After the big winter billing, the new Formula 1 season has probably not provided any end of the early drama and surprise on the right track after the opening of two rounds of the campaign.
With the Japanese Grand Prix in other suzuka directly Sky Sports F1 This weekend, we dive into some of the biggest topics that go to the third round …
Norris vs Piastri decided to present different McLaren challenges
Two Grands Prix, two wins.
Anydo further confirmation needed after testing before the season McLaren has the fastest car and are teams that can beat at least at the beginning of the new season arrived properly during the two weeks of opening F1 2025, however they can try to play it.
The champions of the royal constructors have opened a season with a back-back win for the first time since 2003 and would have almost certainly had a pair of one-two endings, but for rotation on dry tires in Melbourne rain that proved so expensive for Oscar Piastri there.
The piastri, however, was hit immediately and impressive a week later in Shanghai to exceed Lando Norris along the Sprint weekend and reduce the early title deficit in his team friend with 13 points to 10.
Max Verstappen and George Russell are currently among the McLaren couple in the driver’s rankings, but with early evidence are Norris and piastri who will definitely be in the war entitled.
The win of Norris’s victory and the piastri has led to early questions about how they and the McLaren team would treat the party going head -to -head for the crown of drivers deep in the campaign, as pressure and shares increase.
Norris said after the race that they were “nervous but excited” for such a perspective, while team director Andrea Stella said as they “have tried to be ready for it for a long time now”, they will still have to fit in situations while evolving.
“Like all things in Formula 1, it would be very arrogant to say” Oh, now we’re ready “or” We were ready, “Stella said.
“You learn because the scenarios are very complex, they never manifest in the same way, so you just have to continue learning and, as you do in performance, reliability, in operations, you also do in the way you manage a team.”
A further head -to -head duel is likely between the side in Suzuka, a track that McLaren has already performed well in the previous two seasons when Red Bull still remained pacesetters. The question that we will begin to learn a little more beyond the triple head of Arabia Japan-Bahrain-Saudi is how many other contenders will keep the pace with them.
Numerous Question of Red Bull Swap unanswered
While McLaren can consider the prospect of managing two drivers containing the title a luxurious problem to have the road, Rival Red Bull’s problems are currently more pressing and pronounced.
The first centers for improving the rhythm and compliance of their RB21 machine; The second in trying to turn the driver’s fates into their second rotating place.
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Craig Slater takes a look at whether Red Bull’s second seat is cursed after Liam Lawson became the fourth driver who left Daniel Ricciardo in 2018.
They only received two troubled weekends from Liam Lawson for their faith in late 2024 in new Zealander being the stable driver to reach the challenge to disappear, with Yuki Tsunoda given the promotion of many – including the Japanese driver – he thought he should have been his time, months ago.
The Red Bull driver returned after China was as unexpected as it was shocking and thus listening to all the leading players in the heart of this story – Tsunoda, Lawson and team chief Christian Horner – for the first time all weekend Suzuka will inevitably be.
Just as Verstappen will hear all.
If his, or at least his official account, is ‘as’ of a critical Instagram post on change is a reliable indicator, then the four -fold champion is apparently not especially impressed by what has unfolded.
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Craig Slater explains why Liam Lawson has changed with Yuki Tsunoda after just two Formula 1 season races by the next week’s Grand Prix.
But what aspect of the decision can be unhappy? The simple fact that Lawson is not given more time? That the latest change of team spouse creates fresh instability when they have to prioritize getting a better car for both drivers?
And what, if anything, means everything about his future in the team?
All the intriguing questions that we need to get an essential answer to this week…
Ferrari in need for big weekend
Their rivals continue to speak them, but the start of Ferrari for the season has probably underestimated compared to pre-season expectations. They arrive in Suzuka already in need of a strong weekend to start their challenge for the title.
For two very different reasons, Ferrari was at the center of the Big Two News events of the second round – Lewis Hamilton’s first victory in Red at Sprint Sprint and then double disqualification by the Sunday Grand Prix who took Briton and Charles Leclerc from the final classification.
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Ted Kravitz reveals that he lost a big detail when he made his usual notebook following the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai Audi International County.
