From Max Verstappen to Sergio Perez, a look at winners and losers from Japanese Grand Prix
While Max Verstappen won the Japanese Grand Prix, his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez did not have an impressive outing at the Suzuka Circuit
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinched an easy win at the Japanese Grand Prix to move a step closer to earning his third back-to-back Formula One championship. The win at the Suzuka Circuit helped Verstappen in claiming his 13th victory in 16 races so far this season. The Japanese Grand Prix, however, did not turn out to be quite a memorable outing for Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez who faced a collision with Lewis Hamilton and conceded a five-second time penalty.
In this article we take a look at some of the winners and losers from the Japanese Grand Prix.
The winners
Max Verstappen: There is no winner bigger than Max Verstappen currently. This was certainly Verstappen’s one of the most dominant shows in recent times. The Dutchman led all the practice sessions before securing the pole by an overwhelming 0.581s.
Verstappen also succeeded in claiming the fastest lap. With six races still to go, a triumph at the Qatar Grand Prix will be enough for Verstappen to bag his third consecutive title. Verstappen is currently enjoying a whopping 177-point lead over second-placed Perez in the Drivers’ standings.
“What an unbelievable season we are having. You can all be very proud here at the track and back at the factory. You guys built a rocket ship of a car, well done,” Verstappen was quoted as saying by news agency AP.
Red Bull: Verstappen’s stellar show at the Japanese Grand Prix guided Red Bull to the constructors’ title for the second year on the trot. It was Red Bull’s sixth title since they entered the sport back in 2005. They claimed the title with six Grands Prix and three Sprint events still to take place. Overall, it was Red Bull’s sixth title. Moreover, Red Bull registered their 15th win out of 16 races in 2023.
The Losers
Sergio Perez: Despite Red Bull’s impeccable performance, Sergio Perez failed to pull off a memorable show at the Japanese Grand Prix. Perez conceded a time penalty for a Safety Car infringement and eventually failed to finish the race. The Mexican racer’s retirement brought an end to Red Bull’s 100 per cent finishing record. Perez is currently vying with Lewis Hamilton for P2 in the drivers’ standings. The British racer is right now just 33 points adrift of Perez on the points table.
Williams: The race at Japanese Grand Prix was simply a forgettable one, to say the least, for Williams, who had to face their first double retirement since the Australian Grand Prix. Williams’ Alex Albon was involved in a three-car incident off the line. Albon’s teammate Logan Sargeant had to retire after a qualifying crash.