FACTS AND STATS: Tsunoda makes his point at home as Verstappen matches Schumacher’s Suzuka hat-trick

Virtual Statman

Sean Kelly
Share
SUZUKA, JAPAN - APRIL 07: Yuki Tsunoda of Scuderia Visa Cash App RB celebrates finishing in 10th

It was action all the way in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, as the 2024 season witnessed it’s fourth one-two result in as many races. But there were plenty of other fascinating numbers to come from the 53-lap Suzuka encounter. Here’s our round-up of those you need to know…

• Verstappen today won a third straight Suzuka race, something only previously achieved by Michael Schumacher (2000-2002).

• Verstappen won from pole position for the 30th time in his career.

RACE REPORT: Verstappen leads home Perez for Red Bull one-two at Japanese GP after early drama

• Verstappen today became the fourth driver in history to reach 3,000 career laps led (after Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton).

• Today’s was the fifth consecutive Japanese Grand Prix in which the winning margin was over 10 seconds.

• Verstappen made his first F1 weekend appearance at Suzuka in 2014, in a practice session for Toro Rosso.

SUZUKA, JAPAN - APRIL 07: Second placed Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing and

A strong Suzuka weekend for Sergio Perez puts the Mexican second the standings

• Today marked Red Bull’s 31st one-two finish, only two behind Williams for fourth place on the all-time list.

• Sergio Perez finished second to Verstappen for the second time in the last three Japanese Grands Prix (it also happened in 2022).

READ MORE: Verstappen overjoyed by victory comeback at Suzuka as he says race ‘couldn’t have been better’

• As a result Perez retakes second place in the drivers’ championship from Charles Leclerc.

• No season before this has ever started with four consecutive one-two finishes involving multiple constructors (three for Red Bull and one for Ferrari).

• Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz has a 100 percent podium finishing record whenever he has started a race in 2024.

• Sainz now has three podium finishes already this year (he did not finish on the podium in the first 13 races of last season).

READ MORE: Sainz thrilled with third place in Japan after making multiple overtakes during ‘tough’ race

• Three of the four races this season have seen a Red Bull one-two with a Ferrari in third place.

• The Japan podium today was identical to the opening race of the year in Bahrain.

• Leclerc hasn’t finished lower than fourth in any race this year.

• Leclerc finished fourth in Japan for the second year in a row.

SUZUKA, JAPAN - APRIL 07: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1

It was an uncharacteristically poor Japan result for Lewis Hamilton

• Lando Norris took P5 for McLaren and finished 10 seconds further behind Verstappen than he did last year, when he finished second.

• At Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso’s P6 was his best result at Suzuka since 2013.

• Mercedes’ George Russell finished seventh at Suzuka for the second consecutive year.

• McLaren’s Oscar Piastri came home in P8 and now has two fourth places and two eighth places this year.

HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from the Japanese Grand Prix as Verstappen wins following early red flag

• P9 for Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton marked the first time he has finished outside the top-five at Suzuka since the hybrid era began in 2014.

• With P10 for RB, Yuki Tsunoda became the first Japanese driver to score points in his home race since Kamui Kobayashi in 2012.

• Nico Hulkenberg took P11 for Haas and thus missed out on a third consecutive point-scoring race by only one position.

• With P14, Valtteri Bottas equaled Kick Sauber's best result of 2024.

• Williams’ Alex Albon crashed out at the start after contact with Daniel Ricciardo – two of Albon's four career lap-one eliminations have come at Suzuka (2022, 2024).

READ MORE: Ricciardo and Albon give their views on first-lap clash at Suzuka as stewards opt against further action

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Coming Up

Coming Up

Feature

FACTS AND STATS: Sainz chasing a first Ferrari win in Mexico for over three decades – but Norris arguably has a better starting slot