How Max Verstappen can win his second F1 title at the Japanese GP
Max Verstappen has another chance to claim his second world title this weekend as Formula 1 returns to Suzuka for the first time since 2019 for the Japanese Grand Prix.
The Red Bull star, 104 points ahead of Charles Leclerc in the standings, will be crowned champion in Japan if he wins and sets the fastest lap on Sunday.
Verstappen is looking to bounce back from a disappointing weekend in Singapore, finishing seventh, while team-mate Sergio Perez took the win. Leclerc came in second, with Carlos Sainz in third.
Lewis Hamilton also endured a difficult Sunday in the Singapore rain, finishing ninth after crashing into the barriers, while Mercedes team-mate George Russell came home in last place. Hamilton, still looking for his first win of the season, has won five times in Japan. Fernando Alonso was fastest in the wet in FP1 on Friday with Russell leading a Mercedes one-two a few hours later in second practice.
Follow live with The Independent: Qualifying starts at 7am (BST).
CLASSIFICATION F1 – JAPANESE GRAND PRIX
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F1 classification – Japanese Grand Prix: What Max Verstappen needs to take the F1 world title in Japan this weekend
Max Verstappen fell short of his second world title in Singapore last weekend, but his seventh place finish still means he is in a prime position to wrap up the championship at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The 25-year-old has a 104-point lead over Charles Leclerc at the top of the drivers’ standings, with only Ferrari man and Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez (106 points behind) able to make a mathematical stop the dutch
With the 2021 cost cap saga delayed after this weekend’s Grand Prix, the focus is on on-track action – that’s what Verstappen needs this weekend to finish with a dominant title as the F1 returns to Suzuka.
What Verstappen needs
Verstappen has won 11 of 17 races this season and leads second-placed Leclerc by 104 points heading into Japan, the first of five races remaining. A possible 138 points are up for grabs until the end of the season: five race wins worth 25 points each, one fastest lap point in each and eight points for the winner of the sprint race in Sao Paulo.
What Max Verstappen needs to take the F1 world title in Japan this weekend
Max Verstappen missed the chance to claim his second world title in Singapore but can do so at Suzuka
Kieran Jackson October 8, 2022 6:30 am
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F1 classification – Japanese Grand Prix: ‘I have no plans to go anywhere’: Lewis Hamilton could race for another five years
Lewis Hamilton has hinted he could race for another five years after Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff revealed the pair had recently spoken about their future. The seven-time world champion has one year left on his contract with Mercedes at the end of the current season.
Hamilton, 37, holds the record for most wins, pole positions and podiums in Formula 1 history and is tied with Michael Schumacher for most drivers’ championships. But it looks like it’s far from over, with Wolff revealing last weekend that “we sat down and he’s like, ‘Look, I’ve got five more years, how do you see that?’
Asked before the Japanese Grand Prix if that was his plan, Hamilton replied: “I haven’t spoken to him (Wolff) about his comments, but I can’t say yet. Possibly, yes, I feel good. I love what I’m doing. We’ve got a lot of work to do, a lot to accomplish yet. So I don’t plan on going anywhere, anytime soon.”
Wolff praised Hamilton as the “shining star on and off the track” in F1 and it was with an eye on his future outside the car that the Brit explained why he wants to stay in the sport for more than five more years
Lewis Hamilton hints he could compete for another five years
The seven-time world champion has one year left on his contract with Mercedes at the end of the current season
Kieran Jackson October 8, 2022 6:14 am
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F1 classification – Japanese Grand Prix: Daniel Ricciardo won’t be rushed into decision on next F1 move
Daniel Ricciardo insists he will not rush into any decision regarding his F1 future with the 33-year-old still without a seat for next year.
The popular Australian is looking for his sixth F1 team after McLaren decided to terminate his contract a year early, with Oscar Piastri joining Lando Norris in 2023.
It currently leaves Ricciardo without a drive next year, with limited options, and the ex-Red Bull driver has not previously ruled out taking a sabbatical from the sport after eleven-and-a-half consecutive seasons.
There is currently a vacant seat at Alpine, although Ricciardo’s departure from Renault at the end of 2020 means he is unlikely to return, while Haas could also be an option if Mick Schumacher’s contract is not renewed in team Williams is also looking for a replacement for Nicholas Latifi, and a spot could open up for himself at AlphaTauri.
However, Ricciardo insists he will not be rushed into his decision as speculation grows that he could take up a reserve role with Mercedes.
