Max Verstappen sets the pace in Japan as Logan Sargeant crashes out

By Sports Desk April 05, 2024

Max Verstappen set the pace in first practice for the Japanese Grand Prix as Willams endured another Friday session to forget.

Reigning champion Verstappen retired in Melbourne a fortnight ago but still leads the way in the drivers’ standings and the Red Bull driver was once again topping the timesheets.

Verstappen’s time of one minute 20.056 seconds was enough to see him go quickest at Suzuka, with team-mate Sergio Perez his closest challenger 0.181 seconds back.

A red flag half way through the session stopped running for 11 minutes as Logan Sargeant crashed off at turn two – further adding to the Williams woes.

Sargeant sat out the Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago as team-mate Alex Albon took his car after destroying his own in a practice crash and the team currently have no spare chassis.

Williams team principal James Vowles confirmed the car had suffered “extensive” damage and that it would be a race against time for the mechanics to prepare it for Friday’s second practice.

“It’s going to be difficult,” he said of Sargeant’s chance of making FP2.

“Obviously we will do our utmost to try and get the car back out there again, but the damage is extensive. So it will take a while.

“It is pretty significant (damage). So the chassis is okay, fortunately, but I would say pretty much everything else isn’t – so the suspension around, the gearbox is cracked, big damage.”

Albon went 12th fastest after the action restarted, while Verstappen assumed his usual position as the car to beat.

Carlos Sainz, who won in Australia last time out, was third-fastest for Ferrari ahead of the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, while the second Ferrari of Charles Leclerc was sixth.

Local favourite Yuki Tsunoda was ninth for RB behind both the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri – whose team-mate Lando Norris rounded out the top 10.

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  • Verstappen 'wanted to destroy' Red Bull garage before Sao Paulo triumph Verstappen 'wanted to destroy' Red Bull garage before Sao Paulo triumph

    Max Verstappen revealed he wanted to destroy the Red Bull garage in the hours before he delivered a wet-weather performance for the ages to win the Brazilian Grand Prix.

    Verstappen had been left frustrated after Sunday's delayed qualifying session, when a crash by Lance Stroll and subsequent red flag saw him drop out of Q2.

    The Dutchman's early exit saw him finish 12th, but a five-place grid penalty for an engine change dropped him to 17th, presenting an opportunity for Lando Norris to take a seismic chunk out of his drivers' championship lead. 

    But a determined Verstappen then overcame the rain-affected conditions at Interlagos, climbing to P11 on the very first lap before making his charge into the top 10.

    His remarkable comeback, which included five consecutive fastest laps, culminated in him passing Alpine’s Esteban Ocon for the lead on lap 43 before romping to victory.

    “My emotions were all over the place, from wanting to destroy the garage (after qualifying) to winning the race,” said Verstappen. “It has been a roller coaster.

    “It is unbelievable to win here from so far back on the grid. I was expecting to lose points in the championship.

    "Now, I just want clean races. But I am not thinking about clinching the title in Vegas.”

    A rain-affected race saw several incidents, with Lance Stroll, Alex Albon, Nico Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto and Carlos Sainz all failing to finish the race.

    But Verstappen remained calm in those conditions, snapping his 10-race winless streak, while also becoming the first driver since Kimi Raikkonen at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2005 to emerge victorious after gaining 16 positions.

    And the three-time world champion believed his latest win, which was his 62nd in the competition, was his best one to date. 

    “The rain came, we stayed out, which was very sketchy, and I had to just keep the car on track,” continued Verstappen.

    “It was undriveable in the conditions. I felt like I was driving a boat, or a jet-ski.

    “There was a lot at stake because I had to be aware of the championship, so for me this is the best one (victory).

    "And it is a massive boost for the team because it has been a tough period.”

    Verstappen is now 62 points clear of Norris in the drivers' championship with just 86 points remaining, and can win a fourth consecutive drivers' title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

    However, he insisted that the season was far from over, acknowledging he must remain perfect in the final three races to get over the line after an up and down season.

