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Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
F1’s dirty air problem means track position will be king in Japanese GP
But teams and drivers are already bracing themselves for what could be a game of patiently follow-the-leader thanks to the growing dirty air problem that F1 is experiencing right now.While F1’s new ground effect rules era from 2022 was supposed to better allow cars to follow each other closely, and indeed it worked for a while, the efforts by teams over more than two years now has done away with ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Suzuka chicane struggles leaves Ferrari F1 team scratching its head
The Maranello outfit had hoped that the progress it had made with its SF-24 this year would allow it to pose a proper threat to Red Bull around the high-speed swoops of Suzuka.Good progress has been made at the kind of corner speeds that are common around Suzuka, so the venue was going to be a good litmus test of how much of a step forward the team had taken.While it duly managed to cut the ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
F1’s dirty air problem means track position will be king in Japanese GP
But teams and drivers are already bracing themselves for what could be a game of patiently follow-the-leader thanks to the growing dirty air problem that F1 is experiencing right now.While F1’s new ground effect rules era from 2022 was supposed to better allow cars to follow each other closely, and indeed it worked for a while, the efforts by teams over more than two years now has done away with ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
How Mercedes has unlocked a “night and day” difference from its F1 car
For beyond the headline lap times that have hinted at signs of progress in unlocking pace from its W15, the mood of its drivers is far more upbeat than at any point this season.Indeed, Lewis Hamilton declared that there had been a “night and day” difference in how comfortable he felt in the car – something that has not been common throughout the troubled campaigns Mercedes has endured in the ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Ferrari can win more F1 races despite Red Bull's Suzuka dominance - Sainz
The Spaniard arrived at Suzuka in a buoyant mood after leading team-mate Charles Leclerc to a 1-2 finish at the Australian GP, and hopes had been high of a strong showing in qualifying after some promising long-run form in practice.However, Ferrari endured a more challenging time in the fight for grid positions, as Sainz ended up fourth on the grid, 0.485 seconds adrift of pole position man Max ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
F1 Japanese GP: Tech images from the pitlane explained
Alpine A524 technical detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
A look at the two front wing specifications available to Alpine in Japan, with the newer of the two being the upper one (splattered with green flo-viz paint). Note not only how the shape of the upper flaps differ considerably different but also how the team has made the switch to semi-detached flap tips at the endplate juncture ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
F1 Japanese GP – Start time, how to watch, starting grid & TV channel
Max Verstappen will lead an all-Red Bull front row at Suzuka after topping qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday.McLaren ended up as Red Bull's nearest challenger on a single-lap, with Lando Norris putting his MCL38 third on the grid behind Sergio Perez's RB20.Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, the winner of the Australian GP a fortnight ago, will line up fourth ahead of the top Aston ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
How F1 strategy "headache" opens up intriguing Japanese GP
Teams all too frequently bin off one of the choices – either because the soft is too aggressive, the medium falls into no-man's land, or the hard is too conservative – but this weekend's race in Japan has left what Pirelli's head of car racing Mario Isola says is a real "headache" for strategists.With high degradation at Suzuka making a one-stop pretty much a no-goer (unless we end up with a ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Marko: Perez improved F1 form because 2025 contract talks are at stake
Perez missed out on pole position for the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix to reigning world champion team-mate Max Verstappen by a slender 0.066 seconds as Red Bull scored a 1-2 result.With Perez out of contract at the end of the year, many believed RB driver Daniel Ricciardo would take his place. However, the Australian has struggled against stablemate Yuki Tsunoda.Combined with the availability of ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Verstappen not "as comfortable" at Suzuka as in previous F1 races
The Suzuka weekend has unfolded unusually, with FP2 effectively being washed out by drizzle, which meant the teams spent most of FP3 on Saturday morning concentrating on long-run data gathering, rather than the typical qualifying simulation efforts.In these, Verstappen trailed his team-mate Sergio Perez by an average of 0.122 seconds each time, while both were trumped by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Russell explains how low-fuel runs expose Mercedes F1 inconsistency
