Max Verstappen won the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix to return to winning ways and stay ahead of the competition in the Driver’s Championship. The Dutchman had bad luck with his car last time out, with his rear brakes catching fire, and forcing him to pull out of the race.
This time, his career held up just fine, and the defending world champion led for almost the entire race. He was followed by fellow Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, 12.5 seconds behind and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, who finished 20 seconds behind Verstappen.
Japanese Grand Prix 2024: Max Verstappen back to his best
Interesting to see drivers defending Daniel Ricciardo after watching the replay.
— Maxx | F1newsletter.com (@F1_Newsletter) April 7, 2024
VER: "Really unfortunate incident, he was watching to the left"
PER: "He was in the blind spot" #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/pcxQhmMLO3
Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon crashed out of the race only seconds in. The two drivers bumped into each other, forcing a red flag, and delaying the restart by 30 minutes to clear the debris.
On the other hand, Charles Leclerc finished fourth to earn 12 points and keep himself in the race for the title. Verstappen currently leads with 77 points after the Japanese Grand Prix, followed by his teammate Sergio Perez, who has 64 after his second placed finish.
Leclerc, with 59, has moved down to third and will have to find a way to get back on the podium when F1 returns to Shanghai for the first time since the pandemic.
