2024 F1 Japanese GP results: Max Verstappen wins red-flagged race

Verstappen beat team-mate Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, in a race that was red flagged following an opening lap crash between RB’s Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon of Williams.

2024 F1 Japanese Grand Prix results

Cla	Nº	Driver	Car / Engine	Laps	Gap
1	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull/Honda RBPT	53	-
2	11	Sergio Pérez	Red Bull/Honda RBPT	53	-12.535
3	55	Carlos Sainz Jr.	Ferrari	53	-20.866
4	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	53	-26.522
5	4	Lando Norris	McLaren/Mercedes	53	-29.700
6	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin/Mercedes	53	-44.272
7	63	George Russell	Mercedes	53	-45.951
8	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren/Mercedes	53	-47.525
9	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	53	-48.626
10	22	Yuki Tsunoda	RB/Honda RBPT	52	-
11	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Haas/Ferrari	52	-
12	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin/Mercedes	52	-
13	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas/Ferrari	52	-
14	77	Valtteri Bottas	Sauber/Ferrari	52	-
15	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine/Renault	52	-
16	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine/Renault	52	-
17	2	Logan Sargeant	Williams/Mercedes	52	-
-	24	Zhou Guanyu	Sauber/Ferrari	12	-
-	3	Daniel Ricciardo	RB/Honda RBPT	0	-
-	23	Alexander Albon	Williams/Mercedes	0	-

2024 F1 Japanese Grand Prix report

Polesitter Verstappen led the charge to Turn 1, ahead of Perez, Lando Norris (McLaren), Sainz and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin).

Further back, Ricciardo and Albon touched wheels on the approach to Turn 2 and both cars slammed into the tyrewall, causing a red flag. “He just squeezed me, nowhere to go,” rued Albon on the radio.

After a lengthy delay for barrier repairs, teams were able to change tyres in the pits with the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell switching to the hard compound, while fifth placed Fernando Alonso remained on his choice of softs.

Verstappen again led away from the 18-car standing restart, leading Perez, Norris, Sainz and Alonso once more. The Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon touched on the run to Turn 1, while Russell lost a spot to Yuki Tsunoda’s RB when he locked up and ran wide, but he was able to regain the spot a lap later.

Verstappen’s leading margin was aided when the chasing Perez ran wide at Degner 2 on lap six.

Norris was the first of the frontrunners to pit, giving up third place on lap 12, while McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri stopped from fifth a lap later. Alonso, who rose to fourth, got rid of his softs on lap 14.

The Mercedes duo swapped places on lap 14, with Hamilton allowing the faster Russell ahead.

Verstappen was over 5s clear of Perez when the latter pitted on lap 16, and he was followed in by third placed Sainz.

Verstappen went to lap 17 before making his stop, rejoining just ahead of early stopper Norris, who passed the yet-to-pit Hamilton around the outside of Turn 1, while Perez – who’d lost his runner-up spot to Norris – braved it down the inside of Hamilton at 130R.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc ran very long to lead for a couple of laps, until Verstappen caught at passed him at the start of lap 21 to regain his top spot. Sainz then lost time passing the Mercedes duo, dropping 7s behind Perez.

Second placed Leclerc, who was hanging on with well-worn medium tyres, briefly went off at Degner 2 just before half distance, allowing Perez back into second – but Sergio was already over 10s behind Verstappen.

Leclerc pitted for the first time on lap 27, the same tour as Norris for his second stop, the pair split by Russell as they rejoined. Norris zapped around the outside of Russell at Turn 1 a lap later.

Perez made his final stop on lap 34, rejoining behind Norris, while Verstappen ran a lap longer before doing likewise. Perez was able to chase down and DRS past Norris on the run to Turn 1 on lap 35 and mirrored the move on Leclerc on the next tour.

Australian GP winner Sainz now led but locked up and straight-lined the chicane on his old rubber, pitting a lap later and handing the lead back to Verstappen. This dropped Sainz all the way back to seventh but with the freshest rubber of all the frontrunners and he went on a charge.

Sainz quickly passed Hamilton, as Russell pitted ahead of them, and chased down Norris – passing him for fourth with nine laps remaining. He snatched third from one-stopping team-mate Leclerc a couple of laps later, DRS-ing past on the run to Turn 1 for the final spot on the podium.

Verstappen cruised to another victory by 12s over Perez, with Sainz heading him Leclerc for another podium finish. Norris finished fifth from a raging battle for sixth between Alonso, Piastri and Russell.

Piastri and Russell clashed at the chicane with five laps to go, but Piastri made a crucial error there ahead of the last tour, which allowed Russell to snatch seventh on the run to Turn 1.

Hamilton was ninth, while home hero Tsunoda claimed the final point.

2024 F1 Japanese Grand Prix fastest laps

Cla	Nº	Driver	Car / Engine	Time	Delay	Km/h
1	1	Max Verstappen	Red Bull/Honda RBPT	1'33.706		223.093
2	55	Carlos Sainz Jr.	Ferrari	1'33.841	0.135	222.772
3	11	Sergio Pérez	Red Bull/Honda RBPT	1'33.945	0.239	222.525
4	44	Lewis Hamilton	Mercedes	1'33.952	0.246	222.509
5	63	George Russell	Mercedes	1'34.404	0.698	221.444
6	14	Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin/Mercedes	1'34.726	1.020	220.691
7	81	Oscar Piastri	McLaren/Mercedes	1'34.802	1.096	220.514
8	2	Logan Sargeant	Williams/Mercedes	1'34.900	1.194	220.286
9	16	Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	1'35.044	1.338	219.952
10	4	Lando Norris	McLaren/Mercedes	1'35.186	1.480	219.624
11	27	Nico Hülkenberg	Haas/Ferrari	1'35.325	1.619	219.304
12	18	Lance Stroll	Aston Martin/Mercedes	1'35.798	2.092	218.221
13	31	Esteban Ocon	Alpine/Renault	1'36.232	2.526	217.237
14	22	Yuki Tsunoda	RB/Honda RBPT	1'36.342	2.636	216.989
15	77	Valtteri Bottas	Sauber/Ferrari	1'36.608	2.902	216.392
16	10	Pierre Gasly	Alpine/Renault	1'36.642	2.936	216.315
17	20	Kevin Magnussen	Haas/Ferrari	1'36.654	2.948	216.289
18	24	Zhou Guanyu	Sauber/Ferrari	1'37.160	3.454	215.162