Max Verstappen likely to lift title in Japan as he holds 0.12s advantage over Ferrari

Red Bull Racing set the fastest pace in the race simulations during Friday practice, with their pace being 0.12 seconds over Ferrari.

On Friday, the practice took place for the Japanese Grand Prix. From the race simulations done by the teams, Red Bull once again looks like the team to beat. According to the race simulation data, Red Bull is said to be the fastest.

The Milton-Keyes-based team is followed by rivals Ferrari, lagging by 0.12 seconds. At the same time, Mercedes are relatively distant from the top two teams. They are said to be around 0.56 seconds behind in terms of race pace.

Other takeaways from the data show us the close battle between Alpine and McLaren. The two teams have been inseparable throughout the season. The situation seems to be the same in Suzuka as well.

Regarding race pace, Alpine and McLaren are said to be 0.03 seconds within each other. McLaren is expected to be faster on Sunday.

Red Bull hopes the race pace will come through on Sunday with mixed conditions expected for the Japanese Grand Prix. This edge will give Max Verstappen the best chance to seal his second world championship on Sunday. Alpine will look to step up to recover from their double DNF in Singapore.

With Sunday expected to be mixed conditions https://t.co/42XicoGB32‘s race sim data suggests Red Bull are fastest just like quali sim pace by 0.12s over Ferrari followed by Mercedes just over 0.5s behind then McLaren jumping Alpine in race trim. pic.twitter.com/upUxOxh5tf

— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) October 7, 2022

Also read: when and where to watch the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix main race?

Results from Friday’s Practice sessions in Suzuka

On Friday, the practice took place for the Japanese Grand Prix. In FP1, the session was topped by Fernando Alonso with a lap time of 1:42.248. The Spaniard did seven laps in FP1.

He was followed by Ferrari Drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc. Meanwhile, champion-elect Max Verstappen finished P6 on the timing chart.

The Ferrari drivers who looked promising in FP1 had seen Sainz finish 6th and Leclerc in 11th. While no result will translate into points, it sets up the rest of the race weekend.

#F1 – @GeorgeRussell63 set the fastest time during FP2 in front of @LewisHamilton and @Max33Verstappen at the @F1 Japanese Grand Prix#JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/nnyaipps0S

— FIA (@fia) October 7, 2022

What does it mean for the Japanese Grand Prix?

Red Bull Racing hopes their good race pace will bring them points on Sunday. Max Verstappen has the chance to seal his second world championship on Sunday.

It could be the second time a Red Bull driver has sealed the championship on Sunday. Sebastian Vettel sealed his second championship for Red Bull in Suzuka in 2011.

Alpine will also look to improve its performance to recover from the double DNF it had back in Singapore. While McLaren will look to keep the race pace advantage and close down the 4-point gap on Alpine.

Also Read: How Max Verstappen can win the 2022 F1 title in Japan