On the back of the first Singapore Grand Prix since 2019, Formula 1 remains in Asia this weekend for the highly anticipated Japanese Grand Prix, which, like Singapore, hasn’t been seen since 2019.
The Japanese Grand Prix is one of the oldest and most popular races of the season, with the likes of Ayrton Senna, Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel having won a World Championship at Suzuka.
Max Verstappen can add his name to the list of drivers to have claimed a title at the Japanese GP, with the Dutchman having his second chance this weekend to become a double World Champion.
He failed at the first chance he had to wrap up the World Championship last weekend, after having insufficient fuel in qualifying to complete his final lap, before having an extremely messy race by his impeccable standards.
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Despite Sergio Pérez winning his second race of the year and Charles Leclerc finishing P2, Verstappen still boasts a 104-point lead over the Ferrari driver.
Given that Pérez and Leclerc are likely to be strong at the Japanese circuit, it’s likely that the Dutchman will need to win this weekend to seal the championship.
To become a double World Champion this weekend, Verstappen needs to score eight points more than Leclerc, and six points more than Pérez.
It was unlikely that Verstappen was going to claim the title at the Marina Bay Circuit last weekend, as the Dutchman needed to win with the fastest lap, and hope that Pérez finished outside the top four and Leclerc outside the top eight.
Instead, it was the championship leader’s team-mate who impressively claimed victory, whilst Verstappen faltered.
Had it not been for several Safety Cars, then the 25-year-old would’ve most likely failed to score points, after having to make a late pit-stop after an enormous lock-up whilst attempting to overtake Lando Norris.
The race wasn’t without some controversy, though, as Pérez was investigated after the race for dropping beyond 10 car lengths behind the Mercedes Safety Car.
The Mexican was found guilty of having done so on multiple occasions, which resulted in a reprimand, a five-second time penalty, and two penalty points being put onto his superlicence.
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It’s safe to predict that the red Mercedes Safety Car will be in operation again this weekend in Japan, as the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Safety Car, which usually alternates with the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, has been spotted on a road in Texas, United States.
Seeing an official Formula 1 Safety Car on a public road is certainly not what you’d expect to see everyday; it’s safe to assume that it will be used instead of the Mercedes at the United States Grand Prix in two weeks.
It was spotted 221 miles away from Circuit of the Americas, which is, of course, the host of the US GP.