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2022 Japan Thoughts

THE BIG PICTURE: It may not have mattered at Suzuka with the impending sunset, but this three-hour window to run the race really needs to be looked at. As well as race start times, especially in countries where seasonal weather can be an issue.

EVENT: Once again we're flabbergasted at the Japanese fans' dedication through any kind of weather.

TRACK: Suzuka floods easily. It is still hard to pass no matter the conditions. But, we don't want to see it removed from the calendar. Just work on fixing the problems.

QUALIFYING: Verstappen shockingly keeps his pole after nearly killing Lando Norris, Perez can't outdo the Ferraris, Mercedes is off on this track, Tsunoda gives his local fans a brief moment of joy, and Vettel waxes eloquently on Suzuka.

RACE: At least we had a "race" and not a (complete) repeat of Spa 2021. Then, those last few laps were thrilling throughout the field behind Verstappen.

START: Slip sliding away into chaos. Leclerc gets the better start but Verstappen has the bigger balls, Vettel gets bumped into a spin by Alonso, Zhou does a pirouette, Albon has his radiator broken in a smack from Magnussen, and Sainz aquaplanes into the wall.

VERSTAPPEN: The race was 28 laps long, and Max won by nearly 28 seconds. That's a second a lap advantage. Talk about winning your second world championship in style.

PEREZ: His pressure on Leclerc finally paid off.

RED BULL: Now they aim to close out the constructors' title.

LECLERC: Heck of a way to lose the championship on a (well deserved) five-second penalty. Though of course, this loss was inevitable many races ago.

SAINZ: Helpless.

FERRARI: Four races left to figure out how to do better for 2023.

OCON: Fantastic job fighting off Hamilton.

HAMILTON: Though, the lack of power on the straights compared to a Renualt was quite surprising.

VETTEL: Sebastian was awarded in his last race at his favorite track.

ALONSO: One lap earlier for new tires would have given Fernando sixth instead of losing out by .011 seconds. Then, he lost the fastest lap by .001 seconds.

RUSSELL: Starting a new streak -- finishing outside the top five for the second straight race.

LATIFI: Lost in all the chaos was Nicholas scoring points. Yes, he scored points!

SCHUMACHER: Mick actually led a grand prix for about 15 meters.

FIA 1: Just when we forgot about Michael Masi, they go ahead and pull the assinine blunder of putting a crane on the wet track in zero visibility conditions with cars still zooming by, compounded by the dark history of Suzuka.

FIA 2: Let's get this straight. If a race runs half distance and is suspended, only partial points are awarded. If a race resumes and finishes half distance because of the time limitation, full points are awarded. Even stranger, if the race, say, had resumed with five minutes left and ran three green flag laps, it still would have awarded full points. This is how the FIA does math...

FIA 3 And now they got to deal with 2021 cost cap breaches for Red Bull and Aston Martin.

WORD OF THE WEEKEND: Regulations.

STAT OF THE WEEKEND: 28 -- The number of laps out of 53 (52.8%) which were run but still somehow was enough to give full points.

HISTORICAL STAT OF THE WEEKEND: There was a larger gap when the Japanese GP was not held than the two years F1 was forced to skip Japan due to the pandemic (2020-21). After the initial two Japanese GPs in 1976 (the famous season ender where James Hunt won the championship over Niki Lauda while Mario Andretti won the race) and 1977 (when Hunt won the race), both at Fuji, F1 did not return to Japan until 1987 at Suzuka where, except for two years (2007-8) back at Fuji, it's been held ever since. Gerhard Berger won that return race in a Ferrari.

TWEET OF THE WEEKEND: F1 journalist Chris Medland putting it best:

Let's make this clear. Should Gasly have been going more slowly? Yes.

Should there have been a tractor on track at that spot in those conditions with a car catching up with the pack? Abso-f***ing-lutely not.

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND: Fernando Alonso's prophetic statement before the race, "This will be eventful!"

QUOTE OF THE WEEKEND RUNNERUP: This is what Sebastian Vettel said about Suzuka, "It is so much more fun around here than at the other circuits. I mean, the cars and the speeds are great -- but at this place, you feel alive."

SCHEDULE: Back to the Western Hemisphere where COTA is celebrating it's 10th anniversary (already?!).

Copyright © 2022 by Deep Throttle. All Rights Reserved.



RACE RESULTS
  Driver Laps
1. Verstappen 28
2. Perez 28
3. Leclerc 28
4. Ocon 28
5. Hamilton 28
6. Vettel 28
7. Alonso 28
8. Russell 28
9. Latifi 28
10. Norris 28
11. Ricciardo 28
12. Stroll 28
13. Tsunoda 28
14. Magnussen 28
15. Bottas 28
16. Zhou(R) 28
17. Schumacher 28
18. Gasly 28
NC Sainz 0
NC Albon 0

Time of Race
3:01:44.004

Margin of Victory
27.066 secs.

