2024 Japanese Grand Prix

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2024 Japanese Grand Prix
Race 4 of 24 in the 2024 Formula One World Championship
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Suzuka circuit map--2005.svg
Layout of the Suzuka International Racing Course
Race details [1]
Date7 April 2024
Official name Formula 1 MSC Cruises Japanese Grand Prix 2024
Location Suzuka International Racing Course
Suzuka, Mie Prefecture, Japan
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 5.807 km (3.608 miles)
Distance 53 laps, 307.471 km (191.054 miles)
Weather Sunny
Attendance 229,000 [2]
Pole position
Driver Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Time 1:28.197
Fastest lap
Driver Flag of the Netherlands.svg Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Time 1:33.706 on lap 50
Podium
First Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Second Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT
Third Ferrari
Lap leaders
  • 2024 Japanese Grand Prix

The 2024 Japanese Grand Prix (officially known as the Formula 1 MSC Cruises Japanese Grand Prix 2024) was a Formula One motor race held on 7 April 2024 at the Suzuka International Racing Course in Suzuka, Japan. It was the fourth round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship. It was won by polesitter Max Verstappen driving for Red Bull, with teammate Sergio Pérez and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr. behind him. Yuki Tsunoda of RB scored a point, the first Japanese Formula One driver to do so at their home race since the 2012 edition of the race.

Contents

Background

The event was held at the Suzuka International Racing Course in Suzuka for the 34th time in the circuit's history, across the weekend of 5–7 April. The Grand Prix was the fourth round of the 2024 Formula One World Championship and the 49th running of the Japanese Grand Prix. [3] The edition was the first time that the event was held as an early-season round, a departure from its traditional schedule between September and November. [4] The move was part of Formula One's regionalisation efforts, which put the Japanese Grand Prix between the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix. [5]

Championship standings

Ahead of the weekend race, Max Verstappen led the Drivers' Championship with 51 points, four points from Charles Leclerc in second, and five from his teammate Sergio Pérez in third. Red Bull Racing led the Constructors' Championship with 97 points, separated from Ferrari by 4 points and from McLaren by 42, in second and third, respectively. [6]

Entrants

Ayumu Iwasa Austria 2022.jpg
Ayumu Iwasa drove for RB in the first free practice session, making his Formula One practice debut.

The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race. [7] Ayumu Iwasa made his Formula One practice debut for RB, driving in place of Daniel Ricciardo in the first free practice session. [8]

Tyre choices

Tyre supplier Pirelli brought the C1, C2, and C3 tyre compounds (the three hardest in their range) designated hard, medium, and soft, respectively, for teams to use at the event. [9]

Practice

Three free practice sessions were held for the event. The first free practice session was held on 5 April 2024, at 11:30 local time (UTC+9), and was topped by Red Bull driver Max Verstappen ahead of his teammate Sergio Pérez and Carlos Sainz Jr. of Ferrari. [10] The session was red-flagged after Williams's Logan Sargeant lost control of his car and hit the wall, breaking his front wing. The second free practice session was held on the same day, at 15:00 local time, and was topped by Mclaren's Oscar Piastri ahead of Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. [10] The damp conditions prevented most drivers from completing a run, and only five set competitive lap times. [11] The third free practice session was held on 6 April 2024, at 11:30 local time, and was topped by Verstappen ahead of his teammate Pérez and George Russell of Mercedes. [12] [13]

Qualifying

Qualifying was held on 6 April 2024, at 15:00 local time (UTC+9). [12]

Qualifying classification

Pos.No.DriverConstructorQualifying timesFinal
grid
Q1Q2Q3
11 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT 1:28.8661:28.7401:28.1971
211 Flag of Mexico.svg Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT 1:29.3031:28.7521:28.2632
34 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 1:29.5361:28.9401:28.4893
455 Flag of Spain.svg Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 1:29.5131:29.0991:28.6824
514 Flag of Spain.svg Fernando Alonso Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 1:29.2541:29.0821:28.6865
681 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Oscar Piastri McLaren-Mercedes 1:29.4251:29.1481:28.7606
744 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:29.6611:28.8871:28.7667
816 Flag of Monaco.svg Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:29.3381:29.1961:28.7868
963 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg George Russell Mercedes 1:29.7991:29.1401:29.0089
1022 Flag of Japan.svg Yuki Tsunoda RB-Honda RBPT 1:29.7751:29.4171:29.41310
113 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Daniel Ricciardo RB-Honda RBPT 1:29.7271:29.472N/A11
1227 Flag of Germany.svg Nico Hülkenberg Haas-Ferrari 1:29.8211:29.494N/A12
1377 Flag of Finland.svg Valtteri Bottas Kick Sauber-Ferrari 1:29.6021:29.593N/A13
1423 Flag of Thailand.svg Alexander Albon Williams-Mercedes 1:29.9631:29.714N/A14
1531 Flag of France.svg Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 1:29.8111:29.816N/A15
1618 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Lance Stroll Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 1:30.024N/AN/A16
1710 Flag of France.svg Pierre Gasly Alpine-Renault 1:30.119N/AN/A17
1820 Flag of Denmark.svg Kevin Magnussen Haas-Ferrari 1:30.131N/AN/A18
192 Flag of the United States.svg Logan Sargeant Williams-Mercedes 1:30.139N/AN/A19
2024 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Zhou Guanyu Kick Sauber-Ferrari 1:30.143N/AN/A20
107% time: 1:35.086
Source: [14] [15]

Race

The race was held on 7 April 2024, at 14:00 local time (UTC+9), and was run for 53 laps. [12]

