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F1 has set up shop under the cherry blossoms for the Japanese Grand Prix. Find out what's at stake in this third and final stop on the Asian tour.
The first two Grand Prix of the season have already set the tone, with a pecking order beginning to take shape, but also a few surprises. Some teams have confirmed their ambitions, while others still need to find their rhythm. One thing is certain: the season is well underway, and this race in Japan could already mark a turning point.
A Fresh Start for Oscar Piastri
The Australian has been in the spotlight despite himself. After crashing during the formation lap in Melbourne and suffering an engine failure in China, Oscar Piastri has yet to complete a single lap in a race. His goal this weekend is therefore to finally get his season underway.
Having set the fastest time in Free Practice 2, he can only hope to keep this momentum going, having sarcastically replied on Thursday that “just getting to the start would already be a good thing” when a reporter asked him what he needed to leave Suzuka with a smile
A Bounce-Back for McLaren and Red Bull
Both teams are having a difficult start to the season. The world champion team was forced to retire twice in China due to an engine reliability issue. And when you consider that the papaya-colored cars are equipped with the same engine as the Mercedes, which are dominating, it's enough to make you grimace.
“We've been working with HPP (Mercedes High Performance Powertrains) and it took us a little time to figure things out, and we'll do everything we can to make sure it doesn't happen again. It obviously hurt us as a team that neither car was able to start the race. And the most frustrating part was that it was completely beyond our control,” explained Lando Norris at a press conference ahead of the Grand Prix.
“Our progress is real, but sometimes it takes time to materialize on the track. We didn't become a bad team overnight. We have things in development, and we're determined to get back to the top.”
But the reigning world champion, who currently trails George Russell by 36 points, isn't giving up.
“We won the last two constructors' titles, and the drivers' title last year, because we were able to design and develop the best car on the grid, and I'm convinced we can do it again this season. But it takes time; we have to be patient, and I have great confidence in the team.”
At Red Bull, the mood is less optimistic. Following Max Verstappen's retirement in China and the pace issues on display, the Austrian team is far from the mark, and this weekend will likely bring an end to four years of dominance at this circuit. With a tenth-fastest time in FP2, Verstappen complained extensively about his car, citing understeer issues in particular. Unlike McLaren, Red Bull's Achilles' heel isn't the engine but rather the chassis. A design issue that will take time to fix, according to Isack Hadjar. “A few months, maybe a year—who knows?” he estimated at a press conference.
“We don't have the lightest car, that's for sure. I don't mean to say it's hard to drive. We're just slow. […] In any case, it's not a completely unpredictable or undriveable car. Above all, we're losing way too much time in the corners. In those sections, we're not fast enough.”
Managing the Mercedes duo
The question of the pecking order among drivers is starting to become a real issue at Mercedes. Despite holding a significant lead over its competitors, the team is seeing a promising internal rivalry emerge. In the last two Grand Prix races, Kimi Antonelli and George Russell have indeed shared the top step of the podium. In his second F1 season, Antonelli is already clearly demonstrating his ambition to rise to the level of a number one driver.
So far, Mercedes has remained tight-lipped about its driver management, and Russell's experience logically made him the team's natural leader. But this dynamic could change quickly. The showdown between the two men promises to be particularly interesting, especially since Russell has, in the past, sometimes struggled to handle the pressure at key moments.
A Change of Course at Audi
At Audi F1, the atmosphere is currently tense, marked by poor on-track performance and internal turmoil. The unexpected departure of Jonathan Wheatley, publicly attributed to personal reasons, seems instead to reveal deep disagreements with Mattia Binotto regarding the organization and governance of the project—a sign of an operation that remains unstable. On the sporting front, results have been lacking so far this season, with a car that is difficult to drive and a lack of competitiveness preventing the team from consistently scoring points.
Nico Hülkenberg himself admitted to learning of the announcement “at the same time as the rest of the world,” while acknowledging the existence of behind-the-scenes tensions and the need for adjustments, even as he sought to reassure everyone about the overall strength of the team. Taken together, this paints a picture of an ambitious but still fragile project, where organizational uncertainties compound the technical challenges.
There are still many challenges ahead for the teams, and the stakes this weekend are all the higher as everyone will be eager to leave Suzuka with a sense of accomplishment. The cancellation of the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to the geopolitical context has forced a hiatus, making Japan a pivotal moment for the rest of the season.