Safety Car
1 for 4 laps

Lead Changes
2 among 2 drivers

Lap Leaders
Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso

Fastest Race Lap
Zhou Guanyu

Pole Position
Max Verstappen

CURRENT STANDINGS
  Driver Pts.
1. Verstappen 366
2. Perez 253
3. Leclerc 252
4. Russell 207
5. Sainz 202
6. Hamilton 180
7. Norris 101
8. Ocon 78
9. Alonso 65
10. Bottas 46
11. Vettel 32
12. Ricciardo 29
13. Gasly 23
14. Magnussen 22
15. Stroll 13
16. Schumacher 12
17. Tsunoda 11
18. Zhou(R) 6
19. Albon 4
20. De Vries(R) 2
  Latifi 2

  Team Pts.
1. Red Bull 619
2. Ferrari 454
3. Mercedes 387
4. Alpine 143
5. McLaren 130
6. Alfa Romeo 52
7. Aston Martin 45
8. Haas 34
  AlphaTauri 34
10. Williams 8
 
 

2024 Thoughts
Bahrain Saudi Arabia Australia Japan
China Miami Emilia Romagna Monaco
Canada Spain Austria Great Britain
Hungary Belgium Holland Italy
Azerbaijan Singapore United States Mexico City
Sao Paulo Las Vegas Qatar Abu Dhabi

2023 Thoughts
Bahrain Saudi Arabia Australia Azerbaijan
Miami Emilia Romagna Monaco Spain
Canada Austria Great Britain Hungary
Belgium Holland Italy Singapore
Japan Qatar United States Mexico City
Sao Paulo Las Vegas Abu Dhabi

2022 Thoughts
Bahrain Saudi Arabia Australia Emilia Romagna
Miami Spain Monaco Azerbaijan
Canada Great Britain Austria France
Hungary Belgium Holland Italy
Singapore Japan United States
Mexico City Sao Paulo Abu Dhabi

2021 Thoughts
Bahrain Emilia Romagna Portugal Spain Monaco
Azerbaijan France Steiermark Austria Great Britain
Hungary Belgium Holland Italy
Russia Turkey United States Mexico City
Sao Paulo Qatar Saudi Arabia Abu Dhabi

2020 Thoughts
Austria Steiermark Hungary Great Britain Anniversary
Spain Belgium Italy Tuscany
Russia Eifel Portugal Emilia Romagna
Turkey Bahrain Sakhir Abu Dhabi

2019 Thoughts
Australia Bahrain China Azerbaijan Spain
Monaco Canada France Austria
Great Britain Germany Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Russia Japan
Mexico United States Brazil Abu Dhabi

2018 Thoughts
Australia Bahrain China Azerbaijan Spain
Monaco Canada France Austria
Great Britain Germany Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Russia Japan
United States Mexico Brazil Abu Dhabi

2017 Thoughts
Australia China Bahrain Russia
Spain Monaco Canada Azerbaijan
Austria Great Britain Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Malaysia Japan
United States Mexico Brazil Abu Dhabi

2016 Thoughts
Australia Bahrain China Russia Spain
Monaco Canada Europe Austria
Great Britain Hungary Germany Belgium
Italy Singapore Malaysia Japan
United States Mexico Brazil Abu Dhabi

2015 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia China Bahrain
Spain Monaco Canada Austria
Great Britain Hungary Belgium Italy
Singapore Japan Russia United States
Mexico Brazil Abu Dhabi

2014 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia Bahrain China
Spain Monaco Canada Austria
Great Britain Germany Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Japan Russia
United States Brazil Abu Dhabi

2013 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia China Bahrain
Spain Monaco Canada Great Britain
Germany Hungary Belgium Italy
Singapore South Korea Japan India
Abu Dhabi United States Brazil

2012 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia China Bahrain
Spain Monaco Canada Europe
Great Britain Germany Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Japan South Korea
India Abu Dhabi United States Brazil

2011 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia China Turkey
Spain Monaco Canada Europe
Great Britain Germany Hungary Belgium
Italy Singapore Japan South Korea
India Abu Dhabi Brazil

2010 Thoughts
Bahrain Australia Malaysia China
Spain Monaco Turkey Canada
Europe Great Britain Germany Hungary
Belgium Italy Singapore Japan
South Korea Brazil Abu Dhabi

2009 Thoughts
Australia Malaysia China Bahrain
Spain Monaco Turkey Great Britain
Germany Hungary Europe
Belgium Italy Singapore
Japan Brazil Abu Dhabi


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