Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix Prediction: Is Verstappen faster than McLaren?

After back-to-back race weekends at the very beginning of the season and a weekend off this weekend, the Japanese Grand Prix race is on, which rarely disappoints. The first two races of this season were anything but boring, and nothing less should be expected from the Japanese edition. Known for its unpredictable situations and passionate Japanese fans, the Japanese Grand Prix often brings a series of exciting moments from the track and is a treat that all Formula 1 fans look forward to.

McLaren or Red Bull?

McLaren is clear in its plans to attack the titles this year, but there is no lack of intra-team fighting, the newcomers are slowly getting used to their seats, and Ferrari is messing up as usual on all fronts. But all eyes are on Red Bull, the team that provided us with the news during the weekend break and has reached for its good, old, tried and tested recipe. After disappointing performances in Australia and China, Liam Lawson was given a return ticket to the 'B team,' and Yuki Tsunoda was promoted to the first team. And where better to perform for the first time for one of the best teams on the grid than on your home track? Whether the pressure will be too much for Yuki or whether he will drive his new powerful car with a cool head remains to be seen.

Max Verstappen is in pole position in Japan!

Max Verstappen in Red Bull set the fastest qualifying time for the Japanese Grand Prix and will start tomorrow's race from pole position. Lando Norris in McLaren was second, and his teammate Oscar Piasti was third. McLaren's drivers were the fastest in all free practice sessions and in the first two parts of qualifying, but Verstappen managed to pull off an incredible lap in the last attempt to secure first place, just 0.012 seconds ahead of Norris. Verstappen, Norris, and Piastri managed to break Vettel's 2019 track record (1:27.064), with Leclerc their closest companion in fourth place for Ferrari, three tenths and four positions ahead of Hamilton. Next came the two Mercedes drivers, Russell and Antonelli, and the brilliant Hadjar, who was troubled by the position of his seat belts at the beginning of qualifying, but still managed to progress to Q3 where he finished seventh, beating both Lawson and Tsunoda.

Which strategy and which tires should be used to win the Chinese GP?

For Suzuka, the three hardest compounds of Pirelli tires in the offer will be available – C1, C2, and C3, as is usually the case for this extremely demanding track, which for this year's edition received new asphalt from the exit of the last chicane and the end of the first sector. It's worth noting that of the three models, the C1 is the most similar to its 2024 iteration, while the C2 and C3 in particular have undergone the most changes in terms of performance, being softer than last year. It will, therefore, be interesting to see how the teams manage their tire distribution during the three free practice sessions as they try to establish the best settings for their cars, with a focus on race strategy.

Expert Betting Tips

The whole weekend was very exciting in Japan, with a lot of incidents and action, and I expect the race to be the same. Both Norris and Piastri showed great performances during the whole weekend, but Verstappen was impressive in the qualifications and won the pole position. I expect another thrilling race, and I expect Verstappen to manage to keep the first place in this extremely difficult race.

OUR PREDICTION: Max Verstappen to win