Daniel Ricciardo will not be rushed into a decision on his next move to F1
The popular Australian is looking for his sixth Formula 1 team after McLaren decided to terminate his contract a year earlier.
Kieran Jackson October 8, 2022 5:57 am
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F1 qualifying – Japanese Grand Prix: Charles Leclerc reflects on ‘very, very difficult’ start to Japanese Grand Prix weekend
Charles Leclerc described his start to the Japanese Grand Prix weekend as “very difficult” after a mixed day of practice at Suzuka. The Ferrari star, who enters this weekend within 104 points of Max Verstappen with five races remaining, is looking to extend the title race in Austin, Texas, in two weeks’ time.
The only way to guarantee that is by winning on Sunday, while finishing second would also prolong the championship battle should Verstappen not set the fastest lap if he wins.
However, the Monegasque admitted that Friday’s race – in wet conditions in Japan in contrast to the expected dry weather for Saturday’s qualifying – was far from ideal; he finished third in FP1 but was only 11th in second practice, 2.7 seconds off the pace set by Mercedes’ George Russell.
“FP1 was fun! FP2, no tyres, so less fun,” said Leclerc. “But overall it was a pretty good day, the feeling with the car is good, we’ll just have to put it all together tomorrow, but the feeling is good, so that’s a positive. FP2 was very, very difficult because the tires were completely flat. But there’s a lot to learn from today especially for the race, so it’s a positive Friday.”
Leclerc reflects on ‘very, very difficult’ start to Japanese Grand Prix weekend
Leclerc only finished 11th in wet second practice, 2.7 seconds off the pace set by George Russell.
Kieran Jackson October 8, 2022 5:44 am
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F1 Classification – Japanese Grand Prix: WEEKEND FORECAST
While last weekend represented Max Verstappen’s first, if slim, opening to claim his second world title, Formula 1’s return to an old-school favorite at Suzuka in the countryside of Japan, gives the Dutchman a real chance to close out a dominant season in 2022.
The Red Bull star has a 104-point lead over Charles Leclerc with five races to go and this time it’s entirely in his hands: a race win to come with the fastest lap on Sunday will secure the World Championship regardless where Leclerc or the team. -Comrade Sergio Pérez finishes.
Even finishing first off the podium, something Verstappen has done in five of the last six races, without the bonus point means Leclerc must finish second to mathematically keep the race to Austin alive in two weeks’ time.
Of course, the reality is that it’s a matter of when, not if. Red Bull’s relationship with Honda, however, provides a perfect narrative if the title is claimed at the Japanese manufacturer’s home track. And despite a week in which F1’s budget cap was extended to Monday, with Red Bull the dominant team in the firing line, Verstappen looked very relaxed in what could be a glorious few days.
Verstappen has the title in his own hands when Formula 1 returns to Suzuka
Verstappen can clinch his second World Championship with a win and a fast lap on Sunday but is very relaxed despite what could be a title-clinching weekend
Kieran Jackson October 8, 2022 5:28 am
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F1 Qualifying – Japanese Grand Prix: FP3 DONE!
Normal service resumed – Max Verstappen sets fastest time at the end of the session, 0.294s ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz on the timesheets!
Charles Leclerc, Sainz’s teammate, comes in third, with Fernando Alonso’s Alpine in fourth and Sergio Pérez completing the top five.
6-10: Russell, Hamilton, Norris, Ocon, Passeig
Very impressive from the championship leader – now we’re going into qualifying in a few hours!
(Getty Images)
Kieran Jackson October 8, 2022 5:06 am
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F1 Qualifying – Japanese Grand Prix: 10 minutes left in FP3!
Little change at the top as the entire field set their best time on soft tyres: Carlos Sainz tops the timesheets, with Max Verstappen second – 0.351 seconds behind.
Charles Leclerc is third, with the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton fourth and fifth fastest, all six tenths behind Sainz.
6-10: Perez, Bottas, Zhou, Albon, Alonso
Will we have any changes in the final moments of the third practice as a field bomb in their qualifying mock laps?!
(AFP via Getty Images)
Kieran Jackson October 8, 2022 4:55 am
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F1 Qualifying – Japanese Grand Prix: 30 minutes missing in FP3!
At Honda’s home track, it’s the tight relationship with Red Bull that’s brewing at the moment: Max Verstappen leads the way with a 1:32:050, a huge 1.1 seconds ahead of team-mate d team Sergio Pérez in third place. George Russell is the only man within a second of Verstappen in second…
Lewis Hamilton is fourth fastest but is 1.2 seconds behind Verstappen, with Valtteri Bottas fifth and Lando…