Max Verstappen fastest by 0.320s to Charles Leclerc in Practice Two; Lewis Hamilton only 14th.
SUZUKA, JAPAN - SEPTEMBER 21: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing talks to the media in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka International Racing Course on September 21, 2023 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202309210087 // Usage for editorial use only //
Comfortably fastest in first practice by six tenths of a second on Friday morning, Verstappen again topped the timesheet in Practice Two with a 1:30.688. But Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc halved the world champion’s advantage in the afternoon, ending up 0.320s off the Red Bull.
Lando Norris on Thursday was thought to be Red Bull’s nearest challenger, and the British driver is firmly in the mix after finishing third in both sessions. The McLaren was 0.464s off the pace in Practice Two.
“It felt really good today, from lap one the car was enjoyable to drive again," said Verstappen. “We’ve had a strong day on the short and long runs. There’s a lot of degradation on this track so it will be quite tough on tires during the race, but so far, we’ve had a good start to the weekend. The competition looks tight but for now we’ll focus on ourselves and try to optimize our performance, if we do that, I’m confident that we can fight for pole tomorrow."The session was brought to a premature end two minutes earlier after Pierre Gasly crashed out at the second Degner corner. The Alpine was 19th, with only Logan Sargeant’s Williams behind him.
Back at the front, Singapore GP race winner Carlos Sainz was half a second down on Verstappen’s benchmark in fourth, narrowly ahead of George Russell in fifth.
But Lewis Hamilton struggled in the second Mercedes and ended up 14th on the timesheet with his second flying lap on the soft tire, having made an error on his initial attempt.
Sergio Perez also remained well adrift of Verstappen in the second Red Bull, once again over a second behind his team-mate down in ninth.
What Does This Mean For The Title?
Red Bull can win the constructors’ championship at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix as long as Mercedes don’t outscore it and Ferrari doesn’t outscore it by more than 24 points. Verstappen said clinching the title this weekend would be fitting given that Red Bull’s engine supplier, Honda, is from Japan.
Red Bull currently has 597 points in the standings with Mercedes 308 points behind in second position with 289 points. Following the front two is now Ferrari with 265 points. Although Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez had issues with the RB19 round the Marina Bay Circuit, Mercedes’ George Russell’s last minute crash during the race helped the team out in the championship.
When is the earliest Max Verstappen can win the World Championship?
With his Singapore struggles, Verstappen is no longer able to win the title in Japan meaning the earliest opportunity he could secure the championship would be in Qatar sprint.
Should Verstappen win in Suzuka and get the fastest lap while Perez fails to score points, the Dutchman would need just three more points than Perez in the sprint to confirm the title.
Here’s how Red Bull can win the Constructors’ Championship at the Japanese Grand Prix 🔍 pic.twitter.com/zyGMSF4rpV
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) September 19, 2023
If Perez finishes second behind Verstappen in Japan then the reigning world champion would need to score 21 more points than his team-mate across the Qatar weekend.
In terms of records, that would seem him fall one short of Michael Schumacher’s 2002 season for the earliest win by number of grands prix left but in terms of percentage of races.