Russell was only ninth fastest in Q3, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton marginally better in seventh - albeit the latter was still 0.589 seconds slower than polesitter Max Verstappen.An eventual 0.811s deficit for Russell was partly the result of a final-sector mistake. Otherwise, he reckoned he would have been 0.4s better off to potentially qualify inside the top five."We predicted before the session ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Leclerc: No answer for "once in a season" Japan F1 qualifying struggle
Leclerc, renowned for his one-lap pace, was only eighth fastest as he lapped 0.589 seconds slower than polesitter Max Verstappen while outgoing Scuderia team-mate Carlos Sainz ranked fourth.But the Monegasque was at a loss to explain the disappointing performance on his side of the garage, implying that it was just a freak episode that only happens “once in a season” as the fundamentals of the ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
F1 team-mates' qualifying battles: Japanese GP
After every F1 qualifying session, Motorsport.com each team's qualifying record in terms of team-mate duels.This record is based exclusively on qualifying results so that grid penalties don't alter the statistics.When a driver can't put in a representative lap time due to a technical issue or an incident, this will be mentioned in the table.Read Also:
Formula 1F1 Japanese GP: Verstappen ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
2024 F1 Japanese GP qualifying results: Verstappen takes pole
Verstappen will start ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez and McLaren’s Lando Norris after the one-hour qualifying session, which is split into three segments with five cars each being knocked out in Q1 and Q2 before the top-10 shootout of Q3. Japanese Grand Prix grid: Verstappen on pole from PerezRead Also:
Formula 1F1 Japanese GP: Verstappen on pole as Red Bull locks front ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Leclerc: No answer for "once in a season" Japan F1 qualifying struggle
Leclerc, renowned for his one-lap pace, was only eighth fastest as he lapped 0.589 seconds slower than polesitter Max Verstappen while outgoing Scuderia team-mate Carlos Sainz ranked fourth.But the Monegasque was at a loss to explain the disappointing performance on his side of the garage, implying that it was just a freak episode that only happens “once in a season” as the fundamentals of the ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Albon: Williams F1 team made “braver” choice with ‘skinny wing’ in Japan
Last year’s Williams FW45 was noted for its top speed, which allowed it to shine on certain tracks and propel Albon into the points.But for 2024, the Grove outfit has tried to develop a car that is more consistently competitive at a range of circuits.That in turn has seen the car lose the straightline advantage that it has previously enjoyed, with Albon noting in Jeddah that he now had to do his ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Verstappen reveals new Red Bull F1 processes to avoid brake fire repeat
Ahead of today’s Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen hinted that Red Bull was changing its car repair assessment systems through an F1 event.This was after its post-Melbourne analysis of the failure that led to the Dutchman’s right-rear brake pad jamming onto the disc and the whole assembly eventually catching fire early in the race, which was won by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.Red Bull chief ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Ferrari still in hunt for more F1 wins despite Red Bull's Suzuka dominance, says Sainz
The Spaniard arrived at Suzuka in a buoyant mood after leading team-mate Charles Leclerc to a 1-2 finish at the Australian GP, and hopes had been high of a strong showing in qualifying after some promising long-run form in practice.However, Ferrari endured a more challenging time in the fight for grid positions, as Sainz ended up fourth on the grid – 0.485 seconds adrift of pole position man Max ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
F1 Japanese GP: Tech images from the pitlane explained
Alpine A524 technical detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
A look at the two front wing specifications available to Alpine in Japan, with the newer of the two being the upper one (splattered with green flo-viz paint). Note not only how the shape of the upper flaps differ considerably different but also how the team has made the switch to semi-detached flap tips at the endplate juncture ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
How Mercedes has unlocked a "night and day" difference from its F1 car
Beyond the headline lap times that have hinted at signs of progress in unlocking pace from its W15, the mood of its drivers is far more upbeat than at any point this season.Indeed, Lewis Hamilton declared that there had been a "night and day" difference in how comfortable he felt in the car – something that has not been common throughout the troubled campaigns Mercedes has endured in the latest ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Hamilton: Mercedes "nicest it's felt" in three years at "perfect test track" Suzuka
