F1 2024 Japan Grand Prix LIVE: Race standings and result as Max ...

“A good weekend for the team. Doing the restart again, it’s hard to do the focus. My start was better but not enough to get Max. We were undercut by Lando so then had to push through the medium stint.

“We are in a good momentum. It’s been a good weekend.”

“I had a good race. It was quite tough out there with the degradation. I had to overtake a lot of cars out there. I could finish my moves but it was tough.

“I thought it’d be difficult to get into P3. Difficult to follow. In the end, we managed.

“China will be a tough weekend for everyone. Sprint for a track we haven’t been in for five years will be a challenge.”

1. Max Verstappen

2. Sergio Perez

3. Carlos Sainz

4. Charles Leclerc

5. Lando Norris

6. Fernando Alonso

7. George Russell

8. Oscar Piastri

9. Lewis Hamilton

10. Yuki Tsunoda

A point for Yuki Tsunoda at his home race!

Verstappen wins in Suzuka for the third year in a row!

Sergio Perez comes home in second for Red Bull’s third one-two finish of the season!

Carlos Sainz finishes on the podium in third for Ferrari!

Verstappen: “Yes! A lovely race, the car felt better throughout the race. Really good result. Great team result, really well done.”

Inevitable now for the Red Bull driver.

Further back, George Russell does take seventh from Oscar Piastri down the main straight!

We know how much Verstappen values that extra point - and he now holds the fastest lap!

His gap to Perez in 13 seconds. Another comfortable day for the reigning world champion.

3-10: Sainz, Leclerc, Norris, Alonso, Piastri, Russell, Hamilton, Tsunoda

Alonso in sixth playing a clever game here, dropping back slightly to give Piastri some DRS in order to keep the McLaren ahead of the Mercedes on medium tyres.

Russell tries a move on Piastri down the inside of the final chicane for seventh place, with the McLaren staying in front after cutting the corner!

Piastri: “He didn’t give me anywhere to go in the chicane, I had to cut.”

Race control are looking into it.

Sainz up into the podium places!

He overtakes Norris down the main straight and two laps later, Leclerc is his next victim!

Tough on Leclerc, who’s made his one-stop strategy work given his starting position of eighth, but he doesn’t fight it given the pace disadvantage.

Out in front, Verstappen has an 11-second lead fo Perez.

Top-10: Verstappen, Perez, Sainz, Leclerc, Norris, Alonso, Piastri, Russell, Hamilton, Tsunoda

Can Tsunoda hold onto 10th place from Lance Stroll in 11th?

Brief yellow flags in Degna 1 as Sargeant goes wide and into the gravel!

He reverses his way precariously back onto the track - but he is now dead-last.

After Albon’s crash on lap one, a day to forget it seems for Williams.

Mercedes do pit Hamilton too - 3.3 secs - and comes out in ninth and nine seconds behind Russell in eighth.

Sainz in fifth is the man to watch, with fresher hard tyres. He is 2.7 secs behind Norris, but could well be eyeing up a podium.