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Photo Credit: BWT Alpine F1 Team

Ocon: “Maximising the potential” of the A524 leaves a “bittersweet taste” for Alpine F1 due to its current lack of performance

For the second consecutive weekend, Esteban Ocon managed to get himself out of Q1 as he made the top 15 for today’s Japanese Grand Prix. The Frenchman was P14 after the first runs in the opening segment of qualifying. He went one better at the end of the session as the 2021 Hungarian GP winner…

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Photo Credits: Williams Racing

Sargeant “generally happy” with his qualifying performance in F1 Japanese GP after “awkward” practice shunt

The American driver will start the race from 19th on the grid, only ahead of the struggling Sauber of Zhou Guanyu – but he was encouraged by what he described as a “good turnaround” after limited practice running and a big set-up change ahead of qualifying in Suzuka. After missing the race last time out…

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Photo Credit: Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team

“No pace in the car and no pace in myself” — Stroll on his Q1 exit at the F1 Japanese GP

Lance Stroll is having a nightmare weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix. Aston Martin brought updates to Suzuka and Fernando Alonso maximised it from FP3 onwards, qualifying P5 for Sunday’s race. The Canadian driver had the new package since FP1. While his Q1 elimination was probably a shock to many, the signs had been there…

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Photo Credit: Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team

Alonso believes Aston Martin is “moving in the right direction” with latest F1 upgrade

Fernando Alonso believes Aston Martin is “moving in the right direction” with the upgrade package introduced this weekend in Japan.  Alonso was the sole Aston Martin driver to progress to the final segment of qualifying—where he propelled himself to an admirable fifth on his second flying lap—following Lance Stroll’s unexpected Q1 exit.  Alonso, who ran…

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Photo Credit: Red Bull Content Pool

“We stopped inventing” — Sergio Perez on massive qualifying gains at F1 Japanese GP in comparison to last year

One of the surprises was qualifying came from Sergio Perez in his RB20. The Mexican driver has been quick all weekend at Suzuka, and he just missed out on pole in Q3 by 0.066s. On his final run in the last segment of qualifying, the 34-year-old showed incredible committment through the middle sector as he…

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Photo Credit: McLaren Racing

“A very good sign” — Lando Norris on McLaren F1 closing Suzuka qualifying gap to Red Bull Racing compared to last year

McLaren’s rather positive Japanese weekend was almost crowned with a front row start for its British driver. After taking P3 in Q2 already as the only non Red Bull driver to sign a lap in the 1:28s, Norris’s first attempt was only 0.292s off Verstappen’s eventual pole lap. Sergio Perez made good gains on his…

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Photo Credit: Sauber

Sauber has “made some steps forward” at F1 Japanese GP with new floor — Bottas

In a qualifying session that saw Max Verstappen secure yet another pole position, Valtteri Bottas navigated the challenges of Suzuka in his quest to grab a competitive starting position for Sunday’s race. The Finn had a rollercoaster ride through the qualifying drama, wasting no time to get onto the track in Q1, securing eighth place…

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Haas F1 team at the Japanese Grand Prix (image credit Haas F1 team)
Photo Credit: MoneyGram Haas F1 Team

Nico Hülkenberg will “happily” take P12 starting spot for F1 Japanese GP

Haas F1’s Nico Hülkenberg and Kevin Magnussen qualified 12th and 18th respectively for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix. Red Bull Max Verstappen took pole position at the Suzuka circuit followed by his teammate Sergio Perez making it a Red Bull front row lock out. Lando Norris will start his McLaren from P3. For the American owned…

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Photo Credit: Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team

Russell: W15 is “inherently missing something in high speed” as he qualifies only P9 for F1 Japanese GP

The start of Mercedes’ 2024 season has been marked by correlation issues and performance varying between sessions throughout the weekend. This trend continued at the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying session, where Mercedes did not deviate from their usual results. With impressive performance throughout final practice, it was expected that both drivers would perform well and…

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Photo credit: Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

Hamilton gives positive assessment after F1 Japanese GP qualifying: “The car has been much nicer to drive this weekend”

Lewis Hamilton was quite upbeat after Saturday’s qualifying session in Suzuka, despite only managing seventh, behind the likes of the McLaren duo and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, but two places clear of his Mercedes teammate George Russell.  Mercedes already showed promise in Friday’s practice sessions and this carried over into qualifying, with Hamilton posting the…

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