The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s just more of same in F1: Max Verstappen wins again
Talk about dominance — title in Japan is his 22nd in past 26 races.
SUZUKA, JAPAN — Max Verstappen’s record-breaking dominance in Formula 1 resumed Sunday with his victory in the Japanese Grand Prix.
His abrupt breakdown two weeks ago in Melbourne, Australia, looks like a blip in his total command over F1. He was out on the fourth lap when the rear brakes caught fire in Melbourne.
There was nothing like that this time.
Verstappen basically led from start to finish except briefly after a pit stop. He was followed across the finish line by Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez — 12.5 seconds behind — and Carlos Sainz of Ferrari. Sainz was 20 seconds off the pace.
Verstappen, the three-time defending F1 champion, is this season’s points leader and now has won 22 of the past 26 races dating to the start of the 2023 season. Only two other drivers have won in that span — Red Bull teammate Perez and Sainz, the winner in Australia two weeks ago.
Responding to a question, Sainz suggested that Verstappen and Red Bull are so dominant that the season already might be over after just four of 24 races.
“I think they are definitely going to have an advantage in the first third of the season until we bring in one or two upgrades,” Sainz said. “But by that time maybe it’s a bit too late with the advantage they might have in the championship.”
Verstappen said the season would be competitive and suggested Red Bull might struggle in street races. “It’s still a very long season,” he said. “I don’t want to think about the rest of the season too much.”
A red flag just seconds into the tightly packed first lap, when Alex Albon and Daniel Ricciardo clipped each other on the second turn and crashed, halted the race. That basically was the only real drama.
“The critical bit was the start to stay ahead, and after that the car just got better and better,” Verstappen said later. “It couldn’t have been any better.”
Albon and Ricciardo walked away, apparently without serious injuries. The restart was delayed 30 minutes to get the cars off the track and clear debris.
Verstappen, who has 57 career wins, pushed his season points total to 77 and is 13 clear of Perez. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc follows with 59, with Sainz at 55.
The next race is the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai in two weeks. F1 has not run there since 2019, with four races called off because of the COVID-19 pandemic. An F1 sprint race also will be run in China a day before the GP, cutting down practice time on an unfamiliar track.
John Force, 74, gets 156th NHRA win
John Force, 74, raced to his 156th NHRA victory and first in two years. The Funny Car great powered past Matt Hagan on Saturday at Firebird Motorsports Park in the completion of the postponed Lucas Oil NHRA Winternationals in Chandler, Arizona. Force had a 4.033-second run at 318.24 mph in his Chevrolet Camaro SS for his eighth victory in the event, postponed two weeks ago in Pomona, California.
“I’m just facing the truth in life, that, you know, time’s running out, and I’m trying to hang on,” Force said. “This morning, I was talking about, ‘You know, maybe this is it; maybe I should just walk out the gate and go to the casino.’
“And then all of sudden you win and your weight and your personality just changes. Things went right, and I got the win, so I’m excited.”
Justin Ashley won in Top Fuel and Dallas Glenn in Pro Stock in the other divisions from Pomona. In the Arizona event, Steve Torrence (Top Fuel), Austin Prock (Funny Car) and Jeg Coughlin Jr. (Pro Stock) topped qualifying, and Tony Schumacher (Top Fuel), J.R. Todd (Funny Car) and Erica Enders (Pro Stock) won the Mission #2Fast2Tasty NHRA Challenge specialty races.