Max Verstappen extended his leadership in the classification of F1 World Cup after the Japanese GP. The Dutch driver, with his victory in Suzuki this Sunday and the point of the fastest lap, added in full 26 points to reach 400 in the World Cup leader overall. This, along with the abandonment of ‘Checo’ Pérezmaking Verstappen a 177-point margin over the Mexican, a distance that allows him to reach the next F1 Qatar GP with clear options to achieve his third consecutive F1 title.
The Dutchman is banking on himself to clinch his third Losail crown in two weeks. If he wins the race, he will be the champion, because it is enough for him to add 3 more points than ‘Checo’. All this, thanks to his huge margin in the World Championship classification after the 2023 F1 Japanese GP, which allows him to compete for the crown in Qatar, among others 5 races to go before the end of the World Cup.
In second position in the F1 World Championship standings after the Japanese GP, the retirement of ‘Checo’ Pérez means that Hamilton is just 33 points away from the runners-up position after finishing 5th in the race. Alonso, in that fight since the start of the course, went a little further after finishing 8th at Suzuka. Today, the Asturian is 16 points behind Hamilton, who passed him in previous races due to the move in front of his Mercedes and the evolutionary stagnation of Aston Martin, which is no longer the second best car on the grid.
Meanwhile, Singapore’s new winner, Carlos Sainz, was damaged by Ferrari’s strategy and lost a place to Hamilton in the race as a result. As a result, he lost some valuable points in his fierce battle with Leclerc for 5th place in the World Cup. The Madrid native is only 15 points behind his Monegasque teammate thanks to the 4th position Charles achieved in Japan.
The 2023 F1 World Championship classification after the F1 Japanese GP:
- Max Verstappen 400
- Sergio Perez 223
- Lewis Hamilton 190
- Fernando Alonso 174
- Carlos Sainz 150
- Charles Leclerc 135
- Lando Norris 115
- George Russell 115
- Oscar Piastri 57
- Lance Stroll 47
- Pierre Gasly 46
- Esteban Ocon 38
- Alexander Albon 21
- Nico Hulkenberg 9
- Valtteri Bottas 6
- Zhou Guanyu 4
- Yuki Tsunoda 3
- Kevin Magnussen 3
- Liam Lawson 2 (replaced Ricciardo due to injury)
- Logan Sergeant 0
- Nyck De Vries 0 (no team)
- Daniel Ricciardo 0 (injured)
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
