he achieved his first podium last year, and Hamilton was ninth, ahead of Tsunoda, who secured the final point.

The next race will be held in two weeks in China, marking Formula 1's return to that country after five years. It will be the first sprint weekend of the season, writes MaxF1.net.