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  Japanese Grand Prix: Sunday Results Suzuka, Japan (September 24, 2023) 
After dominating all three free practice sessions and the qualifying session of the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix, 2023 points leader, Max Verstappen of Red Bull, took the checkers at the Suzuka International Racing Course in Suzuka, Japan The win was the 48th career win for the two time World Champion and his 13th win this season. The win also earned Red Bull the 2023 Constructors Championship. Verstappen can now technically win the Drivers Championship at the next Grand Prix which will be held in Qatar, October 6-8th. "Only a Red Bull driver can win it now so there will be more celebrations to come in what can only be described as a monumental season in the team's history," said Red Bull Team Principal, Christian Horner. "What we are showing this year is pure dominance, we can all be extremely proud. It was an amazing feeling to see the Team celebrating in the garage on the track TVs during my in-lap. We're definitely enjoying it but we won't take anything for granted," said Verstappen. Verstappen's teammate, Sergio Perez, retired on Lap 15 after damaging two front wings. In addition to two 5 second time penalties, Perez received four penalty points for his various misdemeanors during Sunday's Grand Prix. Like Red Bull, McLaren also had an outstanding Grand Prix with both drivers, Lando Norris and rookie Oscar Piastri, sharing the podium with Verstappen, finishing second and third respectively. Piastri had never competed on the Suzuka International Racing Course in his career before this weekend. "This week in Japan we've reached an important milestone in our journey at McLaren. For the first time this season, we finished with both cars on the podium," said Andrea Stella, McLaren Team Principal: "For the first time this season, we finished with both cars on the podium. It's also the first podium for Oscar in Formula 1. That's a phenomenal achievement in his rookie season. We're delighted for him and so pleased as a team that we've been able to make it possible." Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz finished P4 and P6, respectively. Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fifth and seventh, respectively. Alpine's pair of drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly,gave the Enstone, UK based team a double points weekend, finishing ninth and tenth, respectively. "Towards the end of the race we looked to capitalise on our tyre advantage and pace from Pierre by targeting eighth place," said Bruno Famin, Alpine Interim Team Principal. "The opportunity was a close one and we decided to swap positions on track with a view for maximising the team result by giving Pierre the chance to chase eighth place.""In the end, we ran out of laps and pace and we made the decision to swap the drivers back. Making these calls is never easy, however, all decisions are taken with the best interest of the team first and foremost," added Famin. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso finished P8. At race end, there were 10 cars on the lead lap, five cars one lap down and five cars retired. Japan Final ResultsPos Driver Team Laps Gap 1 Verstappen Red Bull 53 1h 30:58.421 2 Norris McLaren 53 + 0:19.387 3 Piastri McLaren 53 + 0:36.494 4 Leclerc Ferrari 53 + 0:43.998 5 Hamilton Mercedes 53 + 0:49.376 6 Sainz Ferrari 53 + 0:50.221 7 Russell Mercedes 53 + 0:57.659 8 Alonso Aston Martin 53 + 1:14.725 9 Ocon Alpine 53 + 1:19.678 10 Gasly Alpine 53 + 1:23.155 11 Lawson AlphaTauri 52 + 1 Lap 12 Tsunoda AlphaTauri 52 + 1 Lap 13 Zhou Alfa Romeo 52 + 1 Lap 14 Hulkenberg Haas 52 + 1 Lap 15 Magnussen Haas 52 + 1 Lap Albon Williams 26 Accident Damage Sargeant Williams 22 Accident Damage Stroll Aston Martin 20 Rear Wing Failure Perez Red Bull 15 Retired Bottas Alfa Romeo 7 Accident Damage Fastest Lap: Verstappen (Red Bull) 1:34.183 (Lap 39) (image provided by Aston Martin F1 Media) |