Is Tsunoda An Improvement On Lawson? F1 Q&a

Max Verstappen won nan Japanese Grand Prix for nan 4th successive clip arsenic he fended disconnected McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Formula 1 now heads to Bahrain for nan 2nd title of a triple-header, from 11-13 April.

Before that, BBC Sport F1 analogous Andrew Benson answers your questions.

Why do drivers complaint Suzuka arsenic their favourite circuit erstwhile rod usually wins and location is very small chance of overtaking? Sunday's title was rather boring erstwhile Max Verstappen sewage to nan first area earlier Lando Norris. - Stuart

The 2 things - nan conception of a favourite circuit and 1 wherever overtaking is very difficult and nan racing truthful sometimes uneventful - are not mutually exclusive.

Just look astatine Monaco. The drivers emotion nan situation of nan track, but judge nan title is apt going to beryllium processional. So excessively pinch Suzuka.

Some drivers did remark connected nan deficiency of action. But Fernando Alonso had a much nuanced take.

Alonso has won astatine some Monaco and Suzuka, and made 1 of his top - 1 of the top - overtaking moves location erstwhile he passed Michael Schumacher's Ferrari astir nan extracurricular of 130R successful 2005.

Alonso said: "This is Suzuka. I don't retrieve a title galore times successful nan past wherever location is tons of overtaking without nan upwind changing.

"It seems each twelvemonth we repetition ever connected Thursday really awesome Suzuka is, really awesome Monaco is, nan glamour, nan spectacular weekend, and past connected Sunday we aftermath up and say: 'Ah, Monaco is boring, what tin we do to nan track? Suzuka is boring.'

"Instead of looking astatine nan negative, I effort to bask nan experience, and it was different awesome Suzuka."

One point is worthy mentioning here. The resurfacing of nan way successful nan first assemblage changed Suzuka this twelvemonth from a circuit wherever tyre degradation was high, to 1 wherever it was low.

That changed nan title from a two-stop strategy to a one. Add successful nan trouble of overtaking to an arena wherever location were nary important tyre-pace offsets developing, and nan title was ever apt to beryllium processional.

This, though, led to a title that was driven beautiful overmuch level retired each nan measurement by nan drivers. And that - uncommon successful nan Pirelli era - they enjoy.

So conscionable because it fell short arsenic entertainment, arsenic a situation for nan drivers, it was very real.

Max Verstappen - sensational each play connected his measurement to triumph - said: "It was a nosy race. The full title I saw 2 orangish cars successful my reflector and, particularly those past 20 laps, we were pushing rather difficult retired there. You had to support connected fighting it, fundamentally being connected nan limit."

On nan limit for an hr and a half astir nan top circuit connected nan planet. No racing driver is ever going to find that boring.

Bahrain Grand Prix

Given nan demotion to Racing Bulls for Liam Lawson, what are Jack Doohan's chances looking for illustration astatine Alpine fixed that Franco Colapinto is simply a reserve driver? - Anjum

Well, nan first point to opportunity is conscionable because Red Bull demoted Lawson, that does not needfully mean Alpine will do nan aforesaid to Doohan.

On nan surface, nan Australian has had a traumatic commencement to nan season. In 3 races truthful far, he has had 2 massive, costly crashes. One erstwhile he spun successful nan bedewed successful Australia, and 1 successful Friday believe successful Japan. Both were his errors.

Doohan was not nan only driver to clang successful nan difficult bedewed conditions successful Melbourne. Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz besides did. And galore much drivers spun aliases made mistakes.

And location were immoderate important mitigating circumstances successful Suzuka.

Doohan's clang was caused by him entering Turn One pinch nan DRS overtaking assistance still open. So nan car didn't person capable downforce to header pinch nan G-forces connected it.

He had been doing nan aforesaid successful nan simulator successful mentation for nan race, reasoning nan DRS was closing automatically. But pinch nan mini assistance he had connected this peculiar lap, it did not.

At nan aforesaid time, fixed his inexperience, it possibly would person been a bully thought for nan engineers to punctual him of it.

Alpine, though, had not realised he had been doing this successful nan simulator.

Another mitigating facet was Doohan was nether unit to dress up clip because he had missed first believe while reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa was fixed an outing successful his car.

Why did Alpine not put Hirakawa successful team-mate Pierre Gasly's car for first believe fixed Doohan's deficiency of acquisition astatine Suzuka? They had a difficult play successful China and wanted to measure immoderate caller set-up ideas, for which they felt they needed Gasly's experience.

Despite nan 2 large accidents, Alpine consciousness Doohan has, connected balance, had a affirmative commencement to nan season, pinch immoderate promising gait hidden by immoderate unfortunate circumstances.

But he is surely not safe yet.

Should they determine to switch him, Alpine person 2 reserve drivers who could perchance measurement up - Colapinto and Estonian Paul Aron.

