Japan
WHAT THE TEAMS SAID
RACE REACTIONS FROM THE FORMULA 1 LENOVO JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 2025
Williams
Alex
ALBON
"We’ve been experimenting with shift settings all weekend and we thought we’d finally landed on something we were happy with. Turns out, it actually felt much better in Qualifying than it did in the race. The car wasn’t easy to drive in the conditions either. In practice on Friday, the wind suited us more, but it was completely different today. We still scored points though! It just shows that even on days when we’re not that optimal, we’re able to score points. In that sense, I’m very happy."
Carlos
SAINZ
"Unfortunately, as expected, it was a difficult race stuck in traffic after a costly Saturday, with some details to polish in Qualifying and then the penalty. On a positive note, I think the pace was there. I was comfortable with the car, managed to do some good overtakes and overall learnt a lot out there on track. Now the focus is to carry the positive feeling of this weekend on to the next GPs and build from here. Once I start putting everything together, I know better results will come. On to Bahrain!"
Haas
Oliver
BEARMAN
"I think we achieved the maximum, not quite enough pace to fight the Williams or the VCARB so P10 it is, but I enjoyed my lonely race. Australia was a big shock, and China was an even bigger shock for all of us as to come back with such great pace without changing anything on the car. This weekend we brought a slightly different floor to help the bouncing we’ve been struggling with and it seems like so far, so good. We have a lot of positives from this weekend so we’ll take a point and look forward to Bahrain."
Esteban
OCON
"The aim was to pick up a Safety Car as we started on the Hard compound – we didn’t have much to lose trying this strategy – and still managed to get a good start. Sadly, without a Safety Car it wasn’t the best strategy and we knew that, we tried our best – but it is more data, and more information to compare for next race. The important thing is that we transfer the good performance we saw on Ollie’s car, so a big well done to him, and to the team for bringing updates after Australia."
Aston Martin
Fernando
ALONSO
"It was a difficult race at Suzuka and despite our best efforts we missed out on the points. The first half of the race I had Pierre [Gasly] within one-second and then Yuki [Tsunoda] close for the second half of the race, so I couldn't make a mistake. Suzuka is a great circuit, and I really enjoy racing here, but it's very hard to overtake on this track. We need to improve our car performance going forward and I'm looking forward to that development."
Lance
STROLL
"Ultimately there wasn't much we could do [at Suzuka] – we tried to make up some positions at the start, but it wasn't possible. It was still an opportunity to learn what we could, with set-ups for Bahrain, and we'll take that forward. It was just one of those days and we will see what we can do next weekend."
Alpine
Pierre
GASLY
"[Japan] was not our race and there are definitely a few things for us to analyse. It felt like we did everything we could in terms of performance. The car felt good, well balanced and we know where we are lacking a bit of pace. It was an intense first lap, quite dicey with Fernando [Alonso] and we missed out on a place there even if it was a fun battle. We lost a bit of time at the pit stop so we’ll review what happened there and we know how important track position is around [Suzuka] in terms of traffic and pace management. We gave it our best and it was not enough to be near the points. We have a good chance in Bahrain where the car seemed to perform well in pre-season testing. Conditions will be different to then, though, but it’s a chance to reset and hopefully we can come away with a much better outcome."
Jack
DOOHAN
"It was good to get another full race distance under my belt and continue to gain experience and understanding of the package. Given our starting position, we went more aggressive with tyre strategy with the Softs at the start, which allowed us to attack and gave us the best chance to move forward with the undercut. That also meant we ran a longer second stint on the Hard tyres and had to defend towards the end. I think we did well to keep Nico [Hulkenberg] at bay, but it was a pity we could not keep Carlos [Sainz] behind on the newer Softs. It was positive to move forward at a track that’s difficult to overtake and the race pace also felt strong despite no high fuel running. We will take a couple of days between races to rest and recover. I’m looking forward to going again in Bahrain where the conditions will be completely different again."
Kick Sauber
Nico
HULKENBERG
"The car didn’t feel too bad [in Japan], and I would have liked the chance to explore its full potential a bit more. But Suzuka is a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult, and that really defined the race. I spent most of the time in traffic, which made it hard to make any real progress and ultimately turned it into a fairly uneventful race. That’s obviously a bit frustrating. We know there’s still work to do – both in terms of overall pace and car characteristics – and the race underlined that once again. It‘s still early in the season and we continue to learn with every race weekend."
Gabriel
BORTOLETO
"Even though I was obviously aiming for more than the final result, I’m leaving Suzuka satisfied with how the weekend unfolded. I have learned a lot – it’s been a steady learning curve since Melbourne, and I am feeling more in control with each session. I want to thank the team both trackside and back at base in Hinwil for this, as they are always by my side with their unwavering support. Unfortunately, I didn’t get off to the best start and found myself at the back of the pack. Climbing back through the field proved difficult, especially at a circuit like Suzuka where overtaking is notoriously tough. I’m taking all the experience and learnings with me as we head to Bahrain for the second leg of this triple header."
