Motorsports
Formula 1, Japanese GP: Verstappen returned to victory with a “walk” in Suzuka and handed the title to the designers at Red Bull
After the “break” in Singapore, Max Verstappen returned to his well-known impressive performances this year and won the Japanese GP with his usual aplomb ahead of the two McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Red Bull Racing is the constructors’ world champion.
In his 13th victory in 16 races this year and the 15th for Red Bull Racing, Max Verstappen comfortably won the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who achieved the first podium of his career in Formula 1 fetched.
Verstappen led the race from the green light to the checkered flag, except for a few brief periods during his pit stops. And despite the retirement of Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing secured this year’s Formula 1 Constructors’ World Championship for the sixth time in its history with this result.
The two McLaren drivers fought unopposed for the podium today, on a track that suited their car very well. The battle for the next six places was between Mercedes and Ferrari, which Ferrari won with Leclerc.
At the start everyone was on the medium tire and the race lasted two pit stops, with the exception of Alonso, who opted for the soft tire in the Aston Martin. Despite attacks from the two McLarens at the green light, Verstappen fended off Piastri and then Norris, retained the lead and began to disappear over the horizon.
The two McLarens were followed by the Ferraris of Leclerc, Saint and then Alonso, who worked their way up from 10th to 6th at the soft start – ahead of the Mercedes of Hamilton and Russell.
Alonso, of course, had to pit first to change his soft tires, and that cost him several places in a row – because while he initially undercut the Ferraris, he then lost places again when the Italians came back with fresher tires than theirs. The first box stops.
An exception to the two pit stop rule was George Russell. The Englishman and Mercedes decided today to change their strategy when changing tires (from medium to hard rubber).
So Russell moved up to second place at his rivals’ second pit stop, but with the fresh hard rubber that Norris, Piastri and Leclerc came back with from their second stop, the Englishman – whose own hard tires were already worn out – fell back to second place 5th place.
Eventually his single set of hard rubber was so worn that he was vulnerable even to Hamilton, who routinely made two pit stops and caught him with ten laps to go.
Ahead of today’s third duel between the two Brits – having been clean twice up to that point – Mercedes instructed Russell to let Hamilton pass as both men were under threat from Saind – who caught up with them and him after his second pit stop.
Russell obeyed and was understandably soon overtaken by Sainz, although Hamilton slowed down to offer his counterpart DRS to fend off the Spaniard. However, in the final laps, as the Ferrari tires began to warm up, Lewis managed to maintain 5th place.
Alonso ended up in 8th place ahead of the Alpines of Ocon and Gasly with a strategy that didn’t work out so well today. Perez had a race he will soon forget: he collided with Bottas at the start and with Magnussen twelve laps later, before being forced to retire after changing his front wing twice.
But on lap 40, RBR decided to put him back on track to serve the 5-minute time penalty he received for his collision with Magnussen so that he could use it in the next Formula 1 race – the one in October Qatar will take place – did not have to sit 6-8.
Source: sport 24
Hi, my name is Jayden James. I am a writer at Sportish, and I mostly cover sports news. I have been writing since high school and have been published in various magazines and newspapers. I also write book reviews for a website. In my free time, I enjoy playing soccer and basketball.
A 2002 McLaren MP4-17A will go up for auction at RM Sotheby’s in Paris in 2026. Competing in 12 Grands Prix, the chassis was driven by Kimi Raikkonen and David Coulthard, achieving five podiums and one victory. The estimated price of the land is between 1,000,000 and 1,400,000 Euros.
The car was designed under the guidance of the legendary Adrian Newey. Although the MP4-17 initially showed inconsistent performance, it was later able to compete with the dominant Ferrari F2002 and regularly achieve podium finishes.
Chassis number 6 appeared in the middle of the 2002 season and was mainly used by Raikkonen, who replaced Mika Hakkinen in the team. The Finnish driver immediately finished third in the European Grand Prix, followed by second in France and third in the USA.
In 2003, the same chassis updated and driven by Coulthard won the season opener in Australia, marking the Scot’s 13th and final Formula One victory.
The car’s last race was at the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix, driven by Raikkonen, who finished second behind Rubens Barrichello, also of Ferrari. That season the championship was won by Michael Schumacher, who finished eighth in the race.
The car retains its original 2002 West livery and Räikkönen number 4 and is powered by a 3.0-litre Mercedes-Benz FO110 V10 engine. A complete restoration is required for reuse on the track.
Following its racing career, the car was stored at McLaren for 17 years and was purchased by its current owner in 2021. For fans of the early 2000s, this land is a unique investment and historical value.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Peter Sauber, founder of the Sauber Formula 1 team, said that he was very close to signing a contract with Lewis Hamilton nearly 20 years ago.
At the time, the Briton was in the McLaren youth academy, but the Woking team, which regularly challenges for championship titles, planned to send Hamilton outside the peloton for a season to gain experience in Formula One.
According to the Swiss driver, his and McLaren’s vision of the situation did not align. While Peter Sauber was counting on long-term cooperation, the British team was only considering the option of hiring pilots on a temporary basis. Due to different terms and conditions, the deal ultimately did not happen.
“Almost no one knows that Lewis Hamilton planned to race for Sauber nearly 20 years ago.”
“He was part of the McLaren team and they wanted to send him to Hinwil for training. That’s why the McLaren delegation met with Lewis and his father Anthony, me and our lawyer Monisha Kaltenborn at Kloten Airport.”
“In the end the deal didn’t work out because McClaren only wanted to loan him for one season and we insisted on a two-year loan.”
As a result, Lewis Hamilton remained with McLaren and entered the title fight in his first season in Formula 1. The Briton lost the championship largely due to a series of unfortunate circumstances, but he immediately showed the top level. Lewis currently has 7 championships.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Former Ferrari engineer Javi Marcos is returning to Formula 1 with a new key role in the Cadillac project.
The Spaniard was previously working as Charles Leclerc’s race engineer at Ferrari, but was replaced by Brian Bozzi ahead of the 2024 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. After that, Marcos decided to leave the Italian team and join Cadillac.
Last year, Marcos worked in the American manufacturer’s WEC and IMSA programs and was also officially appointed technical director of Cadillac’s LMDh project.
However, it is now known that he will focus on Formula 1 again. According to sources, Marcos has been appointed chief racing engineer of the future Cadillac team, which will enter the championship in 2026.
Cadillac will join the peloton as its 11th Formula 1 team. The American team, which will use Ferrari power plants in the first seasons, will switch to its own engines in partnership with General Motors from 2028.
The team had previously confirmed that Carlo Pasetti and John Howard would serve as race engineers for Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez respectively. Marcos will serve in a position above them and will coordinate the work of the engineering staff.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
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