After a very early schedule for the Australian Grand Prix, European viewers can once again get out early to catch all sessions of the Japanese Grand Prix. For those who skip the third free practice, you can still sleep in a little bit, as qualifying starts at 8:00 am Dutch time.
The first two sessions of the race weekend in Japan did not make much clear about the ranking heading into qualifying day. The first free practice was interrupted by Logan Sargeant’s crash, which caused a red flag. The American was able to write off his car for the second free practice, in which the Williams mechanics needed time to repair the car. It was not very exciting during the second free practice, as it started to rain. The weather may deliver some surprises this weekend, although Friday was the coldest day.
On qualifying day it will be a maximum of twenty degrees and it will remain cloudy, after which the sun can come out again during the race day. However, this may mean that the data on cold, wet asphalt do not really provide good references for the warmer asphalt on Sunday. Given the rain, the teams will have a busy program on Saturday morning to do some long runs and qualifying simulations. For those who don’t want to miss it, the alarm will have to go off on time, as VT3 starts at 4:30 am Dutch time. Qualifying will follow a little later, at 8:00 am.
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Suzuka magic is expected from Verstappen
After his failure in Australia, Max Verstappen seems to be eager to make an excellent comeback. He opened the first free practice strongly with a P1, but in the second free practice he was not seen much on the track. The cause of the broken brake caliper from Melbourne is known to the team, so things can only go better in Japan. It is also a circuit that suits the RB20 very well and where Verstappen feels like a fish in water. In 2023 he crushed the competition in qualifying and repeated it on Sunday by crossing the line twenty seconds ahead of the competition.
Red Bull top advisor Helmut Marko has no doubt that the Dutchman will deliver a sledgehammer blow. Ferrari was also very strong last weekend down under, but the question remains whether they can repeat that on a driver’s track like Suzuka. Here the skills of the driver will make the difference. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were positive after the first day at Suzuka, but also know that Red Bull is ahead for the time being. McLaren also has fond memories of the Japanese circuit. Which drivers will occupy the front rows of the Japanese Grand Prix?
