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What to Watch Out for in the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix
Red Bull suffered an unusual defeat last time in Melbourne, and Max Verstappen will want to return to winning ways at the first opportunity. Suzuka is the track where he clinched his second championship crown in 2022, and the Dutchman has won both events there since its post-Covid return.
The world champions are not the only ones hoping to bounce back, though, as Mercedes look to recover after their first point-less weekend in years. Lewis Hamilton retired in Australia with engine issues, and George Russell ended the race with his car on its side. The once mighty Silver Arrows are the fourth-best team on the grid and will look to close in on those ahead.
While Red Bull and Mercedes will hope their trip Down Under was a blip, Ferrari and McLaren will want more of the same. Carlos Sainz is the sport's hottest free agent after he led Ferrari to a one-two finish straight after his appendicitis surgery, while Lando Norris kept pace with the two Prancing Horses to take his first podium of the year. Using that form to stay close to Verstappen will be a priority for both teams and their four drivers.
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2024 Japanese Grand Prix Pirelli Tyre Choices
Thanks to the figure-of-eight layout, Suzuka sees much more balanced wear than other venues on the F1 calendar. The near-equal distribution of left and right corners means all the wheels share the g-forces as the drivers speed around the 5.8km track.
Pirelli will field the hardest tyre trio in their selection, the C1, C2, and C3, for the 10 teams to use. The asphalt's abrasiveness sees relatively high tyre degradation, plus the cars spend most of every lap cornering to put stress through the tyre surface — the cars drive only about 20% of the circuit in a straight line.
Who Could Win the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix?
The default answer to this question has become Max Verstappen, but Australia showed that Red Bull isn't faultless in 2024. While Formula 1 had to wait until Singapore in September to see another team triumph in 2023, that's already happened in 2024.
Ironically, Sainz's win came just before Suzuka last year, too. Verstappen then won nine consecutive races, and it's that dominant charge the reigning champion will look to begin in Japan once again.
Rain, the great equaliser, is a potential threat over the weekend. Forecasts have shown a low-to-moderate chance of wet weather affecting the race since last week. The other nine teams won't count on April showers to deliver them the chance to win, seeing as Verstappen's 2022 victory followed a downpour-triggered red flag. Nonetheless, rain could open strategic options for all, should any fall.
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2024 Japanese Grand Prix U.K. Start Time
The unusual start times continue again in Japan, with early alarms for both Qualifying and the Grand Prix. It's a 6 AM start on Sunday for the race, which is two hours more sleep than Australia, at least...
2024 F1 Japanese Grand Prix Sky Sports Live Coverage
Qualifying – On air: 6:45 AM, Session start: 7 AM Saturday 6th April
Race – On air: 4:30 AM, Session start: 6 AM Sunday 7th April
2024 F1 Japanese Grand Prix Channel 4 Coverage
Qualifying – Highlights: 11:10 AM Saturday 6th April
Race – Highlights: 12:30 PM Sunday 7th April
2024 F1 Japanese Grand Prix Weather Forecast
Qualifying/Race – The teams face a 40% chance of rain on Sunday, albeit most likely in the morning, with Qualifying day seeing a 20% likelihood in the late afternoon. Highs of just 18°C mean this will be the mildest weather for a race so far in 2024.
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