F1 update – Japanese GP

The latest round of the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship saw the return of the Japanese Grand Prix held the Suzuka Circuit where it rained.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took his twelveth victory of the year and with it the 2022 drivers title heading home his team mate Sergio Perez with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who finished second on the road, but was handed a 5 second time penalty for forcing Perez off on the final lap of the race dropping him to third, which meant Perez finished second.

Japanese GP top 5:

• 1st: Max Verstappen – Red Bull
• 2nd: Sergio Perez – Red Bull
• 3rd: Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
• 4th: Esteban Ocon – Alpine
• 5th: Lewis Hamilton – Mercedes

Other highlights:

• Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz would crash out on the opening lap, which would result in a recovery tractor to enter the track and Pierre Gasly in his Alpha Tauri would have to take avaisive action to avoid it.
• A mixed day was to befall Williams as Nicholas Latifi would score his first points of the year with a ninth place finish whilst his team mate Alex Albon would retire on the opening lap with damage from a lap 1 collision.
• Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly endured a horrible day, after avoiding a recovery tractor he would then incur a 20 second time penalty for failing to slow under a red flag condition.

News:

• Alpine announced that Pierre Gasly will be racing for them from 2023 to partner Esteban Ocon in an all French line up filling the seat vaccated by Fernando Alonso. The first since 1994 that there has been an all French driver pairing.
• Alpha Tauri announced that 2019 Formula 2 and 2020/21 Formula E champion Nyck De Vries will race for the team in 2023 to partner Yuki Tsunoda filling the seat vaccated by Gasly.
• Red Bull have been found to have minor breached the Formula 1 cost cap rule, whislt Aston Martin Racing have been found to have procedurally breached the Formula 1 cost cap rule.

The next round of the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship will be held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas for the United States Grand Prix on 21st to 23rd October.

Aston and Cameron Perkins have the latest Formula 1 update.