Now that all free practice and the qualifying day are behind us, only the Grand Prix itself is on the program. You will not have to get out of bed as early as for the race in Australia, but you will still have to be on time, as the race starts at 7:00 am Dutch time. About two hours later we will know who wins the fourth showdown of the year. Max Verstappen is currently the favorite for victory, although Ferrari’s long runs also looked good.
This time the battle for pole position was not between Ferrari and Red Bull, as we saw in Melbourne, but between Verstappen and teammate Sergio Pérez. In the final run of Q3, the two Red Bull drivers were evenly matched, with the difference being only 66 thousandths. Verstappen took his fourth pole position in a row at Suzuka.
Pérez was satisfied with his result, as he can start a race from the front row for the first time since the 2023 Grand Prix of Miami. Ferrari took P4 and P8, which was particularly disappointing for Charles Leclerc. McLaren took P3 and P6, with Lando Norris following Pérez’s heels. So the lights go off at 7:00 am Dutch time.
Race of tire wear and strategy
There seems to be somewhat of a challenge for Red Bull. Ferrari was strong in the long runs, while the Austrian racing team itself suffered more from tire wear than expected. Verstappen was not completely satisfied with that either. Leclerc’s long run on the hard tire during FP1 and the medium during FP3 were particularly impressive, he was in the 1:35s for a while, while Verstappen and Pérez were in the 1:36s.
The Limburger hopes that there is still some fine-tuning to be done so that he can feel optimal in the car. He did not yet have the feeling he had last year, when he won dominantly. The weather forecasts indicate that it will be a bit warmer on Sunday, namely about 22 degrees, which is four degrees warmer than Saturday. The sun will also shine, which will cause asphalt temperatures to rise quickly, which can affect the balance and tire wear.
