F1 Japanese GP: Max Verstappen breezes to victory as Red Bull clinch constructors’ title
The Dutchman converted his dominant pole position into a 13th win fro🐷m 16 races that puts him on the brink of a third consecutive world championship.
It means that Verstappen can now seal the 2023 w♍orld title in the Qatar Grand Prix sprint race🍨.
Lando Norr🉐is, who briefly edged into the lead on the run to Turn 1 with a fast start, took second place ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, who claimed his first podium in third.
Charles Leclerc was fourth, ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilꦺton, who held♓ off the second Ferrari of Carlos Sainz to secure fifth.
George Russell was a frustrate💙d seventh after a bid to make a one-stop strategy work 🌱failed to come off.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso settled with eighth place ahead of the Alpine duo of Esteban Ocon and🎀 Pierre Gasly, who completed the points-scoring places in the t❀op-10.
It was a nightmare race to forget for Verst🎃♛appen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez, who retired twice.
Perez made two trips to the pits for a pair of front wing 💞changes - for picking up damage in separate clashes with Hamilton and Kevin Magnussen - before boxing initially on Lap 15.
However, with Perez carrying a five-second time penalty for a Safety Ca𒈔r infringement, Red Bull s💃ent the Mexican back into the race for a single lap in order to serve his punishment.
After a brief ret🃏urn, Perez’s misery was finally ended as he pulled in to retire on Lap 43.
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