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.
00:32It's heavy impact for Ricciardo 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 Ricciardo.
00:44Albon was sort of aiming towards a space that was closing.
00:47Daniel's come across on Alex Albon.
00:49I don't think that was particularly fair from Ricciardo 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?
01:13The top five are still in the same order as Piastri tries to put pressure on Alonso
01:17and is not able to do so. They make their way through the yeses.
01:20Can they all get through cleanly this time? The answer is yes to that.
01:24And it is Charles Leclerc, the big winner off the line.
01:26He's managed to dart ahead of Lewis Hamilton, the medium tyre trumping the hard.
01:32Yeah, he gave me a hit at the side. Let me know if it's okay.
01:36Will do.
01:39George Russell diving to the inside and retaking the place.
01:43He's up to ninth and that is Valtteri Bottas saying goodbye to Esteban Ocon.
01:47Russell up to ninth. Bottas up to 11th.
01:49Making moves early on with the DRS.
01:54Lando Norris is in to 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.
02:04Have McLaren dropped him in to a lovely gap? It looks like they have.
02:08And Norris has a bit of clear air. Next car up the road is Stroll.
02:12What's happening with Yuki Tsunoda on the hard tyres having made a stop?
02:17Gasly ahead. Hold on a minute. We're not going to see a move here, are we?
02:21What? Wonderful stuff.
02:25The Mercedes are swapping positions. Lewis Hamilton asking the team what they wanted to do.
02:31Russell goes up to fifth.
02:34To Max Verstappen has made his pit stop. You see that on the left-hand side and Verstappen comes out.
02:39Oh, 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.
02:56And Hamilton has to cede the place. Oh, they're going so quickly as they turn left at that corner.
03:02Perez 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
03:13fairly 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. Manala pass on board with Perez who sweeps by,
03:26makes use of that medium rubber and takes fourth place.
03:31As we're going to go very, very tight. No one wants to get past into the spoon 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 200 miles
03:50per hour.
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
04:03in their position with these guys on much pressure tyres, softer compound as well for Sainz.
04:09On the inside into spoon and through he goes. It's an absolute carbon copy of the pass he did on
04:13Hamilton.
04:16There's Perez making the move to the inside and taking third position. Clean pass, making the move.
04:24Landon 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.
05:09Guys, 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.
05:21Now, wide moment for Leclerc, who goes off the road and loses the place.
05:25Sergio Perez is up to second position. Can 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, who's trying to get
05:39by.
05:39Ancient tyres on that car, but Hülkenberg holds the place and this is the worst case scenario for Tsunoda,
05:46because now Stroll can tuck in and it's getting really tight. Can he do another amazing move?
05:51My goodness me. It was nearly that corner again for RB. That was so tight and he's trying to use
05:58the extra grip.
05:5927 lap old tyres. He's going to do it again. And the crowd absolutely love it.
06:05Stsunoda 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 2 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 Formula One car on to. Well, here he is building up to 200 miles per hour out of the
06:39slipstream,
06:39DRS 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 Russell,
07:02going wheel to wheel with Oscar Piastri. Piastri refusing to give that one up, keeps the track
07:07position. Russell will be on the radio to complain. And George Russell's got a big opportunity now.
07:13George 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,
07:41four 1-2s. One for Ferrari, three for Red Bull. And next up, we return to the Chinese Grand Prix,
07:49the first time since 2019.
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