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How Max Verstappen Can Win His Second F1 Title At The Japanese GP
Max Verstappen has another opportunity to claim his second world title this weekend as Formula 1 returns to Suzuka for the first time since 2019 for the Japanese Grand Prix.
The Red Bull star – 104 points clear of Charles Leclerc in the standings – will be crowned champion in Japan if he wins and sets the fastest lap on Sunday.
Verstappen is looking to bounce back after a disappointing weekend in Singapore, finishing seventh, while his team-mate Sergio Perez claimed victory. Leclerc came home second, with Carlos Sainz in third.
Lewis Hamilton also endured a difficult Sunday in the rain of Singapore, finishing ninth after crashing into the barriers, while Mercedes team-mate George Russell came home in last place. Hamilton, still looking for his first win of the season, is a five-time winner in Japan. Fernando Alonso was quickest in the wet of FP1 on Friday with Russell leading a Mercedes one-two a few hours later in second practice.
Follow live with The Independent – qualifying started at 7am (BST).
F1 qualifying – Japanese Grand Prix: Q3 is underway!
This is it – who will be on pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix tomorrow?
Verstappen and the two Ferraris undoubtedly the favourites here; both Alpines look strong too, and we’ll see what Russell and Hamilton can do here also…
(Getty Images)
Kieran Jackson8 October 2022 07:51
F1 qualifying – Japanese Grand Prix: Q2 DONE!
Daniel Ricciardo is out of qualifying – by just 0.020 seconds to Sebastian Vettel in 10th, which means the Aston Martin man is in to Q3!
Bottom-five, 11-15, and out of qualifying: Ricciardo, Bottas, Tsunoda, Zhou, Schumacher
Incidentally, Verstappen, Sainz and Leclerc didn’t go out again – and Leclerc ended up on the cusp in P9!
Top-3: Perez, Alonso, Verstappen. Russell pulled it out the bag at the death to sneak into the final stage of qualifying…
No home hero in Q3 either – Yuki Tsunoda will start 13th on the grid.
(Getty Images)
Kieran Jackson8 October 2022 07:44
F1 qualifying – Japanese Grand Prix: 6:00 left in Q2
First runs done across the field and the top-10 only seperated by six-tenths of a second! Max Verstappen up on top, with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc second and third respectively.
Current bottom-five, 11-15: Norris, Vettel, Zhou, Schumacher, Tsunoda
George Russell in a precarious position in ninth at the moment – Lewis Hamilton safer up in sixth…
How will the order change after the second and final runs?!
Kieran Jackson8 October 2022 07:37
F1 qualifying – Japanese Grand Prix: Q2 starts!
15 minutes in this Q2 session to find out who makes it into the top-10 shootout in Suzuka – who will be going for pole in Japan?
Carlos Sainz, out early, tells his engineer that the sun is out, meaning that the “track will be slower.”
The Ferraris are the first cars out on track..
Kieran Jackson8 October 2022 07:28
F1 qualifying – Japanese Grand Prix: Q1 DONE – GASLY OUT!
Sebastian Vettel does pull it out the bag – he sneaks into Q2 in 15th place! Lando Norris also makes it work at the death with a rapid lap to get him out of the bottom-five.
However, Pierre Gasly – on the day he was announced as an Alpine driver next year – does not make it out of Q1… and he’s fuming with his AlphaTauri team about the brakes!
Out in Q1, 16-20: Albon, Gasly, Magnussen, Stroll, Latifi
(AFP via Getty Images)
Kieran Jackson8 October 2022 07:23
F1 qualifying – Japanese Grand Prix: 2:00 left in Q1…
Relief, everyone! Russell goes sixth-fastest and Hamilton eighth-fastest on the softs which *should* be enough to make it to Q2.
Top-five: Verstappen, Sainz, Leclerc, Alonso, Perez
More crucially, the bottom-five right now (16-20): Zhou, Magnussen, Vettel, Latifi, Albon. Those just safe: Schumacher, Stroll, Norris…
Sebastian Vettel, a four-time pole sitter at Suzuka, looking at another Q1 exit here…
Kieran Jackson8 October 2022 07:18
F1 qualifying – Japanese Grand Prix: 4:00 left in Q1…
The Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell – bizarrely the only cars who have set their times on medium tyres, maybe they’re looking to save some softs for later in qualifying – are in the bottom-five currently, so need to get a move on here… they should have time for at least two flying laps.
Those in danger: Alex Albon, Zhou Guanyu and Mick Schumacher….
Current bottom-five: Russell, Magnussen, Vettel, Hamilton, Latifi
Kieran Jackson8 October 2022 07:15
F1 qualifying – Japanese Grand Prix: 8:00 left in Q1…
Not a great start for Lewis Hamilton – he’s down on the frontrunners as well as the likes of Yuki Tsunoda, Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll! The seven-time world champion will have to go again here…
At the top, Max Verstappen sets the fastest time – with Carlos Sainz a tenth down and Sergio Perez three-tenths behind his team-mate.
Oddly, quite a lot of the field haven’t yet set a time, but the current bottom-five (16-20): Gasly, Alonso, Ocon, Albon, Latifi
Kieran Jackson8 October 2022 07:11
F1 qualifying – Japanese Grand Prix: Qualifying is underway!
So we’re underway with what is a crucial qualifying session here at Suzuka – with F1 back here for the first time in three years!
An initial 18 minutes of running in this first Q1 session – a reminder that the slowest five drivers will be dropped from the rest of the session.
Nicholas Latifi and Pierre Gasly out first. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, is only just entering his cockpit, with his Ferrari still on jacks…
(Getty Images)
Kieran Jackson8 October 2022 07:02
F1 qualifying – Japanese Grand Prix: FP3 report!
Max Verstappen continued what could be a title-winning weekend by storming to the fastest time in final practice for the Japanese Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver could retain his drivers’ championship in Suzuka and he set the pace in the first dry session of the weekend. Victory with the fastest lap of the race on Sunday would seal a second title for the Dutchman, regardless of the result of his rivals. His time of one minute, 30.671 seconds was almost 0.3 seconds faster than the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz, with Charles Leclerc third.
Fernando Alonso’s Alpine was fourth ahead of the sister Red Bull of Sergio Perez and the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who had gone fastest in Friday’s wet session. Lando Norris was eighth for McLaren with Esteban Ocon ninth and Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin rounding out the top 10.
F1 returns to Japan this year for the first time since 2019 and could see Verstappen toast another title. The 25-year-old insists he remains fully focused on the track as the furore over the 2021 budget caps rumbles on.
Red Bull faced unproven allegations at the Singapore Grand Prix that they exceeded F1’s costs cap last term – bringing into the spotlight the legitimacy of Verstappen’s already controversial championship win over Lewis Hamilton. With the FIA set to announce their findings on Monday, Verstappen will be keen to seal this year’s title in advance of any potential fall-out.
Max Verstappen records fastest time in final practice at Japanese Grand Prix
The Red Bull driver could retain his drivers’ championship in Suzuka and he set the pace in the first dry session of the weekend
Kieran Jackson8 October 2022 06:56
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