by The 2024 Formula One season continues with the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka. F1’s traveling circus will travel to the Japanese track for the second time in just over six months, making it a good barometer of how much teams have improved or regressed since the race was last run in September.
Max Verstappen is once again the favorite, with the nature of the circuit at Suzuka matching the characteristics of his car. Despite retiring in Australia he leads the championship standings by four points from Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, as does his Red Bull Ferrari team.
With McLaren having had so much success here in 2023 it will be interesting to see if they can again use Ferrari as Red Bull’s main rivals in Japan.
What time does practice, qualifying and the race start?
Friday 5 April
First exercise: 3.30-4.30am BST
Second practice: 7-8am
Saturday 6 April
The third practice: 3.30-4.30am
Eligible: 7 a.m
Sunday 7 April
Japanese Grand Prix 2024: 6 a.m
What is the latest news?
Sargeant able to race despite practice accident
Williams breathed a sigh of relief on Friday after the chassis of Logan Sargeant’s car survived a heavy accident in practice at the Japanese Grand Prix, a sign that the team should be able to avoid another race where they can park only one driver .
The American missed out on a race in the Australian Grand Prix two weeks ago when his more experienced teammate Alexander Albon wrecked his chassis in opening practice and then took Sargeant’s car for the race as the team did not have a spare.
At the Suzuka circuit on Friday, Sargeant crashed his car into a trackside tire wall in the first free practice session and did not start in a second session hampered by bad weather.
“The chassis is fine, fortunately,” team boss James Vowles told reporters. “But I’d say pretty much everything else isn’t: so suspension all over, cracked gearbox, major damage.
“Obviously we’ll do our best to try and get the car back there again.”
Vowles rejected suggestions that Sargeant may have been pushing too hard to prove a point after Melbourne.
“[He] he wanted to get back in the car and go but he wasn’t going to prove to the world that he deserved a seat,” Vowles said.
“What you saw here was not a driver making a mistake because they were pushing to the limit … he didn’t know where the car was on the road.”
Vowles also said that they would be without an extra chassis in the next race in China but would have one after that in Miami.
Sargeant said the accident was a “stupid mistake” and he was looking forward to getting back on the road on Saturday.
“I left some damage to the team but unfortunately I did better than it could have been,” he said.
What happened after practice on Friday?
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Max Verstappen, Red Bull 1:30.056
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Sergio Perez, Red Bull +0.181
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Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +0.213
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George Russell, Mercedes +0.474
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Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes +0.487
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Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +0.502
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Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +0.543
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Oscar Piastri, McLaren +1.109
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Yuki Tsunoda, RB + 1.174
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Lando Norris, McLaren +1.184
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Esteban Ocon, Alpine +1.879
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Alexander Albon, Williams +1.887
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Nico Hulkenberg, Haas +1.902
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Valtteri Bottas, Sauber +1.998
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Stroll Lance, Aston Martin +1.999
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Ayumu Iwasa, RB +2.047
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Pierre Gasly, Alpine +2.221
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Guanyu Zhou, Sauber +2.582
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Kevin Magnussen, Haas +2.747
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Logan Sargeant, Williams +3.148
Reuters
Who won the Japanese Grand Prix last year?
Like 18 other races out of the 22 from 2023, Max Verstappen was the winner at Suzuka. However, it was a strong performance from McLaren’s comeback with Lando Norris in second place and fellow Australian Oscar Piastri in third. Charles Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari with Lewis Hamilton fifth for Mercedes after a battle with team mate George Russell.
Japanese Grand Prix circuit length, length and race distance
First Grand Prix: 1987
Number of laps: 53
Circuit length: 5.807km
Race length: 307.471km
Race lap record: 1 minute 30.983 seconds (Lewis Hamilton, 2019)
How to watch the Japanese Grand Prix on TV and streaming
As in recent years, every practice session, qualifying and race is live on Sky Sports F1 this year.
If you don’t want to take out a full sky subscription you can access the 2024 F1 season via Now TV which has 12 Sky Sports channels for £26 a month with a six month minimum.
If you want extended highlights Channel 4 is the broadcaster to visit, with their qualifying program on Saturday and their race program on Sunday. You can also subscribe to Now TV on a race-by-race or month-by-month basis.
If you’re outside the UK you can probably subscribe to F1TV F1 itself, which you can do with a monthly subscription.
What are the current positions?
What are the odds for the winner of the race?
Max Verstappen 1/6
Sergio Perez 11/1
Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz 14/1
Lando Norris 20/1
Oscar Piastri 33/1
George Russell, Lewis Hamilton 66/1
Who are the past winners of the Japanese Grand Prix?
Results since 2000
2023: Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2022: Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
2021/2020: The race was not run
2019: Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
2018: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2017: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2016: Nico Rosberg, Mercedes
2015: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2014: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2013: Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
2012: Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
2011: Jenson Button, McLaren
2010: Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
2009: Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull
2008: Fernando Alonso, Renault
2007: Lewis Hamilton, MacLauren
2006: Fernando Alonso, Renault
2005: Kimi Raikkonen, McLaren
2004: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2003: Rubens Barrichello, Ferrari
2002: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2001: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
2000: Michael Schumacher, Ferrari
