00:00Welcome to the resumption of the Drivers' Championship of the World.
00:04After one of Verstappen's greatest laps, we now wait to see what he can do with 53 of them.
00:11The Japanese Grand Prix is underway. We're racing to turn number one.
00:16There is the shot from Max Verstappen. He planned out and he's held the lead into the first turn.
00:20The first three, as they were, they all behave themselves.
00:23No one making positions in the upper places.
00:26Hamilton getting close to Hajar, but it's in formation.
00:30Bortleto drops to the back of the field in the Sauber, but at the front it is Max Verstappen who
00:34leads.
00:35There's a move to the inside, I believe, for Pierre Gasly, who was looking too and was getting close as
00:39well.
00:39But out front, they're in the same order that they left the line.
00:44Gasly and Alonso are the only two getting their elbows out on this opening tour at Suzuka.
00:50You can see Gasly trying to get into a position to attack into the 130R.
00:54And that's the wise thing to do into a very fast left-hander.
00:57Yeah, no thank you. Am I going to stick it around the outside of that corner on a full tank
01:01at the start of the race?
01:03Let's go back to the start of the Grand Prix. You saw how Verstappen's car was pointed.
01:07And he got the start he needed to maintain the lead.
01:10Yeah, just incredibly even. They're all lying astern in the top four.
01:13The Mercedes are side-by-side further back.
01:15It's a narrow circuit and a few drivers that did get good starts further back just had nowhere to use
01:20them.
01:21It's going to be on board with Gabriel Bortleto.
01:23He started in 17th. Gets that poor launch off the line and that's fine.
01:27But when you're on the hard tyre and the guys behind you are on the softs, say hello to the
01:31last place on the racetrack.
01:32Yeah, caution, caution, caution. There's another car going to come past him there.
01:36Hard tyres V-Softs, as you say, and Bortleto not really wanting to engage in any of them.
01:41So Alonso just wants to cut him off here and he's going to just squeeze through the nose.
01:46And Gasly has to back out of it, but he really had no chance to stay in there anyway.
01:50It's going to be Liam Lawson with the oversteer that allowed Yuki Tsunoda to get ahead of him on the
01:55opening lap.
01:56Lawson fighting the car. Here we go. This is Sainz.
01:59Oh, get in there. Lovely pass at the hair fit.
02:03Saw it sort of teared up from behind, but then you still don't know if he's actually going to have
02:07the minerals to go through with it.
02:09An easy chance to lock up as you're braking and turning, but lovely execution.
02:13Lewis Hamilton trying to claim seventh position.
02:16This is the only DRS zone on the racetrack.
02:19That's a Ferrari getting past into turn number one.
02:22Yeah, no fight from Hadjar and through goes Hamilton.
02:25He had great grip through that chicane at the end of the lap, considering how close he was to the
02:29car ahead.
02:30In comes Max Verstappen, in comes Lando Norris over to the teams to get it right.
02:34We're looking at the pit stop for the top two in the Grand Prix.
02:37I can't understand what McLaren are trying to do.
02:39It's close. Go to the first turn.
02:41It's side by side between the two rivals for the championship.
02:46Lando Norris and Max Verstappen nearly coming together on the exit of the pit lane.
02:51And Max Verstappen maintains the track position.
02:53But we're going to have to look at that one again because it was the Grand Prix win on the
02:58line.
02:59Hey, we're on it.
03:01This is Lando Norris coming into the pits.
03:04McLaren won the Constructors' Championship last year.
03:07It's why they get this entry back to the fast lane.
03:09Wait for Max Verstappen on the left-hand side.
03:12Side by side they go.
03:13Apply the power.
03:14And it was close on acceleration.
03:16Yeah, it was.
03:18Norris actually got a great launch off the pit lane limiter.
03:22He threw himself into the grass.
03:24Yeah, we know the game, Max.
03:25As you are.
03:26I tend to agree with Max on that one, really.
03:28I think it was just such a long shot for Lando to try and...
03:31But I don't think there'll be anything in that.
03:33Huge moment.
03:34The top two contenders for Grand Prix victory in Japan, side by side on exit.
03:39So Max is coming out of the pits.
03:41He holds Lando to the outside and then he's just naturally heading to the grass.
03:44I mean, Max does not...
03:45He could be a lot kinder to Lando, to be fair.
