SUMMARY
- The Japanese GP is set to take place on Sunday at 1:00 am EST.
- Both the Red Bull drivers have given an amazing performance after the small hiccup at Australian GP.
The RedBull teammates Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez ended the Australian GP with unexpected results. Max Verstappen had to retire at the 5th lap at Albert Park Circuit, while Checo finished 5th, leaving RedBull out of the podium and ending their perfect streak. After the slight hiccup at the Australian GP, Helmut Marko reassured his faith in his drivers and cars and claimed a stronger comeback at the Japanese GP.
Third front row lockout for Max and Checo 🤝
Well done Bulls! #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/cvSR6RxRVV
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) April 6, 2024
After the Australian GP, the paddock headed for the Japanese GP taking place at the Suzuka circuit. while the qualifying gave us some interesting sights from George Russell almost crashing into Oscar Piastri, Yuki Tsunoda dethroning Daniel Ricciardo again, and both the Aston Martin finishing with polar opposite performances at the qualifying 1. However, the highlight of the qualifying was the Red Bull duo pulling off an impressive performance and proving the Marko statement true.
Did a solid performance by Sergio Perez push Max Verstappen to push himself even more?
Sergio Perez is a really good driver with 6 Grand Prix victories. However, since moving to RedBull Checo has been struggling with the car and has had a tough time keeping up with the Dutch driver. Perez was also at the risk of losing his Red Bull seat if he could not improve his performance. However, the Mexican has started to show signs of improved performance.
During the Japanese GP, both Red Bull drivers can be seen pushing the limits of the car. Both drivers cleared the first two rounds of qualifying without struggling. However, it was the third round of qualifying that left everyone on the edge of their seats. While Max established a fastest lap of 1m 28.240s at the start of round 3 of qualifying and by the end he further improved on it and took pole with a lap time of 1m 28.197s.
Max Verstappen narrowly pips his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez to secure pole for the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix by just 0.066 seconds.https://t.co/dfcCYDzdqy#F1 #Formula1 #MaxVerstappen #SergioPerez #JapaneseGP #JapanGP #redbullracing
— Formula One History (@F1History1950) April 6, 2024
While Max still finished with the quickest lap and won his 4th consecutive pole position, it was Checo who kept everyone on the edge of the seat. During the third round of qualifying the Mexican gave tough competition to Verstappen. Sergio Perez can be seen pushing the car and securing a 1m 28.263s. The difference between the Red Bull drivers was 0.066 seconds.
The qualifying ended with Max and Perez getting 1 and 2 followed by Lando Norris at 3, and Carlos Sainz, and Fernando Alonso at 4 and 5. Sergio Perez’s improved performance was visible at the Suzuka circuit and it’s safe to say it would push the Dutch driver more, making the races more interesting.