Max Verstappen’s record-breaking dominance in Formula 1 resumed on Sunday with his victory in the Japanese Grand Prix, the driver leading almost the entire race on a sunny day in central Japan.
His abrupt breakdown two weeks ago in Melbourne, Australia looks like a blip in histotal command over F1. He was out on the fourth lap when his rear brakes caught fire.
There was nothing like that this time.
Verstappen basically led from start to finish, falling back briefly after a pit stop before working his way back to the front. He was followed across the finish line by Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez - 12.5 seconds behind - and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari. Sainz was 20 seconds off the pace.
The three-time defending F1 champion is again this season’s points leader and now has won 22 of the last 26 races from the start of the 2023 season. Only two other drivers have won in that span - Perez and Sainz, the latter winning in Australia two weeks ago.
“That was a very lovely race,” Verstappen said on the team radio just after crossing the line.
Max Verstappen returned to the top of the podium with an impressive win in Japan. Photo / AP
A red flag went up just seconds into the tightly packed first lap when Alex Albon and Daniel Ricciardo clipped each other on the second turn and both crashed out of the race.
Both drivers walked away, apparently without serious injuries. The race resumed after a 30-minute delay to get the cars off the track and clear the debris.
The race was run under sunny skies in the midst of the cherry blossom season across the Japanese archipelago. The Suzuka track was built by Honda, which powers Red Bull, and is still run by the Japanese car builder. It’s set southwest of Nagoya, Japan’s fourth-largest city, in a center of heavy industry.
Verstappen, 26, put down rumours early this week that he might leave Red Bull, perhaps for Mercedes.
“From my side, I’m very happy where I am. And, yeah, we want to keep it that way.” He even hinted at an early retirement.
“I have a contract with Red Bull until ‘28,” he said. “After that, I first want to see if I actually even want to continue. That’s, for me, the most important.”
