MAX Verstappen took control of a time-limited, rain-delayed Japanese Grand Prix in Suzuka to take a comfortable win in difficult conditions, never seriously threatened by his closest rival, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. An error at the final corner caused Leclerc to hand 2nd place to Verstappen’s team mate Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing scoring a memorable 1-2 at Honda’s home track.

The race witnessed close battles throughout the field but also saw controversy when Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly came upon a recovery truck on the circuit. The FIA, Formula 1’s governing body, is to investigate the incident following heavy criticism by teams and drivers regarding the safety car and red flag procedures, including the deployment of a recovery truck.

“This was a fantastic performance by Max, the kind of race you dream about when going for the World Championship title,” said Mika Hakkinen. “He said before the weekend that he just wanted it to be perfect, especially following the problems he and the team had in Singapore a week ago. Pole position wasn’t easy – only 0.01s fastest than Charles’s Ferrari! – but Max managed to pull the lap together really well.”

“His race start was incredible because it looked as though Charles had taken the lead but Max has so much confidence and held on. You can use that outside line at the first corner in the wet. It’s typical of what a kart racer can do, and Max used all his experience to take control and put Charles behind. From then on he was in a class of his own – really on top of the car. To win by 27 seconds after such a short race was brilliant. Max’s 12th win of the year really shows how much he deserved this year’s World Championship – he dominated.”

“I am also very happy for Red Bull’s technical boss Adrian Newey. It was thanks to his work at McLaren that I had great cars with which to win both my World Championship titles and he is still winning at Red Bull all these years later. He really is the most successful designer in F1 history, and although I know he has a great team of design engineers working with him, his technical leadership is just brilliant. Even during Mercedes’ dominant years Red Bull remained competitive and it’s amazing to see Adrian’s team take advantage of this year’s new regulations to win another title. Congratulations to him.”

With the race red flagged shortly after the start due to an accident involving Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and worsening weather conditions, Alpha Tauri’s Pierre Gasly had a frightening experience when faced with a recovery truck on the circuit. It was in Suzuka in 2014 that Jules Bianchi suffered fatal injuries when his Marussia car hit a crane which was recovering a damaged car.

“Safety is the most important outcome for everyone in Formula 1,” said Mika Hakkinen. “This means for the drivers, teams, marshals and spectators. The FIA and F1 have worked hard to improve safety, and we know that Jules Bianchi’s accident in 2014 was a really tragic moment from which everyone tried to learn. That was the only fatal driver accident in the last 28 years and we do not want another.”

“What happened on Sunday is a concern because it was clear that Pierre got a big shock when he saw a truck on the circuit. He has now been penalised for driving too fast under red flag conditions, but it is good to see the FIA launch a review of events because it is easy for a driver to be distracted, not see a signal or not realise what is happening, particularly in conditions of poor visibility. We need systems in place that make certain everyone knows what it going on. Everyone is determined to keep this sport as safe as possible, and every incident gives us an opportunity to learn, improve and avoid a repeat.”

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