After one loss in a row, runaway
The
Unlike the street circuit in
“Singapore is so different to what we will experience here in terms of the way you set up the car, so I’m also not worried that a weekend like that will upset our weekend here,” Verstappen said.
Despite his worst result since last November, Verstappen increased his championship lead to 151 points over
With seven races remaining, including three sprints, there are 206 points on offer, meaning Verstappen cannot close out the title in
While Verstappen can’t wrap up the drivers’ championship,
Last year, Verstappen became only the 13th driver in history to win the drivers’ championship in consecutive years when he won the Japanese GP. He won the rain-shortened race and secured the title when
But Hamilton is fully aware how tough
“I would think that if they’re not 30 seconds ahead like they have done in the past then something’s up,” he said. “But no, I think as Checo (
VERSTAPPEN LEADS PRACTICE
Verstappen was fastest in both practice sessions on Friday, leading Sainz by over six-tenths of a second in the first and .320 ahead of Leclerc in the second. McLaren driver
“It felt really good today, from lap one the car was enjoyable to drive again,” Verstappen said. “We’ve had a strong day on the short and long runs. There’s a lot of degradation on this track so it will be quite tough on tires during the race, but so far, we’ve had a good start to the weekend.”
There was a late red flag in the session when Alpine driver Pierre Gasly locked up and crashed into a wall with two minutes left on the clock. He exited the car on his own and was unhurt.
Qualifying is on Saturday.
A front row start is a significant boost at Suzuka where the winner has only come from behind the front row once in the past 12 races held here —
Rain played havoc in last year’s race but Friday’s practice sessions were mostly dry and good weather is forecast for the weekend.
TSUNODA BATTLING FOR SEAT
Formula One’s only Japanese driver arrived in his homeland with his future for the 2024 season uncertain.
“Monza was things I really couldn’t control,” Tsunoda said ahead of Friday’s practice. “Singapore, obviously there was room to improve for myself but it just didn’t work out in the end. Things happened that I cannot really control so now, I’ll just re-set and think positive.”
He has only three points this season and AlphaTauri is last in the constructors’ standings with only five points.
Australian driver
Ricciardo made his return at the Hungarian Grand Prix but broke a bone in his hand at the Dutch GP at Zandvoort. He was in
Heading into the summer break, Tsunoda was a favorite to retain his seat for a fourth campaign but when Ricciardo crashed at Zandvoort and was replaced by Lawson, things changed.
Lawson has gone on to finish 13th and 11th before scoring points in
“It’s quite scary now talking about the drivers’ lineup,” Tsunoda said. “I’m in the
PIASTRI EXTENDS WITH McLAREN
Australian driver Oscar Piastri has signed a contract with McLaren until the end of 2026. Piastri already had a deal to race with the British team in 2024 but his performances have been so strong this year, McLaren wanted to firm up his long-term future.
The 22-year-old claimed his first top-three finish in F1 when he secured second in the sprint in
In
“I am thrilled to be extending my partnership with McLaren for many years,” Piastri said. “I want to be fighting it out at the front of the grid with this team.”
McLaren chief executive
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