Since signing Colapinto from Williams, pursuing his cameo domiciled successful nan last fewer races of past season, nan mentation has been nan entree to Latin American money nan Argentine gives intends Doohan is connected borrowed time.

But that threat seems to person diminished for now, nan backing possibly much theoretical than real.

Ultimately, though, Doohan's destiny rests connected nan whim of Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore. He'll determine what he decides, erstwhile he decides it.

Was Yuki Tsunoda's Red Bull debut a success, and is he an betterment connected Liam Lawson? - Ed

Tsunoda group himself nan target of scoring points connected debut astatine Red Bull, and vanished nan title 12th, down nan Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso. So, by nan standards he group himself, it was not a success.

Red Bull want Tsunoda to beryllium scoring bully points to boost their bid for nan constructors' title. So by their standards, it was not a occurrence either.

Having said that, it surely showed promise.

He started disconnected strongly, being adjacent connected gait to Max Verstappen successful first practice, and was again looking decent successful last practice.

In first qualifying, again he was only 0.1secs from Verstappen.

For 2nd qualifying, Red Bull chose to springiness him 1 group of utilized tyres and 1 of caller - not different for a speedy driver successful a speedy car, but possibly a correction fixed his deficiency of acquisition pinch nan team.

That meant he had only 1 realistic changeable astatine getting into nan apical 10 shootout. And Tsunoda made an correction connected his only flying thigh connected caller tyres, going into Turn One 15km/h faster than ever before, and having a moment.

His title was dictated by qualifying 14th, but he did overtake Lawson connected thigh 1 past propulsion disconnected an undercut walk connected Pierre Gasly's Alpine.

As for comparisons pinch Lawson earlier him, Tsunoda was a definite measurement up. He was faster than Lawson ever was, and looked a batch much successful power and confident.

But he will person to do amended than this successful nan early to person immoderate chance of keeping a spot astatine Red Bull successful 2026.

How apt is it that George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli will title for Mercedes successful 2026, pinch some retired of statement this year? – John

The reply to this mobility depends wholly upon Max Verstappen.

If nan world champion decides to enactment astatine Red Bull, Mercedes will support Russell and Antonelli adjacent year.

If he decides to move, Mercedes is his astir apt option, successful which lawsuit Toto Wolff would person to determine which driver to keep.

On capacity correct now, that would beryllium Russell. But Antonelli is only 18, conscionable 3 races into his career, and believed to person rich | promise. Jettisoning him aft a twelvemonth would beryllium harsh indeed.

In that scenario, Russell is apt to beryllium an charismatic campaigner to Red Bull, too.

What will Verstappen do? For now, he is relaxed and waiting to spot really nan play develops. He is nether statement to Red Bull until nan extremity of 2028, but has performance-related get-out clauses if he wants to leave.

The trouble successful making immoderate determination astir nan early is no-one is perfectly definite what adjacent twelvemonth and beyond will look for illustration successful position of engines.

Mercedes are wide believed to beryllium up connected improvement of nan caller 2026 power-units. But their early is uncertain.

FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem is pushing for an early abandonment of nan 2026 motor look and a return to people aspirated V10s moving connected sustainable fuel. Why, he has yet to explain. But for now each that matters is he is.

That nonstop way looks improbable to happen. Ferrari and Red Bull backmost nan V10 idea, but it is not appealing to Mercedes, Honda aliases Audi - and that's much than capable manufacturers to ballot that thought down nether F1's norm structures.

But that does not mean a alteration won't travel earlier 2031 - nan existent extremity of nan caller motor regs.

Perhaps manufacturers would work together to a different, bigger motor - a V8, for illustration - pinch a turbo and immoderate hybrid element, but not arsenic overmuch arsenic nan 50% of full powerfulness planned for adjacent year.

There is simply a gathering to talk F1's early motor guidance successful Bahrain connected Friday and no-one knows what nan conclusion will beryllium - aliases so if location will beryllium one.

Verstappen will hold a small longer to spot really things guidelines connected galore fronts earlier making immoderate determination connected his future.

Between a packed calendar, different commitments and strict regulations connected costs, really overmuch clip do F1 drivers really get to practise driving their cars during a season? Is it mostly simulator based? – Arv

In-season testing successful existent cars is forbidden by F1's regulations.

Drivers are allowed to trial successful cars that are much than a twelvemonth old. This was unrestricted for a while, but has for 2025 been constricted for existent drivers to 1,000km a year.

Drivers tin besides participate successful Pirelli tyre improvement tests successful nan latest cars, aliases immoderate spec of car is required, if called upon.

Other than that, nan only "practice" they get is successful nan simulator.

Whether nan champion drivers successful nan world request immoderate believe successful a twelvemonth successful which location are 24 grands prix is different question.