00:00It is time to go racing at Suzuka, and the Japanese Grand Prix is underway!
00:07Max Verstappen gets the launch off the line he was looking for,
00:10Alonso did get a good jump but couldn't do anything with it.
00:12Side by side we go with the McLaren and the Ferrari, Lando Norris is in third,
00:16it's as you were, Verstappen, Perez, Norris then signs,
00:19and Fernando Alonso couldn't make it work on those soft tyres,
00:22he remains in fifth as they make their way through and off into the wall,
00:25off into the wall goes the two cars and a big crash into the tyre barrier.
00:30Yeah, it's going to be an immediate safety car then, it's heavy impact for Riccardo and Albon.
00:36So Albon then gets a decent chance to come alongside and there is the touch,
00:40so there was the driver on the inside of Riccardo, Albon was sort of aiming towards
00:45the space that was closing. Daniel's come across on Alex Albon,
00:49I don't think that was particularly fair from Riccardo there,
00:52I think he did have more space on the left-hand side.
00:55Take two at Suzuka is five lights away, and the Japanese Grand Prix is go once again,
01:05and it was a good reaction time for Perez, Verstappen had to chop across,
01:09the top four are still in the same order, who's feeling brave, the top five are still in the same
01:15order as Piastri tries to put pressure on Alonso and is not able to do so, they make their way
01:19through
01:19the yeses, can they all get through cleanly this time? The answer is yes to that, and it is Charles
01:25Leclerc,
01:25the big winner off the line, he's managed to dart ahead of Lewis Hamilton, the medium tyre trumping the hard.
01:32Yeah, if you give me a hit at the side, let me know if it's okay. Will do.
01:39George Russell diving to the inside and retaking the place, he's up to ninth, and that is Valtteri Bottas
01:45saying goodbye to Esteban Ocon, Russell up to ninth, Bottas up to 11th, making moves early on with the DRS.
01:54Lando Norris is into the pits, and the first McLaren in fourth place responding to the Mercedes,
02:00now being on the right tyre, let's see where Lando Norris comes out, if McLaren dropped him in
02:05to a lovely gap, it looks like they have, and Norris has a bit of clear air, next car up
02:09the road is Stroll.
02:12What's happening with Yuki Tsunoda on the hard tyres having made a stop, Gasly ahead.
02:18In a minute, we're not going to see a move here, are we? What? Wonderful stuff.
02:25The Mercedes are swapping positions, Lewis Hamilton asking the team what they wanted to do,
02:31Russell goes up to fifth, so Max Verstappen has made his pit stop, you see that on the left hand
02:36side,
02:37and Verstappen comes out, oh, that is unbelievably close to try and go around the outside.
02:44Lando Norris goes the long way round and takes the place away from Lewis Hamilton.
02:51Lewis Hamilton under pressure, we're heading to the 130R, so close, and Hamilton has to cede the place.
02:58Oh, they're going so quickly as they turn left at that corner, Perez on the new mediums up to fifth.
03:04I wonder if the Mercedes are trying to lock into different strategies today, and Hamilton's
03:08maybe on a long one-stopper, Russell on something different, and that's why they swap positions fairly quickly.
03:15Perez is going to line up once again at the 130R. Is he able to quickly get past George Russell?
03:22Russell has to give the room, another pass on board with Perez, who sweeps by, makes use of that medium
03:28rubber,
03:28and takes fourth place. As we're going to go very, very tight. No one wants to get past into the
03:34spoon corner,
03:35but Hamilton's going to have to give the place, and he does so. Carlos Sainz, winner of the Australian Grand
03:41Prix, is up to sixth.
03:43Can Verstappen make the move quickly and cleanly? That's the question we're posing as we build up to 200mph,
03:51and Leclerc tries to defend, but Max Verstappen retakes the lead of the race.
03:58Russell can't turn the Mercedes at turn 11, and Sainz is right with him, and it just, you feel so
04:03helpless in their position,
04:05with these guys on much fresher tyres, softer compound as well for Sainz, on the inside into spoon,
04:10and through he goes. It's an absolute carbon copy of the pass he did on Hamilton.
04:16There's Perez making the move to the inside, and taking third position. Clean pass, making the move.
04:24Lando Norris really chooses his battles carefully in Formula One.
04:30Incredible spectacle outside the commentary box there. There's a huge gaggle of cars came into the pits at the same
04:35time.
04:36Magnussen, Bottas, Sargent, and a change for position. Look at this! Look at this!
04:41And we've got a terrific move there for Yuki Tsunoda. The crowd are cheering once again.
04:48He's found himself out ahead there, and they all came in together bottled up by Kevin Magnussen.
04:55That was the gap that Mercedes were waiting to clear, and you can see why.
04:59It's as if, so on the last stint, Bottas pitted before anyone else, had a slow stop,
05:04but because he had fresher tyres for one lap, managed to effectively undercut his way back to where he was.
05:09It does. Well done. Thank you. Top job, guys. Top job.
05:14Good.
05:16Charles Leclerc out-qualified by Carlos Sainz on a couple of occasions in a row now.
05:21Wide moment for Leclerc, who goes off the road and loses the place. Sergio Perez is up to second position.
05:28Can Lando Norris inflict more hurt on Charles Leclerc?
05:34There could be a real opportunity for Stroll to try and make the place on Tsunoda,
05:38who's trying to get by. Ancient tyres on that car, but Hülkenberg holds the place,
05:43and this is the worst case scenario for Tsunoda, because now Stroll can tuck in and it's getting really tight.
05:49Can he do another amazing move? My goodness me. It was nearly that corner again for RB.
05:55That was so tight, and he's trying to use the extra grip. 27 lap old tyres. He's gonna do it
06:02again.
06:02And the crowd absolutely love it.
06:05Tsunoda through at the Esses for the second time in the Grand Prix.
06:11And Sainz will have the fresh tyres to attack, but he's going to lose the track position to the names
06:17that you can now see passing him on the circuit. Degna too has been causing issues all the way through,
06:25and I believe that Sargent has gone off the track there. And that is not a great place to reverse
06:32a
06:32Formula One car onto. Well, here he is building up to 200 miles per hour out of the slipstream.
06:40DRS wide open. Carlos Sainz fights his way by to fourth position right now. He's focusing on getting
06:48past his teammate and moving up. There's the defence from Charles Leclerc. But the DRS and the speed
06:54belongs to Carlos Sainz. Oh, that's a late dive bomb move, or an attempt for one for George
07:01Russell going wheel to wheel with Oscar Piastri. Piastri refusing to give that one up, keeps the
07:06track position. Russell will be on the radio to complain. And George Russell's got a big opportunity
07:12now. George Russell, suddenly Piastri is going to let Russell out of the slipstream. He can't defend.
07:19They both had DRS, but George Russell takes the place on the final lap of the Grand Prix.
07:25Downhill to victory for the reigning world champion. Max Verstappen returns to victory. Max Verstappen
07:33wins the Japanese Grand Prix. And it's a Red Bull 1-2. Thanks to Sergio Perez. Four Grand Prix, four
07:421-2s.
07:43One for Ferrari, three for Red Bull. And next up, we return to the Chinese Grand Prix for the first
07:49time since 2019.
07:51We return to the Chinese Grand Prix for the first time since 2019.
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