Race report

Polesitter Max Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, led the race into the first corner before a crash involving Daniel Ricciardo and Alexander Albon neutralised the race for over twenty minutes while the tyre barriers had to be repaired. [16] Following the red flag period, the race restarted with a standing start on lap three. On lap 12, Sauber driver Zhou Guanyu retired due to a gearbox problem, the third retirement of the race. Verstappen remained unchallenged, eventually making his pit stop on lap 16. This handed the lead of the race to Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, but Verstappen, who had a significant tyre advantage, closed the gap to Leclerc and by lap 20 retook the lead. [16] By that point, it became clear[ original research? ] that Leclerc was performing a one-stop strategy on his medium tyres, and swapped to hards by the end of lap 26. Leclerc's one-stop strategy would prove effective, while the Mercedes drivers of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who had swapped to hards during the red-flag period, were struggling with tyre degradation. [16] A brief yellow flag period was observed on lap 42, after Logan Sargeant in the sole remaining Williams drove into the gravel at turn 9, but was able to reverse back on track and continue. [17] As the race entered its final laps, Carlos Sainz Jr. overtook Leclerc for the last spot on the podium behind Verstappen's teammate Sergio Pérez. [16] Russell attempted to overtake Oscar Piastri at turn 16 in the closing laps; Piastri temporarily maintained his position, but on the final lap Russell successfully overtook Piastri to finish in seventh. [17] Yuki Tsunoda of RB scored one point in tenth, the first Japanese Formula One driver to score a point at their home race since Kamui Kobayashi's podium at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix. [18]

Race classification

Pos.No.DriverConstructorLapsTime/RetiredGridPoints
11 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT 531:54:23.566126 1
211 Flag of Mexico.svg Sergio Pérez Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT 53+12.535218
355 Flag of Spain.svg Carlos Sainz Jr. Ferrari 53+20.866415
416 Flag of Monaco.svg Charles Leclerc Ferrari 53+26.522812
54 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lando Norris McLaren-Mercedes 53+29.700310
614 Flag of Spain.svg Fernando Alonso Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 53+44.27258
763 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg George Russell Mercedes 53+45.95196
881 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Oscar Piastri McLaren-Mercedes 53+47.52564
944 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 53+48.62672
1022 Flag of Japan.svg Yuki Tsunoda RB-Honda RBPT 52+1 lap101
1127 Flag of Germany.svg Nico Hülkenberg Haas-Ferrari 52+1 lap12
1218 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Lance Stroll Aston Martin Aramco-Mercedes 52+1 lap16
1320 Flag of Denmark.svg Kevin Magnussen Haas-Ferrari 52+1 lap18
1477 Flag of Finland.svg Valtteri Bottas Kick Sauber-Ferrari 52+1 lap13
1531 Flag of France.svg Esteban Ocon Alpine-Renault 52+1 lap15
1610 Flag of France.svg Pierre Gasly Alpine-Renault 52+1 lap17
172 Flag of the United States.svg Logan Sargeant Williams-Mercedes 52+1 lap19
Ret24 Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg Zhou Guanyu Kick Sauber-Ferrari 12Gearbox20
Ret3 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Daniel Ricciardo RB-Honda RBPT 0Collision11
Ret23 Flag of Thailand.svg Alexander Albon Williams-Mercedes 0Collision14
Fastest lap: Flag of the Netherlands.svg Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing-Honda RBPT) – 1:33.706 (lap 50)
Source: [15] [19] [20] [21]

Notes

Championship standings after the race

References

  1. "Japanese Grand Prix 2024 – F1 Race". Formula 1. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  2. "Ranked: The Top Attended Formula 1 Races in 2024". F1 Destinations. 12 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  3. "Japan". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  4. "Motor racing: Japanese F1 Grand Prix to take place in April next year". Kyodo News. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  5. "Formula 1 announces calendar for 2024". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  6. "Australia 2024 – Championship". Stats F1. 24 March 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
  7. "2024 Japanese Grand Prix – Entry List" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. 5 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  8. "Red Bull-backed rising star Ayumu Iwasa to make F1 weekend debut with RB during practice at Japanese GP". Formula 1. Archived from the original on 30 March 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  9. "These are the P Zero compounds for Suzuka, Shanghai and Miami". Pirelli. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
  10. 1 2 "2024 F1 Japanese Grand Prix – Friday Practice Results". www.crash.net. 22 March 2024. Retrieved 22 March 2024.
  11. "FP2: Piastri sets fastest time as rain leads to limited running during second practice in Japan". Formula One. 5 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  12. 1 2 3 "Formula 1 MSC Cruises Japanese Grand Prix 2024 – Full Timetable". Formula 1. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  13. "FP3: Verstappen leads Perez and Russell during final practice session in Japan". Formula One. 5 April 2024.
  14. "Formula 1 MSC Cruises Japanese Grand Prix 2024 – Qualifying". Formula 1. 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  15. 1 2 "Formula 1 MSC Cruises Japanese Grand Prix 2024 – Starting Grid". Formula 1. 6 April 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2024.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Verstappen leads home Perez for Red Bull one-two at Japanese GP after early drama". Formula One. 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  17. 1 2 Race Highlights | 2024 Japanese Grand Prix . Retrieved 7 April 2024 via www.youtube.com.
  18. "'Relieved' Tsunoda hails 'insane' RB pit stop as he nets a point on home soil". Formula One. 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  19. "Formula 1 MSC Cruises Japanese Grand Prix 2024 – Race Result". Formula 1. 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  20. 1 2 "Formula 1 MSC Cruises Japanese Grand Prix 2024 – Fastest Laps". Formula 1. 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  21. "Japan 2024". StatsF1.com. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  22. 1 2 "Japan 2024 – Championship". Stats F1. 7 April 2024. Retrieved 7 April 2024.
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