03:48He could drive towards the white line and open the door for Norris.
03:51But Lando is being released onto the apron and that space is naturally running out.
03:57Lando Norris has the fastest lap of the Grand Prix, but he's got 2.1 seconds.
04:01Between him and his title rival, if Verstappen wins this Grand Prix,
04:05if Lando Norris is second, one point in the Drivers' Championship.
04:08Early stages, but if you consider the advantage that McLaren have had
04:12across the first three weekends, that would be remarkable that the gap was only a point.
04:18And Sainz will just be trying to bring Albon into play.
04:22He's trying to break the toe.
04:23You can't make too many moves without race control getting awfully grumpy at you.
04:27And there is the move around the outside.
04:29And he plays no more games.
04:31Couldn't fight it anymore without being unfair.
04:33Up to 9th place for Isaac Hadjar.
04:35Crucial move, with Albon closing in.
04:38This was close between Oliver Behrman and Carlos Sainz.
04:42Massive late sweep to the inside for Behrman.
04:45And I don't think Sainz saw him coming.
04:46Didn't need to be chopping across the house like that.
04:49Sainz is having a pretty miserable day, actually, after that lovely early pass.
04:55If Lando's still saving, I think it should go soon.
04:58I think they have the pace to get back.
05:00Yeah, that's a get on with it from Oskar that, sitting in third, he's really close to his teammate ahead.
05:08This is Lando's pace.
05:10Okay, I think Sainz has got the pace to get back.
05:13Decision time for McLaren.
05:16Will they unleash Oscar Piastri to try and win the race?
05:19Or is that too difficult an instruction to issue your fastest finisher in the championship last year?
05:26Max, a bit of comms between the McLaren drivers, trying to urge each other along to keep your head down.
05:31Pace is good.
05:33He'll find time to the end now.
05:34McLaren have to swap them around here.
05:36If Norris cannot find some more pace, Piastri is saying he thinks he can.
05:40You've at least got to see if he can back that up.
05:43Because I don't think Norris is winning this race, as things stand.
05:45They pitted at the same lap.
05:46Lando's 1.5 seconds away.
05:48And you can see how close that Oscar's able to close in their line of stern.
05:52I think there's only one McLaren that seems to be able to have the pace to fight here.
05:56And it's not the one ahead.
05:58So I think this is why McLaren should have swapped the positions.
06:01The pressure that Piastri is putting on Norris is far greater than anything Norris has put on Verstappen.
06:05They've waited and waited.
06:07And now, actually, Piastri's got a chance here.
06:09Well, he's going to try and take second place.
06:10You can see Lando recharging and Oscar Piastri not getting the help from the team.
06:16So the point that Jolien's making is that this is the best part of the racetrack for Lando Norris.
06:20But it's the final part of the racetrack to try and set up that overtake where Piastri looks really strong.
06:27It was an utterly sensational pole position.
06:31To deny the McLarens yesterday, he'll be checking the left mirror and the right mirror.
06:37They're still there.
06:38He's still P1.
06:40After 53 laps, the first man to win four in a row around the Zuzuka circuit.
06:46Max Verstappen takes the chequered flag to win in Honda Colors in Japan.
06:53Max Verstappen wins the Japanese Grand Prix to deny Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri the contenders for the title.
07:03Separated by 2.1 seconds across the line.
07:08Driving brilliance from Max Verstappen.
07:12Just perfection, Max.
07:14Fantastic.
07:16Wow.
07:17Thank you, guys.
07:19Wow.
07:20Oh, mate.
07:20What an unbelievable weekend.
07:22What a great turnaround after the difficult start.
07:25You see, we never give up.
07:26We keep pushing together.
07:28Well done, everyone.
07:30This is Oscar Piastri seeing his teammate with that lockup at the end of the race.
07:34Shaking.
07:35And providing a bit of commentary for us as well.
07:38A 64th Grand Prix victory and one to save her for Max Verstappen, who beat Lando Norris by 1.4
07:44seconds.
07:45Oscar Piastri with a podium on his birthday.
07:48And then it was Charles Leclerc ahead of George Russell.
07:51The top six staying as they started.
07:53Lewis Hamilton improved up to seventh.
07:55Isaac Hajar got his first points in Formula One.
07:58And it was Alex Albin and Oli Behrman rounding out the top ten.
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