Verstappen Leads Red Bull One-Two at Japanese Grand Prix; Perez Secures Second in Dramatic Race

Verstappen made a flawless start, holding off Perez into the first corner. However, a heavy crash between Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon resulted in a red flag, necessitating a second standing start for Verstappen.

After the race resumed, Verstappen once again demonstrated his skill, maintaining a lead that he maintained for the remainder of the race, ultimately clinching victory by a comfortable margin of 12.5 seconds over Perez.

Perez faced a more challenging race, as he was initially slower and undercut by Lando Norris. However, with determined overtaking moves, including impressive passes through 130R past Mercedes drivers, Perez secured second place and helped Red Bull achieve their third one-two finish of the season.

Carlos Sainz, employing a well-judged two-stop strategy, secured his third podium of the year, while Norris, who had briefly held second position, ultimately finished in fifth place due to tire degradation.

Charles Leclerc executed a daring one-stop strategy, maintaining a strong pace despite uncertain tire conditions. Fernando Alonso finished sixth, fending off George Russell, who finished seventh after a close battle with Oscar Piastri.

Lewis Hamilton, frustrated by a botched single-stop strategy, finished ninth, while Yuki Tsunoda delighted home fans by securing the final point in tenth place.

Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen, and Valtteri Bottas completed the top 15, with Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, and Logan Sargeant rounding out the finishers. Zhou Guanyu was the only retirement, forced out of the race early due to a gearbox issue.