Two weeks ago in Australia, F1 saw a new winner for the first time in nine races as Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz graced the top step of the podium. That all changed this morning when everything went back to normal as Red Bull had a dominant one-two finish. Max Verstappen took home the race win and Perez took the second step, with Sainz taking third at Suzuka.
Red Bull’s Dominant Race
Red Bull made sure that all their flaws from the last race didn’t creep up and get them again, especially that right-rear brake that caught on fire and blew the tire up entering the pit lane back in Australia. That mistake ended up costing Verstappen a possible Australian Grand Prix win. And for Verstappen: pole, fastest lap, and the race win. Total dominance from him and the team. The only time Max lost the lead during the race was when he boxed.
Perez had to work his way up the grid every once in a while, after his stops but did it with ease. As a result of his dominance, Verstappen has now led 3,000 lops in his career. He joins Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton on that list.
Red Flag on Lap 1
There was drama on Lap 1 when the Racing Bull of Daniel Ricciardo and Williams of Alex Albon collided and caused a Red Flag. Albon tried to sneak along the inside of Ricciardo going into the high-speed corner of turn two. He ended up getting squeezed in by Ricciardo as he tried to find the racing line. Albon’s wheel clipped Ricciardo’s and they both spun off into the wall, and the barriers had to be repaired and the race was paused for the moment. It was neither Daniel’s nor Alex’s fault, just a racing incident.
Williams Tough Weekend
Albon’s crash on Lap 1 of course took a blow, but there’s so much more than that. Team Principal James Vowles announced that they won’t have a spare chassis until the Miami Grand Prix in May. That Albon crash was a hard impact and could’ve destroyed one of two chassis. Another heart-stopping moment was handed to Vowles on Friday after Logan Sargeant hit the wall during FP1. His wheel hit the grass, he lost it and spun. However, the team managed to repair the car and get it together for a 17th-place finish on Sunday.
All in all, it was a decent race, but nothing to hang your hat on. The next race is two weeks away in China.
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Featured Image: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
