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Tyres NorthamptonThe emphatic victory answered any doubters who thought (or perhaps hoped) that last weekend's Singapore race would trigger the downfall of the mighty RB19. Instead, Verstappen topped every session in Japan to single-handedly win his employer's the championship trophy while teammate Sergio Perez faltered once again.
There was no repeat of a Q2 exit for Verstappen this week, and the Dutchman set a near-perfect Qualifying lap to snatch pole position. The McLaren resurge continued, with Oscar Piastri lining up on the front row beside the world champion, one slot ahead of Lando Norris in the sister MCL60. A two-pronged attack at lights out meant Verstappen had to defend from Piastri on the inside of Turn 1, with Norris pushing on the outside. Verstappen held onto the lead, effectively winning the race by the second corner in the only moment of pressure in his race.
Wheel-to-wheel battling behind the leading trio caused a Lap 1 safety car, further cementing Verstappen's lead. Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon sandwiched Valtteri Bottas' Alfa Romeo in the midfield. Bottas veered to his left, inadvertently sending Albon onto two wheels and breaking his own front wing. More aerodynamic injuries affected Perez ahead when a four-way fight between the Mexican, the Ferraris, and Lewis Hamilton had his RB19 losing carbon fibre on the run to Turn 1.
While celebrations for Verstappen gave Red Bull plenty to cheer, there were headaches for the incumbent champions because of Perez's afternoon. The front wing damage from the Lap 1 incident represented the start of a nightmare afternoon. The stewards slapped Perez with a five-second penalty for overtaking under the safety car when he came in for replacement parts. Then he broke his second front wing during an overtaking lunge on Kevin Magnussen. Red Bull eventually told Perez to retire after 15 woeful laps before sending him out again on Lap 42 to avoid carrying his punishment into the following grand prix for his role in Magnussen's collision.
On track, the safety car restart saw the two Mercedes drivers aggressively racing each other for P7. George Russell inched by Lewis Hamilton at the chicane before the seven-time champ fought back into Turn 1 to earn in-team bragging rights. With Russell dealt with, Hamilton advanced on Fernando Alonso, the lead driver running on Pirelli's soft-compound rubber, as the Spaniard's tyres started losing grip. Aston Martin pitted Alonso before Hamilton could attack, and he returned to the track on the mediums as his contrary strategy began to fail.
A brief Virtual Safety Car to clear the debris from the Perez-Magnussen crash signalled the start of the first pit stop phase for the medium-compound starters. Piastri enjoyed good fortune by pitting just as the slowdown occurred and undercut Norris to claim P2. However, with Russell committing to a one-stop strategy and Norris having better race pace than his Australian rookie teammate, McLaren invoked team orders that had their British driver return to P2.
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Russell finally stopped as the race approached half distance, taking his medium tyres further into the race than his rivals. He would, however, have to nurse his hard Pirellis to the finish line while everyone else made their second stops. The reason for McLaren's team orders became apparent as Norris emerged from the pit lane on Lap 37. The Brit was behind Russell, but only by a few car lengths, thanks to not losing time behind Piastri.
Any hopes from Mercedes that Russell could advance through the order with the one-stop strategy dissipated lap by lap. Norris eased by the Silver Arrow with DRS assistance down the main straight one lap after pitting, with Piastri following suit a few laps later, just ahead of Charles Leclerc. A side-by-side overtake on the outside of Turn 1 had Leclerc get through as Russell's tyres began to fade.
Hamilton and Russell would share the same part of asphalt for the second time in the closing laps, but with Carlos Sainz closing in on the back of them. Pleas from Russell to keep Hamilton in DRS range behind him, acting as a buffer against Sainz, fell on deaf ears on the Mercedes pit wall. Inevitably, Russell lost both places and crossed the line P7 despite his spirited attempt to make the one-stop strategy work.
While their competitors battled against each other, Red Bull strode to their sixth world championship title, with Verstappen controlling the race out front. Even though Verstappen drove at a slower pace to manage his tyres, the reigning champion still finished 19 seconds ahead of Norris in another dominant display that will no doubt kick off another winning streak. With the constructors' championship sorted, F1 heads to Qatar in a fortnight, where Verstappen will look to secure his third drivers' championship title.