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The 2023 F1 Japanese GP race weekend ended with the familiar face of Max Verstappen at the top as he sealed the constructors championship for Red Bull. After a poor weekend in Singapore where the car suddenly struggled to perform, it was business as usual in Suzuka as once Max got the jump at the start of the race, he never looked back.
He won the race with a comfortable 20-second lead and was never even remotely challenged all weekend. Lando Norris finished in P2 followed by teammate Oscar Piastri in P3. The Australian got his first podium in F1 this weekend and put together a very impressive run.
With the constructors' championship wrapped up, the drivers' championship is only a formality now, what did we learn at the 2023 F1 Japanese GP? Let's take a look.
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2023 F1 Japanese GP: What did we learn?
#1 The competition has not caught up with Red Bull
It's been a year where Red Bull's closest challenger has continued to change. It started with Aston Martin, then we had Mercedes and now we have Ferrari and McLaren taking turns. Neither of these teams have been able to mount a sustained challenge and close the gap as the season goes on.
As a result, what we have in front of us is a situation where Red Bull has continued to hold the same lead over the entire field from the first race to the 16th. Lewis Hamilton did admit after the 2023 F1 Japanese GP qualifying that it seems almost impossible to close the team gap that the team has against Red Bull by next season. In all fairness, he might just be right about that one.
#2 Sergio Perez will be making Red Bull desperate at this stage
Sergio Perez and the level of his performances have plummeted in such a manner that the Mexican driver was almost not a factor throughout the race. We've reached a point in the season where Max Verstappen almost has double the points of Perez and as a teammate that's a poor look.
The level of performances from the Mexican is surely making Red Bull desperate now and the team will be keeping a keen eye on what Daniel Ricciardo does on his return at AlphaTauri.
#3 When Oscar Piastri 'grows up', the rivalry will get intense with Lando Norris
You could see glimpses of it this weekend, but it's far too obvious right now that Oscar has not yet grasped everything that he needs to reach his peak. He can still match Lando Norris in that car in qualifying but the races are a different story.
Having said that, there will come a time when Oscar is ready and that time will come soon. When it does, we're going to have an intense battle between the two McLaren drivers.
#4 George Russell needs a better approach at Mercedes
The 2023 F1 Japanese GP proved that maybe Russell has been a bit too nice at Mercedes. Getting pushed off the track by his teammate early in the race, costing time to both the drivers, and then being told to let your teammate pass for the team is going to hurt.
The driver has been a little too nice at Mercedes until now and with that approach, he's surely going to be Lewis Hamilton's sidekick for the duration of this partnership.
#5 Charles Leclerc will be happy with this weekend
The weekend in Singapore left Charles Leclerc looking a bit solemn at the end. Not this time around though as he was clearly the faster Ferrari driver all weekend at the 2023 F1 Japanese GP. He's still not as comfortable in the car and that is obvious from the surprisingly smaller gap between him and Sainz in terms of pace.
He'll take it though, a hattrick of P4 finishes for Charles continues his impressive run.
#6 The 'agitated' Fernando Alonso is starting to reappear at Aston Martin
Aston Martin is in a no man's land and it is starting to wear Fernando Alonso out now. The driver was not happy throughout the race and the manner in which drivers jumped him left right and centre on the track only exemplified his anger.
One better hope is that Aston Martin, just like Red Bull, has switched the focus entirely to 2024 very early in the season because if that's not the case, the team is going downhill fast.
#7 Liam Lawson beating Yuki Tsunoda in just his 4th race is a statement performance
Liam Lawson got one over Yuki Tsunoda at the 2023 F1 Japanese GP and while there was a certain element of strategy playing a role it's hard to how such a performance does not get noticed by Red Bull. The rookie has impressed everyone and shown that he deserves to be in F1 and that's the maximum that he could have done.
#8 Logan Sargeant's days are numbered at Williams
The 2023 F1 Japanese GP featured only two moments when Logan Sargeant featured on the broadcast. The first was when he crashed out in qualifying and the second was his contact with Bottas. The driver needs to calm down and be more measured in his approach. In all likelihood though, his days seem numbered at Williams.
#9 Japan continues to have the best crowd
The 2023 F1 Japanese GP once again featured some of the best fans in the world. There is something about the land of the rising sun that we see some of the more educated and aware fans. As a result, they appreciate the nitty gritty and what we get is a brilliant atmosphere for a race.
#10 The penalties during the race need to be looked at again
Sergio Perez got a five-second penalty in Singapore, but it didn't affect his final result. He had a similar transgression this weekend as well at the 2023 F1 Japanese GP and once again the 5-second penalty almost didn't make sense.
Should the incidents be judged in isolation of the consequences? That's what we have been doing until now but maybe there is a discussion to be had on whether that is the right way to about it.
