Japanese GP takeaways: Red Bull rebounds, Ricciardo crashes with Albon

Following each race weekend this year we offer our takeaways. We continue the 2024 schedule with the Japanese GP.

Moments that decided the race 👀

Red Bull flawless after Australia disaster

After a nightmare at the Australian Grand Prix where Max Verstappen retired due to a fiery brake issue and Sergio Perez could only manage fifth because of floor damage, Red Bull made a statement in Japan as the team put a vice grip back on the championship.

Verstappen's results weren't entirely surprising. At a circuit he's enjoyed a lot of past success at, the three-time champion took pole, the fastest lap, and his 57th win by a comfortable margin of over 12 seconds. Who may have been more notable is the man who finished behind him. Perez continued his solid start to 2024 by putting together perhaps his best weekend of the season.

The Mexican driver, who was often criticized for his lack of one-lap pace, left no inch of the track unused as he put together one of his most brilliant qualifying laps of his Red Bull tenure Saturday. His time - just 0.066s behind Verstappen - was good enough for second, his first time qualifying on the front row since Miami last season.

Perez's great weekend continued Sunday where he displayed some cracking overtakes. He came home second to give Red Bull its third 1-2 finish of the season, which is already halfway to the six the team recorded in 2023. After a brief implosion in Australia, Red Bull returned to the high-speed Suzuka circuit with both of its drivers executing at a near-flawless level.

Leclerc calls his shot as Ferrari keep rolling

Ferrari may not have won in Japan, but the Scuderia are firing on all cylinders after two masterclass drives from Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc to finish third and fourth, respectively.

Leclerc played the biggest impact in shuffling the Suzuka finishing order after a brilliant recovery drive from eighth place. He owes it to a bold call to deploy a one-stop strategy after the early restart - a courageous decision for a front-runner at an abrasive circuit that's rough on tires. It must be noted that Leclerc effectively made the call on his own.

It's one thing to call your shot, it's another thing to get it right. But Leclerc did just that as he squeezed every ounce of life out of his old medium tires while still managing some impressive lap times, which put him in position to fight for a podium spot.

The only reason Leclerc was kept off the podium is because of the blistering pace of teammate Sainz on his final stint. The Spaniard followed up his Australia win with another podium, extending his streak of finishing on the top steps every time he starts a race this season.

Driver of the Day 🙌

Yuki Tsunoda: It's impossible to argue against Leclerc, but we'll use this week to highlight a driver performing admirably further down the grid. Tsunoda got an honorable mention last time out in Australia, but he fully deserves his flowers after a second straight points finish. The RB pilot finished 10th in Suzuka, becoming the first Japanese driver to score points at their home race since Kamui Kobayashi in 2012. Tsunoda is now responsible for all seven of RB's points this season.

What were they thinking? 🤔

Mercedes' hard-tire gamble

Mercedes rolled the dice after a red flag on Lap 1 by bolting on a set of hard tires to both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton in hopes of pulling off a one-stop strategy. But, the plan didn't work out as hoped and while both drivers finished in the points, it's easy to feel like Mercedes left points on the table.

It was immediately clear that, with the exception of Leclerc, the one-stopper wasn't ideal. Hamilton said on the radio early in the first stint that he wanted to change his strategy, but Mercedes had to wait for a traffic-free pitstop window. That resulted in Russell and Hamilton staying out until Lap 22 and 23, respectively. Hamilton's problems were compounded by damage picked up early in the race, which he says made it difficult to turn the car and led to him letting Russell pass.

The Mercedes pair was more competitive on its final two stints, especially Hamilton after his last pit stop. Russell placed seventh, while the seven-time champion ended up ninth. Points will be at a premium in what's looking like a difficult season, and Mercedes likely could've left Suzuka with a couple more under its belt.

Ricciardo and Albon's Lap 1 crash

Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon were the two drivers who couldn't afford a race-ending incident. Yet, both drivers crashed out almost immediately after lights out on the opening lap.

While it's hard to dish out blame for a Lap 1 incident, and neither driver was punished by the stewards, maybe more could've been done to avoid this collision. Ricciardo, who was in desperate need of a good result after starting a season-high 11th, didn't check his right mirror for Albon, who was attempting a brave move around the outside. Knowing Williams' financial woes and lack of spare parts, perhaps the Thai driver should've been more cautious to avoid the risk of incurring more damage for his team.

They said what? 🗣️

Lando Norris on P5 finish: "I think everything fell back in line in terms of Red Bull, Ferrari, (Mclaren), which is a shame. It doesn't feel great when you start third and go backward, kinda feels like you're fighting a losing battle against these guys. They can just do a lot more; can go longer, extend, just have much bigger tire deltas. It's harder to fight."

Carlos Sainz on his next seat: "Unfortunately, I have no clue where I'm going to be next year. It is true that we're talking to many teams. I just need to keep focused on what I'm doing, prove to myself and everyone that when I'm given a fast car, I maximize what I've given, and I deliver. It's been a strong start to the season. It is true that with this car, you can shine a bit more."

Christian Horner on Checo's status with Red Bull: "It's his seat to lose. He's doing a great job. He qualified within a tenth of a second. You can see his confidence is growing. His third second place of the year and doing exactly what was needed of him."

Sergio Perez on his future: "The driver market is moving, and the next few weeks is gonna be a lot of movement. I expect within a month to really know what I'm doing next year."

Toto Wolff on Mercedes: "I think it's much better than it looked in the final result. There's lots that we've learned, and it's going to get better from here. ... This is live testing for us. We've changed things massively, and it isn't reflected in the result, but the car is much quicker."

What's next?

Formula 1 returns to China for the first time since 2019. The April 21 race starts at 3 a.m. ET.

Verstappen has never finished first at the circuit. Meanwhile, Mercedes has won six of the last seven Chinese Grand Prix.