Japan Grand Prix

LIVE from 7 a.m.: Who will win the Japan Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen (right) and Sergio Perez had a good laugh in Suzuka.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Philip FONG)

Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen returned to the podium at the Japanese Grand Prix with an unchallenged triumphant drive. The Dutchman won on Sunday ahead of his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, the third one-two victory in the fourth race of the season for the Austrian-British racing team. Verstappen won for the third time in a row in Suzuka and just as many times this season, after he was last slowed down by a defect in Australia.

Melbourne winner Carlos Sainz finished third ahead of his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc. "That was a really nice race," Verstappen radioed back to the pits after the 31st Red Bull one-two victory. It was a good feeling, he added a little later. "It couldn't have gone better. Making the fans happy in Honda country is obviously great." Verstappen won by more than twelve seconds ahead of Perez, Sainz was already 20 seconds behind.

(Bild: APA/AFP/Philip FONG)

Victory number 57
With his 57th GP win, Verstappen defended his lead in the championship standings, and the 26-year-old is now slightly ahead of Perez (64), Leclerc (59) and Sainz (55) with 77 points two weeks before the Chinese Grand Prix. Mercedes suffered another disappointment, with the two Silver Arrows George Russell and Lewis Hamilton having to settle for seventh and ninth place respectively.

(Bild: AP)

The Red Bull duo had secured the front row of the grid in qualifying, with pole-setter Verstappen defending his lead in the first few corners ahead of Perez. There were no changes to the positions behind them either, even though Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso was the only top driver to start on the softest set of tires. While everything went smoothly at the front of the race, Racing Bulls driver Daniel Ricciardo and Williams driver Alexander Albon caused a red flag with a crash.

Ricciardo-Albon crash
Ricciardo, who is still searching for his form this season, had overlooked Albon in his rear-view mirror on the third corner. Both drivers got out uninjured, thanks in part to the Halo system. This was introduced in part due to the fatal accident involving Jules Bianchi in Suzuka in 2014; the Frenchman died as a result in July 2015. Ten years after the momentous crash, Leclerc chose a helmet design in memory of his friend.

(Bild: Screenshot orf.at)

After a half-hour interruption, the fans at the Suzuka International Racing Course were treated to a second standing start. However, this was more or less the same as the first, with the only exception being Lewis Hamilton, who slipped to eighth place on the hardest tire compound. Verstappen, in the lead, completed his laps unchallenged and slowly and steadily extended his lead. Behind them, McLaren's first pit stops after twelve of 53 laps created a little tension for the first time.

Perez waited a little longer with his pit stop and fell behind Norris for a few revolutions as a result. Verstappen also had some work to do in the short term with some resistance, but the overtaking maneuvers against George Russell and Charles Leclerc on much older tires were not a major challenge. In sunshine and much warmer weather, the field of drivers suffered from high tire wear, which is why several pit stops were necessary.

The result:

Here is the standings in the drivers' championship:

Norris drops back
Perez also briefly dropped behind Norris in the final phase, but the Mexican easily claimed second place for himself. As Norris had changed his tires early again, the Briton dropped back behind Leclerc. Sainz also flew in with a fresh set of tires and passed them both. The two Mercedes drivers struggled with a botched strategy. Verstappen, meanwhile, was able to celebrate leading lap number 3,000 in his career, a milestone previously achieved by only three drivers - Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton.

With his 57th GP win, Verstappen defended his lead in the world championship standings; two weeks before the Chinese Grand Prix, the 26-year-old is now slightly ahead of Perez (64), Leclerc (59) and Sainz (55) with 77 points.