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Welcome to our coverage for qualifying for the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix from Suzuka. It’s the second time in a little over six months that Formula One has raced at the storied track and that is no bad thing. For my money it is the best track on the calendar and I think a lot of drivers would agree.
We come into this race after a two-week break following the Australian Grand Prix with a narrow margin of four points separating Max Verstappen from Charles Leclerc in the drivers’ championship. The same gap exists between first and second in the constructors’ championship, too, following Red Bull’s poor weekend in Melbourne and Ferrari’s 1-2.
That is all well and good but does not really reflect the reality of the competitive order this year, unfortunately. Yes, Ferrari may well have challenged for the win – and indeed won – without Verstappen’s retirement a fortnight ago… but at worst he would have been second, surely. Still, at least we did not get until September with only one team winning a race as was the case last year.
What to expect from Suzuka? Well, the Red Bull RB20 is an all-round brilliant car and Suzuka should play to its strengths especially. Verstappen was utterly dominant here last year, winning by an enormous margin but he believes that the same will not be the case this year. Not that he will not win, but that the margin will not be so large. Let’s see… certainly the signs are that Red Bull should be the fastest car and perhaps comfortably again, as in the two meaningful practice sessions we have had they have finished 1-2.
There has been some encouragement for Mercedes, too, and on a track they were expected to struggle. After practice yesterday Lewis Hamilton said it was the team’s best session of the year and they appeared to back that up in FP3 earlier today, finishing third and fourth behind Verstappen and Sergio Perez and both cars around half a second off Verstappen. Sure, slim pickings but it something.
Qualifying begins at 7am BST and we will be here for all of the build-up, live updates and reaction from it.
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