Hamilton qualified only seventh for the Japanese GP, 0.569s off poleman Max Verstappen but just 0.084s shy of the fourth-placed Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.Despite the disappointing grid position, the seven-times world champion insists that the past two days have given him a clearer idea of what direction his team needs to take.He says that he’s had to make minimal changes to his W15 over the ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
How F1 strategy "headache" opens up intriguing Japanese GP
Teams all too frequently bin off one of the choices – either because the soft is too aggressive, the medium falls into no-man's land, or the hard is too conservative – but this weekend's race in Japan has left what Pirelli's head of car racing Mario Isola says is a real "headache" for strategists.With high-degradation Suzuka making a one-stop pretty much a no-goer (unless we end up with a ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Hamilton: Mercedes “nicest it’s felt” in three years at perfect F1 test track Suzuka
Hamilton qualified only seventh for the Japanese GP, 0.569s off poleman Max Verstappen but just 0.084s shy of the fourth-placed Ferrari of Carlos Sainz.Despite the disappointing grid position, the seven-time world champion insists the past two days have given him a clearer idea of what direction his team needs to take.He says he’s had to make minimal changes to his W15 over the Japanese GP ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Russell explains how low-fuel runs expose Mercedes F1 inconsistency
Russell was only ninth fastest in Q3, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton marginally better in seventh - albeit the latter was still 0.589 seconds slower than polesitter Max Verstappen.An eventual 0.811s deficit for Russell was partly the result of a final-sector mistake. Otherwise, he reckoned he would have been 0.4s better off to potentially qualify inside the top five.“We predicted before the ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Marko suggests Perez's improved F1 form because 2025 contract at stake
Perez missed out on pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix to reigning world champion team-mate Max Verstappen by a slender 0.066 seconds as Red Bull scored a 1-2 result.With Perez out of contract at the end of the year, many believed RB driver Daniel Ricciardo would take his place. However, the Australian has struggled against stablemate Yuki Tsunoda.Combined with the availability of Carlos ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Verstappen not "as comfortable" at Suzuka as in previous F1 races
The Suzuka weekend has unfolded unusually, with FP2 effectively being washed out by drizzle, which meant the teams spent most of FP3 on Saturday morning concentrating on long-run data gathering, rather than the typical qualifying simulation efforts.In these, Verstappen trailed his team-mate Sergio Perez by an average of 0.122 seconds each time, while both were trumped by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Alonso: Aston Martin F1 upgrades provided "unexpected" pace in Japan qualifying
The Spaniard ended Q1 second fastest but as the pace sharpened he dropped to fifth place in both Q2 and Q3, but he still felt the pace jump from Aston's car updates were greater than predicted.Alonso ran the previous AMR24 car package during Friday practice at Suzuka, with team-mate Lance Stroll using the upgrades to provide comparison running, before both drivers switched to the upgrades - which ...Keep reading
Motorsport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
F1 Japanese GP: Verstappen on pole as Red Bull locks front row
The Red Bull drivers were amongst just a handful of drivers to gain time on the second runs in Q3, where Ferrari's challenge failed to materialise and the Mercedes drivers ended up behind Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso.Verstappen led the way on a 1m28.240s on the first Q3 fliers, where Norris was his closest challenger after producing a then session-best opening sector.But he could not replicate ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
Alonso: Aston Martin F1 upgrades provided "unexpected" pace in Japan qualifying
The Spaniard ended Q1 second fastest but as the pace sharpened he dropped to fifth place in both Q2 and Q3, but he still felt the pace jump from Aston's car updates were greater than predicted.Alonso ran the previous AMR24 car package during Friday practice at Suzuka, with team-mate Lance Stroll using the upgrades to provide comparison running, before both drivers switched to the upgrades - which ...Keep reading
Autosport.com - Formula 1 - Stories
F1 Japanese Prix – Start time, starting grid, how to watch, & more
The world champion led a Red Bull 1-2 in qualifying with a dominant display as he looks to bounce back from retiring from the Australian GP due to a brake issue.McLaren’s Lando Norris was Red Bull’s closest challenger, 0.292s off pole, and he will line up third on the grid for Sunday’s race in Suzuka.Australian GP winner Carlos Sainz claimed fourth for Ferrari ahead of fellow Spaniard ...Keep reading