Incredible conditions in Japan have seen carnage on the opening lap of the Grand Prix with two cars out of the race, multiple teams with drivers spinning out, a safety car and a red flag – all in the first lap.
Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon are the first retirements.
More rain is expected and there remains a very real chance of not completing a full race.
Before the session was called off, Daniel Ricciardo had made an impressive start making up three places from 11th on the grid.
Mick Schumacher too had a good start moving his Haas from 15th to 10th place.
RESTART SUSPENDED
Two minutes from the restart and it’s called off again and I am totally gobsmacked and utterly livid about the vision of a tractor on track
Has F1 learnt nothing since 2014?
This is the most shambolic and irresponsible thing I’ve seen since 2014 when you will remember at this track Jules Bianchi lost his life after crashing into a tractor on track.
Gasly had every right to be as angry as he was. Bianchi was his childhood friend.
WHAT IS THE FORECAST?
Do you think this is going to let off at any stage?” Hamilton asked engineer Peter Bonnington as he returned to the pits.
“The forecast is pretty grim, but let’s see,” Bonnington replies
RED FLAG
There’s an absurdity to all of this. Yes we can talk about how skillful these drivers are to handle these conditions and yes we can talk about the technology they all have to keep them safe BUT should they really have started this race?
It’s not the rain that’s the issue its the hindrance the water on the track is to visibility. If you watch the replays of Sainz pulling over the cars speeding by would not have seen him until VERY late on.
Moreover, what on earth is happening to the track when Pierre Gasly radios in – turning the airwaves blue – to say that advertising debris is on the front of his car and blocking his view.
“What the hell is that? Oh my God – I got something stuck I can’t see in front of me.”
LAP 1 SAFETY CAR
What a start! Leclerc got out so well and Verstappen had a shocker but somehow clawed it back.
I was expecting carnage on that first few turns and boy did it come.
Sebastian Vettel the first casualty – he claims he was taken out by Alonso but remains in the race.
Then a Ferrari off. Carlos Sainz is out of the race and further back there was contact between Hamilton and Alonso but both cars survive.
Alex Albon is also out of the race with what looks like engine failure.
Safety car.
WOW.
WILL WE GET A RACE IN FULL?
The three hour clock starts at 2pm local so 4pm here. That’s the window during which the race must be started and finished.
Unlike in Singapore we don’t have a delayed start. So, if the race is red flagged, classification is taken from the penultimate lap before the race was stopped.
So can Max win whatever happens?
No.
If the race is stopped before the end of lap 16 only six points will be awarded -= Max must be at least eight clear of Leclerc so in this scenario he cannot be crowned world champion.
At least half distance must be completed for fastest lap point to be counted.
So plenty of permutations for the title challenge here. I’ll keep you posted.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is confident the full race happens.
“These conditions literally anything can happen,” he said. “It’s consistently miserable and it will get harder in the second half of the race.
“It gets short on daylight hours if it gets extended. I don’t see how we can’t get the race done.”
3:30PM NORRIS ON AUSSIES
Lando Norris will swap one Aussie drive for another next year as Daniel Ricciardo departs McLaren and Oscar Piastri comes in to replace him.
Norris is only one year older than Piastri and will carry the mantle of “the senior driver”.
With Ricciardo on his way out of F1, Norris was asked how he honestly felt about his teammate.
“Maybe not all drivers but we have had a lot of good moments,” he said.
“The media says nonsense that we’re not friends. I have a lot of respect for Daniel. I love him, he’s a great guy I hope to see him in the future in F1.”
As for next year with Piastri, how does the Briton feel about being the “experienced driver”?
“I guess I’m the guy with more experience. I can refer to this year’s car, Oscar won’t be able to do that. There’s a lot Oscar can bring to the team. I’m yet to find out (if he’s into gaming). When you’re in your first few years of F1 it takes time to get acclimatized, we will see.
3:10PM SPENDING CAP SCANDAL
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen could secure his second world title at the Japan Grand Prix but the race has been overshadowed by a lingering spending cap investigation.
Verstappen needs to win the race with the fastest lap to clinch the championship.
He will also retain his crown if he wins and Leclerc is third or lower.
But his opportunity to wrap things up is not the main topic of conversation at Suzuka.
Last week the FIA delayed its findings in the salary cap saga that has consumed the sport for a number of weeks.
Speculation that Red Bull and Aston Martin exceeded the $US145m spending limit has been rife.
Now, some big names have taken aim at the sport’s handling of the debacle which risks overshadowing Verstappen’s success should he win this afternoon.
“I don’t know how they can (police this) how can you get to the bottom of every single bit of funding unless you have an FIA accountant going across everything but the teams won’t allow that,” Di Resta said.
“The process is too long, this is 2021 we’re talking about and it’s almost the end of the season. It goes on too long.
“Why can’t the FIA say here’s the certificates for the ones that have done it right and these are the teams we are investigating, it brings unnecessary pressure and speculation.”
2:45PM RICCIARDO NOT DONE YET
Not done yet. Three words of defiance from Daniel Ricciardo’s manager who has denied his client’s decision not to race in 2023 is down to ego or demands.
After qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix, Ricciardo conceded he would not be on the grid in 2023.
