Unstoppable Red Bull in Japan, Ferrari tied for second place

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Verstappen, Perez, Sainz, Leclerc. Red Bull double and Honda double, in front of the home crowd of the chief engineer of cars, motorbikes, boats and planes: Verstappen will win ahead of team-mate Perez, even if there is an embarrassing gap between the two as usual. Third and fourth for the reds: a disappointing podium and a small podium considering the forgettable Australian of the last two weeks. But a very valid result considering the poor playoff that took place yesterday in Japan. Something that will go down in history for Yuki Tsunoda with Visa Cash App RB, the Faenza team, always driven by the Japanese power unit, which had already qualified ahead of teammate Daniel Ricciardo, arriving yesterday in Race 3 in the same position.

The race was less lively than usual, also because after a difficult start, the second time the drivers ‘gave themselves the head’ to avoid more accidents that would slow down the program. In fact, more than 30 minutes were lost after the first accident, which kept the public in suspense for a short time: Albon’s dangerous maneuver, in fact, after only three corners to put himself and the innocent Ricciardo off the track, just for of taking the trajectory as in his right, Thai found himself very far outside, almost in the grass; ready to participate in the wrong step, when there was time left until the actual time to stop, where it is no longer possible to change the chosen line to take the curve. However, none of them managed to turn left: Ricciardo’s one-set from Romagna saw his right rear tire explode, ending up in a spectacular spin in the barriers, on the side, while the presumably guilty Williams driver got the worst of it, after affected. harder and head-up on the tire block. Without consequences for him, but for the considerable time required for his rehabilitation, under a red flag. Unknown accident, pilots under investigation and possible appeals with engines shut down.

The forced suspension of the race pushed many teams to change their tire strategy and try to recover as much space as possible. This is the case of Sainz, Alonso and a few others who chose soft compounds in different phases of the race, considering that on this track known for the difficulty of passing and only one DRS zone, otherwise making a comeback would be very difficult. . Some at the beginning, some at the end, the schedule ‘jumped’ because the previous drama changed the cards on the table. Worth noting and remembering, the moment of real tension occurred in the second half of the 53 laps when four cars found themselves changing tires at the same time. The tension was due to a questionable behavior on the part of Aston Martin which, in an attempt to give its Stroll an advantage, would make it start again when the rival arrived, complete with the need to advance in two files for a few meters in order. to avoid poor ‘chain-like’ communication: a potentially unsafe version that was nevertheless judged to be common at the time.

More than the two Red Bulls’ back-to-back teams, the good performance of Ferrari stopped the fierce Norris, who was interested in returning 10 points for fifth place, and always blocked the eye of Leclerc almost completely. . Alonso is more resigned and calm: without the support of his poor teammate, twelfth and lapped, the only man who always brings points to Aston Martin could only try to reach the end safely in sixth place, and a delay of almost ten seconds and five. from Norris but just over a second from Russell and, a little further back, from Piastri, both of whom were damaged by running on hard tires that were too old.

The fact is that the forty-ninth edition of the second peaceful race of 2024 has balanced the forces on the field, highlighting the power of Horner’s single seats but once again multiplying the good work done in Maranello. One can’t help but notice how Leclerc got four positions starting from the brilliant qualifying in eighth place, not only to improve the results of the race that started with average buildings, but to save his honor as much as possible. Approaching the podium was important in order not to slip too far in the drivers’ standings: he already had to give second place to Perez, who was now only one point behind, overtaken by Sainz as well, with one race to spare, that would be it. has been more disappointing.