2024-04-06 21:04:20
The starting grid for the 2024 F1 season, the fourth round of the Japanese Grand Prix, which will start at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 7, Japan time, has been announced. Let’s take a look at the changes from the qualifying results, expected tire strategy, and weather.
2024 F1 Japan GP final grid
A total of seven cars had their power units replaced at Suzuka, but none of them were subject to penalties, and there is no difference between the qualifying results and the grid.
Max Verstappen takes pole position for the first four races in a row. Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez will be in second place on the grid in the front row. Perez, who was close to Verstappen in qualifying, was aiming for the lap leader heading into Turn 1.
Hiroki Tsunoda (RB) was placed 10th on the grid, within the winning range. Coincidentally, the person sitting next to him in 9th place on the grid is George Russell (Mercedes), the same as in the previous Australian Grand Prix.
Below is the provisional starting grid. It will be updated if there are any discrepancies with the official version announced just before the finals. The change value from the qualifying ranking is also recorded.
Pos No Driver Team Qualifying 1 1 M. Verstappen Red Bull Honda RBPT 1 (-) 2 11 S. Perez Red Bull Honda RBPT 2 (-) 3 4 L. Norris McLaren Mercedes 3 (-) 4 55 C. Sainz Ferrari 4 (-) 5 14 F. Alonso Aston Martin Mercedes 5 (-) 6 81 O. Piastri McLaren Mercedes 6 (-) 7 44 L. Hamilton Mercedes 7 (-) 8 16 C. Leclerc Ferrari 8 (-) 9 63 G. Russell Mercedes 9 (-) 10 22 Yuki Tsunoda RB Honda RBPT 10 (-) 11 3 D. Ricardo RB Honda RBPT 11 (-) 12 27 N. Hulkenberg Haas Ferrari 12 (-) 13 77 V. Bottas Sauber Ferrari 13 (-) 14 23 A. Albon Williams Mercedes 14 (-) 15 31 E. Ocon Alpine Renault 15 (-) 16 18 L. Stroll Aston Martin Mercedes 16 (-) 17 10 P. Gasly Alpine Renault 17 (-) 18 20 K. Magnussen-Haas Ferrari 18 (-) 19 2 L. Sergeant Williams Mercedes 19 (-) 20 24 Sauber Ferrari 20 (-)
The final race isDAZNandFuji TV NEXTIt will be completely streamed and broadcast live.
Expected tire strategy and weather
Prior to the weekend, Pirelli had indicated the possibility of a one-stop race, but degradation remains significant and we expect the fastest tire strategy to be two stops.
It is difficult to predict which compound will be used throughout the race, but Mario Isola, head of Pirelli’s motorsport division, believes that a combination of one soft and two hard sets will be the fastest.
In fact, 13 of the 20 riders saved two sets of hard tires for the race. However, Red Bull, Ferrari, and Aston Martin, who are expected to fight for the podium, only have one hard set left. It is important to pay attention to whether all compounds will be used or whether a combination of medium and hard compounds will be used.
By the way, six months ago at last year’s Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen won with a two-stopper that connected medium, medium, and hard.
Courtesy Of Pirelli & C. S.p.A.
Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) passing through the pit lane wearing soft tires, April 5, 2024 F1 Japan GP free practice
In any case, it seems likely that the starting tires will be soft or medium, and the first pit stop window is expected to open around lap 10. Isola says that unlike last year, softs might be a valid choice as a starting tire this year.
Suzuka Circuit has traditionally been difficult to overtake, and this year, which is the third year since the introduction of the ground effect car regulations, it is more difficult than ever to get close to the vehicle in front, making it easy to overtake even if there is a speed difference. Not.
For this reason, it is expected that many teams will take to the grid wearing soft compounds that are expected to provide high grip and aim to improve their positions.
Based on long practice run data, the soft has an advantage of regarding 0.5 seconds per lap over the medium, but following five laps the difference between the two compounds begins to reverse. Hard wheels are regarding 1 second slower per lap compared to soft wheels, but the durability can be expected to be more than twice as long.
None of last year’s top seven finishers used soft tires. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin), who chose soft tires as his starting tires, then used two sets of hard tires to finish 8th.
Furthermore, due to the large degradation, undercuts work very well at Suzuka, but the condition is that you can run an outlap without any cars in front of you.
Suzuka on Sunday is forecast to be sunny and partly cloudy, with a 0% chance of precipitation during the race time, so a dry race is expected.
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