With Pierre Gasly and Nyck de Vries claiming two of the remaining four drives, Ricciardo’s options were Haas, Williams or a sabbatical.
Some have questioned whether Ricciardo wanting to race with an elite team or his salary expetations ruled him out of a drive.
His agent says absolutely not.
“None of this is about ego, unachievable demands, or a sudden lack of opportunity,” Nick Thimm posted to social media.
“This is about a man who was dealt a bad hand, now finding the right next opportunity. Uncovering a new project where he can work with a team that embraces his unique set of skills.
“A project where his experience can be applied. A process where he can reset and show his love for the game. And ultimately put himself in the best position to show the world what he’s capable of should he be given the chance. It’s a different approach yes, but it’s also a new day for the sport.
“Daniel’s maturity and experience is a matched by few on the grid; now more than ever. The honey badger will still be as close to the F1 grid as he can in 2023. He’s not done. And as we saw this season, anything can happen.”
2pm F1 SLAMS SPENDING CAP SAGA
Former F1 driver Paul Di Resta has taken aim at the FIA for its handling of the spending cap saga that has dominated the sport in recent weeks.
Amid speculation Red Bull and Aston Martin have exceeded the $US145m cap, the FIA delayed releasing the findings of its investigation until Monday.
Certificates and findings had been expected on Wednesday but a further delay has added fuel to speculation there is indeed a significant breach.
Any overspend carries with it significant sanctions – including teams being stripped of titles.
“I don’t know how they can (police this) how can you get to the bottom of every single bit of funding unless you have an FIA accountant going across everything but the teams won’t allow that,” Di Resta said.
“The process is too long, this is 2021 we’re talking about and it’s almost the end of the season. It goes on too long.
“Why can’t the FIA say here’s the certificates for the ones that have done it right and these are the teams we are investigating, it brings unnecessary pressure and speculation.”
Max Verstappen is in a good position to wrap up the world title in Japan with some conspiracy theorists suggesting that is what the FIA is waiting for.
Any sanctions in the aftermath pf a title win would mean that for the second consecutive year, the FIA’s ineptitude would be the talking point, not the newly crowned world champion.
HOW THEY START IN JAPAN
Front row Max Verstappen (NED/Red Bull) Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari)
2nd row Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari) Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull)
3rd row Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine) Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes)
4th row Fernando Alonso (ESP/Alpine) George Russell (GBR/Mercedes)
5th row Sebastian Vettel (GER/Aston Martin) Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren)
6th row Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/McLaren) Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Alfa Romeo)
7th row Yuki Tsunoda (JPN/AlphaTauri) Zhou Guanyu (CHN/Alfa Romeo)
8th row Mick Schumacher (GER/Haas) Alexander Albon (THA/Williams)
9th row Pierre Gasly (FRA/AlphaTauri) Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas)
10th row Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin) Nicholas Latifi (CAN/Williams)
CAN VERSTAPPEN WIN?
Max Verstappen gave himself a great chance to retain his Formula One world title at the Japanese Grand Prix after grabbing pole in Suzuka.
The Red Bull driver topped the timesheets in qualifying with a time of 1min 29.304sec, just 0.010sec ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, his nearest championship rival. Carlos Sainz was third in the other Ferrari.
Verstappen then faced a nervous wait after stewards said they would investigate a scary on-track incident involving the Dutchman and McLaren’s Lando Norris. Verstappen was given a reprimand but will remain in pole.
He can clinch the title on Sunday if he wins the race with the fastest lap, no matter what his rivals do.
He will also retain his crown if he wins and Leclerc is third or lower. “I’m not thinking about it too much, just taking it day by day,” said the 25-year-old Verstappen, who has won 11 of 17 races this season.
“I think what was more important is that we’ve had a competitive car and clearly we had today in qualifying.
“I hope it’s going to be the same tomorrow in the race because we do need a perfect race to be able to win it tomorrow.”
A WARNING FROM A FORMER CHAMPION
Ricciardo will start the Japanese Grand Prix from 11th on the grid.
His time at McLaren has been tumultuous to say the least.
This season in particular Ricciardo has been publicly shamed by team owner Zak Brown and his contract termination was a less that respectful debacle.
He was consistently out performed by his teammate Lando Norris but perhaps the lowest point was the public backing he eventually received from his superiors despite them doing a deal with Piastri at the same time.
Nonetheless Ricciardo is the only driver to have won a race in a McLaren since 2012.
Whispers of a reserve driver position at Mercedes next season continue to get louder but the only certainty it seems is he will not be a starter.
Former F1 champion Jenson Button has warned against a move to Mercedes given Lewis Hamilton’s plans to drive on.
He also warned that anything more than 12 months out of the sport and its game over.
“Being a third driver for someone of his calibre, it’s a very, very strange situation he’s found himself in,” Button told Sky Sports.
“I don’t know what he would get out of being a third driver. He’s not a young driver, so he can’t drive the car next year in race weekends (free practice), it has to be a young driver. So he wouldn’t really get anything out of it.
“I guess he’ll probably think ‘well, Lewis might retire and then I’ll jump in his seat’, but Lewis says he’s going to be around for five years.
“So he would be waiting a long time.
“So it needs to be the team where he thinks he can get a seat for 2024, otherwise it’s game over because you get forgotten after a year in F1.”
Discussion about this post