Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying Predictions: Charles Leclerc to score another pole while Max Verstappen draws up right behind
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Japanese Grand Prix
The wait is over for the Japanese Grand Prix, which will mark the first of the last five Grands Prix of the current 2022 F1 season. The Suzuka International Racing Circuit saw some exceptional action on the first day of the Grand Prix weekend as all the drivers took to the racetrack for the Free Practice Sessions. In FP1, many of the teams skipped participation but FP2 saw some interesting developments that have to be dealt with while predicting how the Qualifying Session for the Japanese Grand Prix might go.
Mercedes, the team that hoped for earning their first Grand Prix victory of the season in Singapore but ended up with disappointment, shone through during the Japanese GP FP2 with George Russell clinching P1 followed by Lewis Hamilton in P2. They had the two Red Bulls on their tail. Ferrari was not in the top 5 and Charles Leclerc could only manage P11 after being faced with some reliability issues.
While, in most cases, the FP sessions give an idea about the results of the Qualifying, things might be different in Suzuka. Weather forecast says the Qualis will see completely different conditions, and thus anything can happen. Still, going by the recent results, FP performances and overall outlook, here are our predictions for how the Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying might go on Saturday.
Max Verstappen will lose to Charles Leclerc yet again, failing to secure pole position
At this point, since we are only five races away from the end of the season, it is an obvious fact that Charles Leclerc has shown his prowess on the Qualifying day with 18 pole positions till date, as opposed to Max’s four. Thus, the safe bet would be that Charles Leclerc beats Max Verstappen yet again at securing the best starting position at the Suzuka International Racing Circuit. And our hopes would be Max manages P2 on the grid, this starting from the first row right behind Leclerc.
Daniel Ricciardo will bring more woe to McLaren at the Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying
After the P5 finish in Singapore, Daniel Ricciardo is currently on a high, but unfortunately, it does not seem like he will be getting a top 10 position in tomorrow’s Quali. This prediction is backed by the fact that the Australian could only come 17th amongst the 20 racers who went for the FP2 session.
Fernando Alonso or Sebastian Vettel–one of them will impress with a top 5 starting position
This might seem like too much of a bold prediction for most fans, but we think one of the two F1 veterans–four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel or two-time title-holder Fernando Alonso–will go for the kill in Japan. It is a well-known fact that Sebastian Vettel has claimed Suzuka to be one of his most favorite racing tracks, and Fernando Alonso has won the Japanese Grand Prix twice. Thus, they are both in a position to make a splash with a top 5 start in the Japanese Grand Prix.
These are our predictions for the upcoming Qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix. Now, it must be noted that apart from only two races, none of the Grands Prix in Japan has seen the order of the top 3 racers stay the same from start till the finish. So, a lot of possibilities are still remaining to be explored and we hope to get more answers once the Qualifying is over.
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Riddhi Mondal
(1821 Articles Published)