Race Week in Japan
2024 Formula 1 MSC Cruises Japanese Grand Prix
It's race week in Japan. It's one of the most iconic stops on the F1 calendar. This week, F1 stops at Suzuka Circuit in Japan.
Japanese GP History: While The first Japanese Grand Prix was held in 1963 at Suzuka Circuit, it officially joined the F1 Championship in 1976 held at Fuji, and Mario Andretti won the inaugural race with Lotus-Ford. The race would not be part of the F1 Championship from 1978 to 1986, it rejoined the calendar in 1987, won by Gerhard Berger in a Ferrari. The Japanese Grand Prix has been consistent on the calendar since the 1987 race; most races are held at Suzuka, while two Grand Prix were held at Fuji in 2007 and 2008. The 2020 and 2021 Grand Prix were canceled during the Covid pandemic. Max Verstappen and Red Bull won back-to-back races in 2022 and 2023 when the races joined the F1 calendar again.
About the Track: Suzuka Circuit is an eighteen-turn 5.81 km/3.61-mile dedicated racetrack. It hosts various motorsport events, including Formula One, MotoGP, and Super GT races. The iconic circuit figure-eight layout, unique in Formula One, makes it one of the most challenging tracks on the calendar and a favorite among drivers and fans alike. The race is 53 laps.
Weekend Highlights:
Home race for Yuki Tsunoda? Yuki has been on fire this season with a strong 8th-place finish in Australia. This is Yuki’s third home grand prix, and he has not finished in the points yet at his home gp, so he will really want a good outcome in Suzuka.
Carlos Sainz made a statement. Fresh off his emergency appendectomy, Sainz made a bold statement after winning the Australian Grand Prix as an unsigned driver for 2025. Sainz’s stock price went up for 2025; he is proving his value as a lead driver at a top team. I don’t see the Carlos Sainz train slowing down anytime this season.
What team is in the hot seat the most? Williams, Sauber, and Alpine still have yet to score points. Can any of these teams break the pointless streak? Williams has started this season off on the wrong foot. A strong weekend could completely shift the team's trajectory. The pressure is on Williams. Stake Sauber is still figuring out a few things this season, but I expect them to grab a point or two within the next few races. Alpine showed bits of hope in Australia with Ocon getting into Q2 and Gasly having a promising race in the thirteenth; it doesn’t seem like Alpine will struggle all season; improvements should be coming.
What driver is on the hot seat? Danny and Logan must show results in the next few races, or the fans' voices and opinions will get louder and louder. The pressure is on Ricciardo now more than ever; what was a season thought to be a job interview for the Red Bull spot is now a test to even keep a seat in F1. The Yuki and Daniel teammate battle will be on full display at Suzuka. Ricciardo has had good results in past seasons at Suzuka, a third-place podium in 2017.
Haas is better than we might think.
With back-to-back points weekends and a double-point 9th and 10th finish in the Australian GP, the first Double-points weekend since the 2022 season. Haas's strong start to the season does not seem to be a fluke. Haas has race pace, can crank out fast laps in qualifying, and has poetic teammate work on race days. This is how you succeed as a smaller team in F1. Let’s see what Haas can cook up at Suzuka.
