Formula 1

The American reckons his car escaped without any "major" damage and won't contribute to the team's chassis shortage.

Nico Hulkenberg reckons a “really bad start” in the Japanese Grand Prix meant he missed out on extending his points scoring streak to three races in a row.

From the Suzuka paddock, Tom Clarkson is joined by F1TV commentator Alex Jacques and nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen to answer all the key questions after a gripping contest at one of the most challenging circuits on the calendar.

Suzuka looked resplendent as it took up its new position on the calendar in spring, the track consumed by beautiful cherry blossoms. Red Bull’s season continued to bloom with a strong performance in Japan – but it wasn’t so rosy for some of their rivals. We pick out our winners and losers from the Japanese Grand Prix…

Fernando Alonso was pleased with his drive to P6 in the Japanese Grand Prix, given that – with the Spaniard believing Aston Martin to currently be the “fifth fastest team” – he thinks they should typically be finishing in P9 or P10.

Toto Wolff has admitted that Mercedes are in a process of “live testing” as they continue to try to find their feet with the W15, having changed the concept of the car for 2024 following two challenging seasons with the previous design.

Sergio Perez is no stranger to racing with plenty of pressure on his shoulders, with the Mexican out of contract next year and once again driving for his F1 future. He’s been in this exact position before and in even worse ones but given how well he has performed in 2024 so far, it’s easy to see why Perez is cutting a relaxed figure when asked about his future.

Charles Leclerc enjoyed a strong drive to P4 in the Japanese Grand Prix, but the Monegasque admitted that he was “paying the price” for his qualifying struggles in the race, having missed out on a podium position to Ferrari team mate Carlos Sainz.

Although the Japanese Grand Prix gave an outcome which mirrored a very distinct competitive hierarchy among the teams, there was considerable variation during the race in how well each car was going. This was down to a track temperature that was around 40C at the race start, but which decreased by 8C as the race progressed.

The drivers and teams report back on all the action from the Suzuka International Racing Course for the Formula 1 MSC Cruises Japanese Grand Prix 2024.

Williams found themselves in a world of pain when Alex Albon was pitched into the barriers at Turn 3 on the first lap of the Japanese Grand Prix. The British team need to assess the severity of the damage back at their factory at Grove – but just how difficult is the situation they find themselves in after a third big crash in two weeks?

Lando Norris started third and finished fifth, which is never the direction you want to go in on race day. But despite a difficult afternoon, the McLaren man was in a surprisingly reflective mood when he spoke after the race.

Sergio Perez was pleased to add to his growing points tally by taking P2 in the Japanese Grand Prix, with the Mexican confident that Red Bull can can be “strong anywhere else” after their solid showing at Suzuka.

Lewis Hamilton was left to rue the struggles he faced with his Mercedes during the Japanese Grand Prix, with the seven-time world champion explaining after the race that he opted to let team mate George Russell pass him because of the problems.

It was action all the way in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, as the 2024 season witnessed it’s fourth one-two result in as many races. But there were plenty of other fascinating numbers to come from the 53-lap Suzuka encounter.

Yuki Tsunoda was full of relief after scoring a point on home soil in Japan for the very first time. With back-to-back top-10 finishes now, the RB driver is enjoying a rich run of form.

Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon have offered up reactions to their clash on the opening lap of the Japanese Grand Prix, with the RB and Williams drivers both retiring after banging wheels and slamming into the wall.

Carlos Sainz was left “very happy” with his podium result at the Japanese Grand Prix, having expected P3 to be “difficult” to achieve earlier in the race as he battled with the likes of Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Max Verstappen expressed his satisfaction after he and Red Bull bounced back in style from their retirement in Australia last time out to claim a dominant victory at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen resumed his winning form by taking victory in the Japanese Grand Prix, marking his third race win of 2024 after his retirement last time out in Australia disrupted the streak, while team mate Sergio Perez made it a one-two result for Red Bull.