Some interesting statistical compilations of the Japanese Grand Prix…
Qualification
After qualifying at Suzuka, Max Verstappen took his fifth pole of the season and 18th of his career, equaling Kimi Raikkonen, René Arnoux, Mario Andretti and Charles Leclerc.
Charles Leclerc qualified second, just one hundredth behind Verstappen, the shortest gap between first and second this season. For Leclerc, this is the fifth second place finish of the season – and the 24th career start from the front row.
Carlos Sainz qualified third and lost again to his teammate. This year, he was just four times ahead of Leclerc in qualifying and had 14 goals.
The same score in qualifying for Red Bull Racing – Sergio Perez set the fourth fastest time, losing to Max Verstappen for the 14th time.
Esteban Ocon qualified fifth and repeated his best result of the season for the third time this year. Only twice in his career did he qualify higher – third in Italy’17 and Belgium’18.
Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth, his worst result at Suzuka since F1 switched to turbo hybrids.
Sebastian Vettel’s ninth place was a repeat of his best position of the season, with a ninth start in Azerbaijan and Monaco.
race
For the first time since 2011, the fate of the national title was decided in Suzuka. Then the title was won by Sebastian Vettel who drove a car built by Adrian Newey, and also four races before the end of the season.
Max Verstappen became the second youngest two-time world champion after Sebastian Vettel.
After winning the Japanese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen took the 12th win of the season, approaching the all-time record – only Michael Schumacher in 2004 and Sebastian Vettel in 2013 had more wins (thirteen each).
Max scored the 32nd victory of his career and equaled this indicator with Fernando Alonso.
Verstappen’s win was Red Bull’s first win over Suzuka since Formula 1 switched to turbocharged hybrid engines. Before that, Max had never been a leader in a Suzuka.
Sergio Pérez is classified second, allowing Red Bull Racing to win five doubles in one season for the first time in its history.
Charles Leclerc is in third place and took the podium for the fourth race in a row, repeating the longest streak of his career.
Esteban Okon’s fourth place is Alpine’s best result this season. Fernando Alonso finished seventh, the team achieved 18 points for the stage, which is also the best result of the season, reclaiming fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Lewis Hamilton started his 306th Grand Prix, rivaling Jenson Button for fifth overall. Fifth place is the Briton’s worst result at Suzuka since 2013, when he retired.
Sebastian Vettel finished sixth and repeated his best result of the season.
Nicholas Latifi finished ninth, earning points for the first time of the season.
Guanyu Zhou became the 136th driver in Formula 1 history – and the first Chinese to hold the best lap of the race.
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
