Suzuka demands the absolute best of racing drivers, but the current generation of Formula 1 cars and tyres are plainly ill-suited to it.
The result was a processional Japanese Grand Prix where drivers followed each other around, largely unable to attack for fear of their tyres overheating.
Qualifying produced some excellent performances, however, and heavily influenced this weekend’s ratings.
Lando Norris
▶ Rebounded from indifferent first Q3 run with lap which almost put him on pole
▶ Spared his tyres when he could and pressed Verstappen at key points
▼ Ran onto the grass at the pit lane exit trying to pass Verstappen.
▶ Never got within DRS range of his rival
6/10: Strong weekend spoiled by sub-par qualifying. Cheeky pit lane pass attempt almost worked
Oscar Piastri
▼ Took provisional pole in Q3 but a small error on his final lap left him third
▶ Appeared to have stronger pace than Norris in the race but his team mate was backing off to save his tyres
5/10: Was likely one qualifying error from back-to-back wins
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Charles Leclerc
▲ Didn’t look like there was much left in the Ferrari after his excellent qualifying lap
▲ Quick enough to keep the Mercedes drivers behind in the race
8/10: Did well to beat the Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton
▼ Admitted he’s still not getting the best out of his tyres in qualifying
▶ Held his position at the start despite starting on the hard tyre compound
▲ Grabbed his chance to pass Hadjar for seventh early on
▶ Said the team have identified a problem with their car which they expect to fix soon
5/10: Reminiscent of last year in that qualifying defined his weekend
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Max Verstappen
▲ Only an error-free qualifying lap would have put him on pole – and he delivered it
▲ Maximised the Red Bull’s strong traction out of the slower corners to keep Norris behind throughout the race
▲ Untroubled by front wing flap adjustment error at final pit stop
9/10: Mega in qualifying, controlled the race, slow corner traction ensured his defences were never tested
Yuki Tsunoda
▶ Made a promising start in first practice
▶ Reached Q2 but set best time in Q1
▼ Eliminated last in Q2
▲ Pressured Lawson into a first lap mistake and passed him
▶ Gained only one other position, due to Gasly’s slow pit stop
▶ Went off at the chicane during the race
4/10: Passing Lawson on the first lap spared his blushes
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Andrea Kimi Antonelli
▶ Admitted he lacked confidence before qualifying so joining his team mate on the third row was a good result
▶ Went off at the chicane on lap two
▲ Kept his original set of medium tyres in great shape over his long first stint
▶ Almost within DRS range of his team mate at the finish
7/10: Made a well-timed step forward in qualifying
George Russell
▼ Strong pace throughout practice came to naught after error on cool tyres in Q3
▶ Went off at the chicane during the race
▶ Tried an early pit stop to attack Leclerc but rejoined the track in traffic
▶ One of several drivers whose pace looked strong but wasn’t able to make progress
7/10: Paid a high price for targeting the wrong tyre temperatures in Q3
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Lance Stroll
▼ Blamed ‘a strong gust of wind’ for off-track moment in Q1 which left him last on the grid
▶ First driver to pit, discarding his softs for hards
▼ Only driver to pit twice, and as a result was the only driver to finish a lap down
▼ Slower than Alonso throughout his final stint despite having softer and fresher tyres
3/10: Simply never figured
Fernando Alonso
▼ Slid into gravel trap at Degner One during second practice
▶ Car didn’t look capable of more than 13th in qualifying
▲ Got past Gasly at the start
▲ Withstood pressure from Gasly and Tsunoda to claim 11th
7/10: Minor practice incident didn’t keep him from a good result
Jack Doohan
▶ Sat out first practice so Ryo Hirakawa could drive
▼ Crashed heavily on second push lap in second practice after failing to close his DRS
▼ Made a slight mistake at Spoon curve on his final lap in Q1
▶ Started on softs but unlike Stroll managed to complete the race with only one pit stop
▲ Finished four places higher than he started
4/10: His team chose the wrong track and wrong time to bench him for a session
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Pierre Gasly
▼ Passed by Alonso at the start
▶ Slow pit stop cost him at least two seconds
▶ Let Doohan past when asked by team
6/10: Points looked unlikely even before slow pit stop spoiled his race
Esteban Ocon
▼ Dropped out in Q1 while his team mate progressed
▶ Started on the hard tyres, hoping for a Safety Car period, but none came
5/10: Ocon’s race showed midfielders pay a high price if they fall short in qualifying
Oliver Bearman
▲ Did a great job to get into Q2 in the first place…
▲ …but reaching Q3 was a real surprise
▼ Messy final sector in Q3 left him 10th when better was possible
▶ Collected final point with clean race
▶ Reached Q3 but set best time in Q2, 0.156s faster
7/10: Opportunistic in qualifying, solid in the race
Isack Hadjar
▲ Overcame severe personal discomfort for an excellent seventh on the grid
▼ Minor error at Spoon helped Hamilton pass him.
▶ Never troubled by Albon behind as he took first points of F1 career in ‘exhausting’ race
7/10: Fully deserved first points finish
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Liam Lawson
▼ Admitted he ‘hit a wall’ (metaphorically) in qualifying and couldn’t match Hadjar’s time
▼ Mistake at Spoon on lap one allowed Tsunoda to pass him.
4/10: Needed a better weekend than this after brutal Red Bull ousting
Alexander Albon
▲ Delighted by his car’s balance in qualifying as he reached Q3
▶ Much less happy with its handling in the race and queried the team’s strategy
7/10: Took full advantage of another decent run in qualifying
Carlos Sainz Jnr
▼ Collected an unnecessary penalty for impeding Hamilton in qualifying
▼ Clearly more comfortable in the car but admitted he could have reached Q3
▶ Lost a place to Hulkenberg at the start but re-took it at the hairpin on the next lap
▶ Went off at the chicane
▶ Let Albon past when his team mate caught him
▲ Pulled off a vital pass on Lawson after his pit stop, then picked off Hulkenberg and Doohan
5/10: Qualifying blunder aside, he is clearly making progress
Nico Hulkenberg
▼ Small error at turn nine probably cost him a place in Q2
▶ Lost the place he gained from Sainz at the start
▶ Spent the second half of the race stuck behind Doohan
6/10: Called his race “boring” and it looked it, with few opportunities to make gains
Gabriel Bortoleto
▶ Close to his experienced team mate on his first visit to Suzuka
▼ Lost three places at the start, though two were to drivers on softs
▶ Finished 19th, albeit in a queue of cars which included his team mate
5/10: A respectable showing alongside his experienced team mate
Over to you
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