F1, Japanese Grand Prix: Race Predictions

The most awaited Japanese Grand Prix weekend is underway and it has already been full of surprises. The rain has played hide and seek continuously as typhoon Kong-Rey has approached Japan.

The driver and fan favourite Suzuka track has been tricky with the downpour making the circuit slippery and difficult to manoeuvre through. Nico Hülkenberg crashed out in the final practice session and despite the Renault mechanics’ splendid work of sending his car out for qualifying, they had to be content with P16.

Marcus Ericsson too had his moment in the first part of qualifying when he lost control of his Sauber and unfortunately had to sit out for the rest of the session. Kimi Räikkönen and Sebastian Vettel also hurt their chances due to minor mistakes on the wet tarmac, a reflection of their starting positions of P4 and P9, respectively.

Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas would fill out the front row on Sunday for Mercedes as Max Verstappen and Kimi Räikkönen start behind them.

The race is looking to be an exciting one, and here is a list of our race predictions for the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix:-

#5 Max Verstappen on the podium

Max Verstappen qualified third and if anything is a given about the 21-year-old, it is that he would fight tooth and nail for track position. The Dutch driver would be on the lookout for any chances to rain on Mercedes’ opportunity for a one-two finish while defending his position from Kimi Räikkönen behind him.

If the battle between him and those around him remains clean, he remains a top contender for a podium finish come race day. Max has a solo race victory to his name for the season and would be hungry for more before the end of the year.

#4 Tyre choice fiasco hurts McLaren

McLaren missed the deadline for submitting their tyre choices to Pirelli for the Japanese Grand Prix, and hence have been handed a default set of five mediums, four softs and five super softs. The mistake has hampered their chances all weekend. First in practice

Starting from eighteenth and nineteenth on the grid, scoring points would be a tough task. Only 23 points separate them from Racing Point Force India, so McLaren cannot afford to put a foot wrong at this stage for the risk of slipping down the ladder. Toro Rosso and Sauber also remain close by and it is important for the British team to pull up their socks unless they want to end the season on an extremely low note.

#3 Honda impresses on home turf

Toro Rosso remain the only team to still be supplied engines by Honda and on their home track in Suzuka they have pulled off an impressive result during qualifying. Brendon Hartley starts tomorrow from sixth and Pierre Gasly would be starting in seventh.

It remains to be seen how well the two drivers hold onto their positions on Sunday, but after a double brake failure in Russia, a good points haul would be extremely welcome. Gasly would require as much experience as he gets while fighting for positions in the top ten before he progresses to Red Bull Racing for next year.

Hartley, meanwhile, would be looking to strengthen a case for himself for a renewal of his contract with Toro Rosso for the upcoming season.

#2 Daniel Ricciardo's chances for leaving Red Bull on a high diminish

Daniel Ricciardo has had the unfortunate experience of saying the words “lost power” once again, during the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying session. After safely making it to Q2, the engine electronics on his RB14 stopped functioning and he had to be wheeled back to the pits for a look at what can be rectified.

Nothing could be done about the issue in the little time remaining on the clock and when Daniel walked out of the garage, he was visibly upset and livid. Starting P15 would hurt his chances of ending his long partnership with Red Bull Racing with a bang, as only four races remain on the calendar after Japan.

The Australian is never one to stay down for long, however, so come tomorrow, his elbows would be out and it is likely to see him end the race in top six. After all, the honey badger has proven his mettle coming from the back before.

#1 Lewis extends championship lead over Vettel

Lewis Hamilton scored his 80th career pole position in Suzuka and even though he has a well-rounded result of 70 race wins and 130 podium finishes, he would be hoping to increment those numbers on Sunday.

Mercedes decided to send their drivers on super softs at the start of Q3 when the track was relatively dry, while Ferrari chose intermediates. The tyre choices turned out to be a decider for the starting grid as the Silver Arrows claimed the front row and the Prancing Horse had to be content with fourth and ninth. With their championship contender starting almost at the end of the top ten, his chances to reduce Hamilton’s lead diminishes by a great margin.

The British driver has to start the Grand Prix on a set of Medium tyres, which would help him have a longer stint and might be to his benefit. Lewis is the defending champion in Japan and he would be hoping for another smooth ride to work towards attaining an unassailable advantage over his rival.

Edited by Kishan Prasad