    “Now it’s of course a great result, which if you look a few hours ago, was definitely the other way around, looking like we were going to lose a lot of points," he said. 

    “So I’m very happy, but still three tough races [to go], so we just need to stay calm and make no mistakes.

  • Verstappen claims miraculous Sao Paulo win to extend championship lead Verstappen claims miraculous Sao Paulo win to extend championship lead

    Max Verstappen surged to a remarkable victory at a frenetic Sao Paulo Grand Prix, climbing from 17th on the grid to extend his championship lead over Lando Norris. 

    Pole-sitter Norris could only manage sixth place after a series of errors on the slippery surface in Brazil, and is now 62 points behind Verstappen in the standings. 

    The Dutchman can seal a fourth world title in Las Vegas simply by finishing ahead of Norris, who now needs to take more than 20 points from the final three races. 

    Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly took the final two podium places to transform Alpine’s season and move the team up from ninth in the constructors’ championship to sixth.

    A chaotic, incident-strewn, wet race that involved a red flag, two safety car periods and a series of crashes and incidents, saw the top 10 change throughout the race. 

    George Russell, who overtook Norris to take the lead at the first corner, finished fourth, ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. 

    Oscar Piastri helped McLaren improve their lead in the constructor's fight by finishing eighth, with the RB's of Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson ending just ahead of Lewis Hamilton to round out the top 10. 

    Data Debrief: Mad Max edges closer

    Verstappen's triumph earned him his 62nd win in Formula One. It is his first in the competition since the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this year, breaking a 10-race winless streak.

    And he sealed the win in some style. It is the sixth time in the competition's history that a driver has climbed at least 16 places to end up winning the race, and the first since Kimi Raikkonen in Japan in 2005 (also 16).

    Verstappen also set the fastest lap, his third this year. He now has 33 in his career and brings Red Bull to within one of 100 in the competition. 

    He is the first driver in F1 history to win from 10 different positions, surpassing the record he previously shared with Fernando Alonso (nine).

    Top 10

    1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

    2. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)

    3. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

    4. George Russell (Mercedes)

    5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

    6. Lando Norris (McLaren)

    7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

    8. Yuki Tsunoda (RB)

    9. Liam Lawson (RB)

    10. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

    CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

    Drivers'

    1. Max Verstappen - 393

    2. Lando Norris - 331

    3. Charles Leclerc - 307

    Constructors'

    1. McLaren - 593

    2. Ferrari - 557

    3. Red Bull - 544

  • Norris tops chaotic qualifying session in Brazil, Verstappen to start 17th Norris tops chaotic qualifying session in Brazil, Verstappen to start 17th

    Lando Norris seized pole position for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix by topping a chaotic, postponed qualifying on Sunday, while Max Verstappen will start 17th.

    Qualifying was pushed back after heavy rain and thunderstorms prevented it from taking place on Saturday, with the race’s start time also brought forward by 90 minutes.

    Five red flags punctuated a chaotic session as Williams pair Franco Colapinto and Alex Albon, Aston Martin duo Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz all crashed.

    Norris was almost knocked out in the first session, but he recovered to beat Mercedes’ George Russell to pole, with RB’s Yuki Tsunoda third and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon fourth.

    Norris said after the race: “There was a lot going on. I was struggling a lot at the start of the session, I worked on it a lot in the session. 

    “A little surprised to be on pole but a good result for us.”

    Verstappen, meanwhile, finished 12th but will start in 17th after taking a five-place grid penalty for the race, his fourth penalty in the last two races.

    The three-time world champion was left seething about a delay in throwing the red flag following Stroll’s crash in the second session, which he believed allowed other drivers to demote him out of the top 10 before he was prevented from attempting another lap.

    He could vault up the grid if some of the damaged cars are unable to start the race, though, while his long-time rival Lewis Hamilton also struggled as he qualified 16th.

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