The Championship Battle Begins: Recapping the Japanese Grand Prix

(Photo Courtesy: The Guardian)

The Japanese Grand Prix may have seemed like a very boring race on the surface, but this year's running paves the way for what could be one of the closest championship seasons in recent history.

Max Verstappen, after a historic qualifying pole lap, took home the checkered flag with ease. The four-time world champion is now only one point behind Lando Norris (McLaren) in the championship standings. Norris and Verstappen had a little kerfuffle on lap 22, when both were coming out of the pits, and at first, it looked like Max ran Lando off the track to keep the position. Upon instant replay, Lando ran himself off the track. This wasn’t the only drama involving Lando, however.

Later on in the race, both Norris and Oscar Piastri (McLaren) built some tension between each other, with Piastri having the faster car and plenty of time to potentially catch up to Max. Zak Brown didn’t make the switch, and Lando didn’t seem to be bothered to give up P2. Now the track was pretty slick, giving drivers less grip, meaning less speed and momentum to use for passing. So, while Piastri may have had the pace, it would’ve required a lot of risk for him to catch up to Verstappen.

The championship fight for Verstappen isn’t the only thing going on at Red Bull. The team made the switch from Liam Lawson to Yuki Tsunoda a week before Tsunoda’s home race. Yuki ended up finishing in P12. While this may not seem like a massive success, Lawson couldn’t make it past P18.

Ferrari continues to underperform, finishing just outside the podium. However, this is a step in the right direction. Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had no major mistakes in terms of strategy and kept up with both the Mercedes and McLarens. But while the heat may not be on them at this moment, they still need to come away with a race win for them to be in the conversation for both championships.

The F1 calendar turns to Bahrain, which was formerly the opening race of the season. Bahrain features many straights and long turns, giving plenty of opportunity for passing. The Ferraris have always done well at this track, and in times of desperation, I see them putting together their best package of the season and coming away with the victory.

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