Japanese GP: Max Verstappen expected to dominate at Suzuka

Ferrari expects Verstappen to be dominant at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, despite scoring a one-two at the previous race in Australia.

Carlos Sainz led Charles Leclerc in Melbourne, leaving Verstappen without a win for the first time in 10 races.

But Sainz said he was expecting a “challenging course” at Suzuka.

“last year [in September] I think we were 0.7 to 0.8 seconds behind Red Bull here,” he said.

“So it’s time to see where we are this year and see if we can at least get close to it.”

Verstappen retired on the fourth lap of the Australian Grand Prix with a brake fire. He took pole position in Melbourne, but was passed by Sainz on the second lap as his brakes began to fail.

But the Dutchman dominated last year's race in Japan, taking pole position by nearly 0.6 seconds and winning by nearly 20 seconds. This year's race was moved from its traditional fall date to spring.

The three-time champion said: “If you look at our performance in Melbourne, we were fast but we didn't finish the race. I mean, it's not ideal, but our car usually likes fast corners, so you know… I want you to be there,” he said. We'll be able to show that again this weekend. ”

Many of the other leading drivers also hope to see Verstappen return to his familiar position at the front of the field in Japan.

Sainz's teammate Charles Leclerc said: “This track will expose the team to more high speeds and we will be able to understand a bit more where we are compared to other corners. For now. , I hope Red Bull still has this ability.” This weekend is an advantage. ”

Mercedes expects a tough start to the season to continue as it dominates at Suzuka, where the car's biggest weakness is the high-speed corners and is considered perhaps the most challenging and rewarding track for drivers on the calendar. There is.

Lewis Hamilton says it is “unlikely” the team will be able to find good harmony in the car this weekend, given its performance in the first three races of the season.

“For us, we haven't started the season the way we wanted,” said the seven-time champion.

“We still have a long way to go. You've seen how things shake out.” [around] In certain teams. Anything can happen in this sport. We must continue to learn as much as we can and work hard. It's not how you fall that matters, but how you get up. So we're going to keep chasing and fighting and trying to get back to the front lines.”

Teammate George Russell said: “There are clear trends and we understand the strengths and weaknesses of the car. We're clearly performing better in the slower corners, but we're struggling a little bit in the faster corners. , there is more to it than that.” ”

The controversy surrounding Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was not addressed by drivers at Japan's media day this week after a friend of the woman who filed a sexual harassment complaint against the 50-year-old told BBC Sport. . Horner has always denied his claims against her.

The situation has led to a power struggle within Red Bull, with Verstappen giving vague answers every time he has been asked whether he has Horner's full support.

Although it is a remote possibility, it remains possible that Verstappen, who is under contract with Red Bull until 2028, could leave Red Bull at the end of this season in the aftermath of the Horner situation.

But on Thursday Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso, who has been linked with a move to Red Bull whether Verstappen leaves or not, said he thought there was “zero chance” of the three-time champion leaving. .

When asked if that was accurate and what factors would determine his plans for 2025, Verstappen replied: “No, it all depends on whether I want to drive again next year. But from my side, no, I think so.” I'm very happy with the way things are now. And, yeah, we want to keep it that way. ”

Alonso received a 20-second penalty for “potentially dangerous driving” during a race in Australia when he slowed down on a straight and accelerated again on the final lap, causing Russell to crash heavily. became a hot topic.

“I was a bit surprised by the penalty,” the Aston Martin driver said, adding: “There's no big change in the way we drive. There's no obligation to drive 57 laps in the same way.”

Russell said he felt the penalty was the right decision.

“If the penalty had not been imposed, it would have really opened up a can of worms for the rest of the season and in the junior category of being allowed to brake on straights,” he said. • Is it permissible to slow down, change gears, speed up, do anything semi-unstable?

“I don't take anything personally about what happened to Fernando, and it probably had a bigger impact than it should have.”

However, Lando Norris disagreed and said it was the wrong decision to penalize Alonso.

“What Fernando did was strange and too extreme, but I don't think it can be considered a brake test,” the McLaren driver said.

“Should it be a penalty? No. George had time to see what was going on. This was not a 'brake test'. This was just an attempt to make a very smart play. Fernando Fernando, [Russell] It's like being caught up in it.

“He wasn't aggressive. He was less than a meter in front of the stopped car. [It was] After 100 meters, George was caught up by the approaching speed.

“George didn't have to do anything other than brake five meters early and nothing would have happened. I'll have lots of questions ready for the drivers' briefing.”

Verstappen also said he would discuss the situation at the drivers' briefing after practice on Friday.