Ferrari’s embarrassment to see their two cars excluded for various technical violations – the first time in the 75 -year history of the World Championship that the famous Scuderia had suffered a double DSQ – it was one thing, the other was that the loss of their fifth and sixth ending positions had already been a day.
Hamilton had been the only six in the first six to stop twice for tires and, while Leclerc left for the rhythm after his teammate had suggested that they change positions, the high speed of Monegasque was somewhat confusing given that he had carried a damaged arm for all 56 steady laps.
In any case, Leclerc was finally arranged by Verstappen for the fourth and ended 23 seconds after winner of the Piastri race before disqualification for his car was 1 kg underweight.
The double exception removed Ferrari with 18 points, shifting them after the resurrection Williams to the fifth place in the rankings and creating a large 61 -point deficit for the leaders of the dominant McLaren championship.
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Bernie Collins looks closer to how Ferrari suffered a double disqualification in the Chinese Grand Prix and how expensive it will be for the team this season.
Speaking shortly after the race before his cars had failed controls after the race, team chief Fred Vasseur stressed that it was not time to panic so early in the campaign.
Vasseur stressed that Leclerc’s race had shown promises that China’s weekend up and down had shown all the big teams were suffering a level of tire mismatch, and they just needed to work on how to constantly get the best out of SF-25.
“I think the gap with McLaren is the gap we had with Red Bull last year, that they made one-two in the first two competitions,” Vasseur said.
“I think if I return to the race press conference two last year, I had the question,” Do you think they (Red Bull) will be champion in June? “
“That’s why we have to take it with a pinch of salt. I’m sure they’re in good shape, they are doing well. The rhythm is strong, that’s clear, and I think they are a step forward but not the end of the championship.”
All true, but Ferrari certainly cannot allow many more difficult weekends at any time soon if they should not lose contact with McLaren.
Suzuka: The challenge of eternal drivers
The competition in the iconic Japan circuit of Japan may now be located at the opposite edge of the calendar, where it was accompanied by some of the most famous leaves of the sports title, but as F1 drivers will no doubt make it clear in their interviews this week, any time of the year they take to drive Suzuka a good time.
F1 now competes in Japan during the picturesque month of cherry flowering place, or Sakura, and this eventually adds to an extra withdrawal for its annual visit.
One thing that has barely changed since the sport first visited Suzuka in 1987, however, is its 3.6-mile itself with 18 corners.
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Look again some of the most attractive title deciduous decayers to develop in the Japanese Grand Prix.
If aspects of another favorite driver’s track – SPA -Francorchamps – have become less a challenge in recent years due to the evolution of modern F1 cars, Suzuka remains an excellent test of speed and accuracy thanks to the presence of Esses, Degners, Spoon and 130r to mention only four parts of the Racing road.
The narrow road track lined with Monaco obstacles can be widely considered the last ‘lap’ of F1 to see drivers at work qualifying low fuel, but an overview of 360 degrees camera footage at the top of Pole’s effort Versstappen from last year is the strong test that Suzuka may not be away.
Well it’s worth getting up a little early, then to see the qualification at 7am on Saturday, directly Sky Sports F1And then, as you will be in the alarm wake-up, Grand Prix 53-Jiro on Sunday at 6am!
Thursday April 3
- 5 Morning: Press Conference of Drivers
Friday April 4
- 3 morning: Japanese GP practice one (session starts at 3.30am)*
- 5.30 morning: Team Directors Press Conference
- 6.45AM: Japanese GP practice two (the session begins at 7am)*
- 8.15am: F1* display
Saturday 5 April
- 3.15AM: Japanese GP practice three (session starts at 3.30am)*
- 6 Breakfast: Japanese Construction Qualification GP **
- 7 morning: Japanese GP qualification*
- 9 Morning: TED Qualifying Notebook*
Sunday April 6
- 4.30 morning: Japanese GP Construction: Grand Prix Sunday*
- 6 morning: Grand Prix Japanese*
- 8 Breakfast: Japanese GP reaction: Controlled Flag*
- 9 Morning: TED Notebook*
*Also live in Sky Sports Main event
Formula 1 goes to the iconic Suzuka circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix on April 4-6, Live at Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with now – without contract, cancel at any time
