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The 2024 F1 Japanese GP ended with a Red Bull 1-2 as the team notched up its third such finish. After a blip in Australia where the team was usurped by Ferrari, this was a case of things going back to normal.
In P3 and P4, we had the Ferrari duo of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, followed by Lando Norris in P5. The fourth race of the season ended with Red Bull and Max Verstappen once again back on top, with not much in the form of opposition for the team.
As the F1 Japanese GP race weekend winds down and the paddock looks forward to China, who would be happy with how the race weekend panned out, and who would be disappointed? Let's find out.
2024 F1 Japanese GP
Winner
Max Verstappen and Red Bull
What happened in Melbourne was well and truly a blip by the looks of it as Red Bull has completely washed away any doubts. It was a dominant weekend for the team, with Max Verstappen securing pole position on Saturday and winning unchallenged on Sunday.
There was an element of concern however for Red Bull when it felt that the gap to the chasing pack had decreased. Well, it had but even then it wasn't enough to turn the tide in a different direction.
Loser
Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo did not do much wrong at the F1 Japanese GP race weekend. He was just half a tenth off of Yuki and started the race right behind him. However, the issue for Daniel was an early exit in the race and then a points finish for his teammate.
There is certainly a level of pressure on Daniel at this stage, but unfortunately, that was not alleviated by the end of the F1 Japanese GP.
Winner
Ferrari
The qualifying performance from Ferrari was not the best, but fortunately for the team, it did not have as big an impact as was initially feared. Carlos progressed to finish P3, while Leclerc finished P4. Ferrari has cemented its place as the second-best team now and the next step would be to cut down the gap to the front.
Loser
Lewis Hamilton
Many F1 fans had to scratch their heads to remember when was the last time Lewis Hamilton had been told by the team to swap positions with a teammate.
This was however the reality of Hamilton's F1 Japanese GP as the Mercedes driver was slower than his teammate.
Winner
Fernando Alonso
This was nothing short of a masterclass put together by Fernando Alonso at the F1 Japanese GP. In a car that was arguably slower than the McLaren and Mercedes, he fended off drivers like Oscar Piastri and George Russell with some of the most clever forms of driving in the later stages. The Spaniard is literally carrying the Aston Martin at this stage.
Loser
Lance Stroll
Talking about Aston Martin drivers, and we have another stinker from Lance Stroll. The fact that Tsunoda in P10 was 45 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton and Stroll was behind him shows how poor the F1 Japanese GP was for him.
