Formula One| Max Verstappen is crowned champion of the Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit

The Dutch Max Verstappen (Red Bull) reinforced his leadership in the Formula One World Championship by winning the Japanese Grand Prix, the fourth of the year, which was held this Sunday at the Suzuka circuit, where he won ahead of his teammate, the Mexican Sergio Perez -who regained second place in the championship-, and the Spanish Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), who finished second and third, respectively.

Verstappen, 26, who also set the fastest lap, achieved his fiftieth seventh victory in F1 – the third of the season and the third in a row in Suzuka -, confirming the dominance of the Austrian team, in a race in which Sainz achieved his twenty-first podium in the premier category – the third in the three races that he has competed in – and that the other Spaniard, the Asturian double world champion Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), finished sixth.

Red Bull shines again and he did not have excessive problems to make the waters return to normal with another superb performance on the circuit owned by his motorist, Honda. In a race in which Sainz extended his brilliant start to the season and in which he once again brought out the colors of those responsible for the most successful team in history, who decided not to renew him and gave his wheel for 2025 to the Englishman. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes). Ninth this Sunday in a Grand Prix in which only the other seven-time world champion, the German Michael Schumacher (who achieved one more), improves on his five victories.

Verstappen, who led all the Grand Prix time tables except for the useless second free session on Friday, ruined by rain and in which hardly any racing was done, had signed on Saturday, “without making a perfect lap”, his thirty-sixth pole since racing in F1. The fourth in the first four tests of the year. That, after improving, by only six hundredths, in the main timed, to 'Checo', with whom he had signed 'doubles' in the first two races of the year: in Bahrain and in Saudi Arabia.

But in Australia it had once again been Sainz – who last year had already scored the only victory that the red bulls did not score – who questioned the enormous dominance of the Austrian team. With an epic triumph, just two weeks after having undergone emergency surgery for appendicitis. In a race that Verstappen abandoned on the second lap, for a brake problem; and in which the best driver in the history of Mexico did not go beyond fifth place.

In such a way, taking over the front row of the grid again announced, as it did, that the premier category was recovering its 'status quo'. At least from the perspective of the Milton Keynes team. Even more when 'Checo' did not come from the front row since the Miami Grand Prix (USA) last year. That is, 21 races later.

Sainz had been fourth in qualifying and started from the second row, next to his former teammate, and yet friend, Lando Norris – who would finish fifth, just behind the other Ferrari, that of the Monegasque Charles Leclerc -; while Alonso -fifth in Saturday's qualifying rounds- did so from third, with the other McLaren, the by the Australian Oscar Piastri, at his side.

Hamilton and Leclerc started from the fourth row; and behind them came the other Mercedes, that of George Russell – seventh at the end, but investigated -, and the local idol, the Japanese Yuki Tsunoda (RB), who drove to the finish line in tenth place on the grid. On the hottest day of the three of a Grand Prix held on a 'pilot' circuit, with a unique design – in the shape of an eight -, a sloping finish line and 18 curves, some of them high speed, very abrasive, so tire management was going to be, again, crucial.

Among the top ten, everyone started with the medium, except Alonso – with soft, since he was the only one who still had a new set of that compound left – who thought that the simulations predicted him a ninth place. But Mike Krack – team manager of the Silverstone team – warned that the car was better than the position it occupied on the grid. In the end, the Luxembourg engineer got it right, but only because the brilliant Asturian driver once again optimized resources and finished sixth. His teammate, Canadian Lance Stroll, was twelfth.

Shortly after starting, on the first lap, the red flag waved. Fortunately, the only one of the day. The Australian Daniel Ricciardo (RB) and the Thai Alex Albon – from the Williams at this very unfortunate start to the championship – had an accident after touching in the third corner and after an interruption of almost half an hour, they started again from the grid. With the first nine places intact, the Mercedes changing to hard and Sainz with the half new tire.

Verstappen escaped again at the start, this time without incident; and 'Checo' also opened a gap with respect to the rest in the links of the first sector of the track. And among the top nine, only Leclerc overtook Hamilton to snatch seventh place. Shortly before Tsunoda regained the tenth place that he had lost before the interruption.

Norris stopped on the twelfth lap to install hard tires; and Carlos, with clean air, and Fernando, advanced one place, to provisionally run third and fourth. His teammate Piastri – eighth at the finish line – repeated the operation a lap later, so Leclerc was already fifth, behind the Asturian double world champion.

Alonso stopped in 14th, changed to medium tire and returned to the track ahead of the 'Aussie' McLaren driver. One lap later 'Checo' and Carlos did it. And in the 16th, the Dutch star did it, who, like the previous ones, repeated mediums and gave up the lead for a few moments to Leclerc. He would enter garages on 23rd, where 'Mad Max' recovered his favorite position. The only one that interests you.

Sainz, who continues to revalue himself race by race, had accounted for the Mercedes, both still struggling, in lap 19 – in which he passed Hamilton – and in lap 21 – Russell -, to start thinking about a new podium with which he would end up confirming his fourth place in the World Cup. A position that he now occupies with 55 points, his car number. 22 behind 'Mad Max', which he leads with thirteen over 'Checo' and with 18 over Leclerc.

Alonso, in a second youth at the age of 42, did the same shortly after. And in the twenty-fifth, 'Checo', who had passed Norris, was third ahead of the Bristol driver and Carlos, who was running faster than Lando, and Fernando, sixth at that time.

The brave pilot from Guadalajara overtook Leclerc and, having passed the halfway point of the race, Red Bull was once again clearly aiming for a new 'double'. In a heart-stopping pit stop, Sainz's teammate and Norris stopped shortly after, with the advantage for the Monegasque.

With 20 to go, the Red Bulls were leading ahead of the two Spaniards, with Carlos third, shortly before Piastri entered the pits, to try to undercut Fernando, who stopped – to protect himself – one lap later. : the same one where the best Mexican driver of all time made his last stop, arriving second at the finish line to confirm what he himself described as the extension of a personal “positive trend.”

Verstappen entered the garages on lane 36 and Sainz provisionally led the race until he made his pit stop with 16 to go, to also install the hard tires with which everyone finished the race. Before facing the final battle from seventh place, which he soon became fifth, after getting rid of Sir Lewis – with very worn tires – and when Russell stopped to replace his own.

Sainz was riding much faster than Leclerc and Norris and he overtook the Englishman with nine to go, so the last obstacle between him and the podium was his own teammate – with much more degraded wheels.

Carlos passed him in the first corner, with seven remaining, and ended up celebrating his twenty-first podium in the premier class, the third in the three races he competed in. Indirectly questioning the decisions of the 'Scuderia', which next year will have a great champion alongside Leclerc, but 40 years old.

Behind, Alonso held off Piastri, whom Russell bothered at the chicane at the finish line, in an action investigated after the race and indirectly beneficial for the magician from the Cantabrian Sea, who offered him his DRS to Australian to secure, once again masterfully, sixth place, in what he would define as his “best race for more than a year.”

Verstappen won by smoking a cigar – the same one that Sainz can smoke while listening to offers – and will lead the next Grand Prix, the one in China, the first of the six with a sprint format, which will take place in the Shanghai circuit on April 21.

EFE