Verstappen wins Japanese GP as Russell fumes after Mercedes' Hamilton team order

24 September 2023 , 06:35

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Max Verstappen won the Japanese GP at a canter (Image: AP)

Max Verstappen led the Japanese Grand Prix from start to finish to secure constructors' championship glory for Red Bull.

Sergio Perez retired from the race after a calamitous first stint, but his team didn't need him anyway. Verstappen cruised away at the front to secure more points than the Mercedes cars put together to make it mathematically impossible for the Silver Arrows to catch them.

It was a double podium for McLaren as Lando Norris finished second ahead of Oscar Piastri. The Aussie had started ahead of his team-mate but the Brit got a great start off the line to move past, almost getting Verstappen in the process.

The Mercedes cars had to settle for fifth and seventh. Lewis Hamilton was the higher of the two after George Russell was told to let the seven-time world champion past, prompting a furious response from the Brit who complied and then was immediately passed by Carlos Sainz.

Verstappen made a slightly better start than Piastri and managed to block off the McLaren heading into the first corner. That opened the door for Norris who had made a great launch and almost got the better of the Red Bull, but Verstappen was able to hold on.

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Behind them, Hamilton was clipped by Perez as he ran out of room on the track. Sainz had started the chain reaction by trying to dart around the outside of his team-mate Charles Leclerc, pushing Perez left and into the Mercedes. Both picked up damage, but the Red Bull came off worse as he was forced to pit for a new front wing.

It meant he dropped to the very back of the field. But the fact the safety car was out because of all the debris on track meant he was in immediate striking distance of all the cars ahead. Valtteri Bottas also picked up damage that forced him to pit and have a calamitous pit stop, while Alex Albon had a heavy impact which broke part of the floor of his Williams.

Given all the collisions, it was remarkable that all 20 cars were still on track for the restart after the safety car period ended. Verstappen got away very well to leave the McLarens in his wake, while a mistake from Hamilton opened the door for his team-mate Russell to slip down the inside.

Hamilton managed to get back ahead of the other Mercedes but, as he did so, parts were seen flying off his car in a hint that it was going to be a long race for the seven-time world champion. At the back, bad weekends for Bottas and Logan Sargeant were getting worse as the American locked up badly and hit the Alfa Romeo, spinning him off the track.

Perez was also having a horrible day. He was given one penalty for a safety car infringement and another was on the way after he slammed into Kevin Magnussen. Red Bull retired the car after he was fitted with his third front wing of the day, putting him out of his misery.

Lance Stroll soon was out of the race too, while Williams suffered a DNF. Having chosen to end a disastrous weekend for Sargeant, Albon was also forced out after picking up that floor damage early on.

At the front, Verstappen was cruising with a lead of 15 seconds that was growing. And a Red Bull was soon briefly bringing up the rear as well as Perez was sent back out on track to serve his penalty and avoid a grid drop next time out in Qatar, after Red Bull had checked with the FIA that they were allowed to do so.

In the final few laps, Russell was running fifth with Hamilton behind and the Ferrari of Sainz on their tails. Russell was ordered to let Hamilton through and did so after complainant, and was promptly overtaken by the Spaniard to lose more points for the Silver Arrows.

Piastri held on to third to secure his first F1 podium behind Norris and ahead of Leclerc. But the day was Red Bull's as, with six full race weekends still to go in the season, they made the constructors' title mathematically secure.