Max Verstappen has a mission in Japan: to be crowned twice champion of the Formula 1, which seems impossible for the Dutchman to dodge even if he is not in the wet Suzuka. But he is not the only one who has something at stake in the outcome of the championship.

With seats yet to be confirmed for the 2023 season, some pilots risk their stay and among them are Mick Schumacherwho made a mistake that cost him his second training but which could cost him even more.

The rain, as expected, was the protagonist of the start of the Japanese Grand Prix activity, on the 18th of a season over which Verstappen dominates Charles Leclerc Y Red Bull On ferrari in both leagues.

Perhaps this is why the Dutchman did not risk too much and was only sixth in the initial round, which had a Spanish 1-2 with Fernando Alonso (Alpine) and Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), and third in the second, dominated by George’s Mercedes. Russell and Lewis Hamilton.

Contrary to what experience taught Verstappen, who debuted at Suzuka as a test driver on October 3, 2014, Schumacher sinned as a rookie on the Japanese circuit where his father was king. He had already finished the first session, with him in an interesting seventh place -four tenths behind the World Cup leader-, when the German started training he starts on a main straight that is different from the rest because it is downhill.

What the director of the international television camera did not expect was what would happen moments later. “Oh, too much aquaplaning, wow”the champion driver of F3 and F2 was told before arriving in F1 in 2021. “Yes I’m fine”he then replied to his engineer Haas on the radio. What was wrong was his car.

The 23-year-old pilot lost control of the Haas at the exit of Turn 7, spun and collided with safety barrierscausing significant damage to the front of the VF-22.

With a two-hour break between free practice sessions, Haas later took to social media to confirm that Schumacher would not finish second due to a required chassis change.

“Yes, obviously it was quite rainy, unfortunately we had a small moment of aquaplaning that made us lose the rear triangle. Of course, that’s not surprising. We lost some time, especially in the FP2 session because we didn’t go out, mainly for safety and chassis reasons “, explained Michael Schumacher’s son.

Furthermore, the German stressed that “the track is excellent” and that his car felt “very good” this Friday. “Tomorrow it should be dry, so we’ll see what we can all do,” he added.

After two seasons at Haas, Schumacher’s future with the team, and in F1 in general, remains in the air as the wait continues to see how final developments in the driver market for 2023 unfold.

The rumors began in June after the Haas split in two on the streets of Monte Carlo in what was the second destruction of a car in just seven races.

But he later climbed the charts, adding his first points in F1 in Austria, where he was sixth and took eight, and in Great Britain, where he took 4 of his eighth place, which allowed him to accumulate 12 in 38 grand prizesafter not adding the first 30.

Unexpected winners in some wet tests

Even though Mercedes is the king in Suzuka, where it has been undefeated since 2014that George Russell and Lewis Hamilton achieved the best times on the first day, in the second training session, cannot be said to be a clear reflection of what could happen on Saturday in qualifying (at 3 in Argentina on ESPN and Star +) or in Sunday’s race, where unstable weather conditions are also expected.

The first two free practice sessions on Friday, in the rain, were insignificant for the teams ahead of qualifying.

“It won’t be very representative for the weekend, even if there is a chance of rain on Sunday.”recognized Russell, who with a time of 1: 41.935 brought his Mercedes ahead of Hamilton by 235 thousandths and is the only driver – apart from Ferrari or Red Bull – to have obtained a pole position this season, in Hungary.

Max Verstappen, the outstanding leader of the world championship before this 18th round of 22, finished the first day on Japanese soil in third position, almost a second behind Russell. “We were lucky to have been able to race today”recognized Dutch, for which “everything starts from scratch tomorrow dry”.

His teammate Checo Pérez achieved the fourth fastest time of the second session while Leclerc he completed only 10 laps with his Ferrari, setting a decent 11th time, behind Mercedes and Red Bull, as well as Kevin Magnussen (Haas), teammate Sainz, Fernando Alonso (Alpine), Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo), Esteban Ocon (Alpine) and Guanyu Zhou (Alfa Romeo), who closed the first 10.

Spaniard Alonso, used to improving his performance in the rain and already a winner at Suzuka in 2006, set the best time in the first session on Fridaywith a time of 1: 42.248, more than three tenths from the Ferraris of Sainz and Leclerc, who accompanied him.

There Verstappen, who can keep the title on Sunday if he wins the race and sets the fastest lap, had to settle for sixth place.

In that first contact with the Japanese track, however, training was disappointing for Mercedes: seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton was in 13th position and his teammate George Russell, in 18th.

What Verstappen needs to be champion

Max Verstappen, after the painful seventh place in Singapore, has a new chance to win his two-time Scudetto in Japan, by the 18 date of the World Cup with which he dominates 104 points ahead of Charles Leclerc. The options are varied.

Only the Ferrari driver and his Red Bull teammate Sergio Pérez are still able to dethrone the reigning champion, as George Russell, with the second Mercedes, was eliminated from the battle for the title by finishing last (14th and two laps). and not scoring points on the Marina Bay Street course last Sunday.

With 138 points up for grabs (considering that each of the remaining five grands prizes awards 25 points to the winner, plus each point for the fastest lap and 8 for the sprint race in Brazil on November 12), Verstappen he must leave the circuit located 400 kilometers south of Tokyo with a 112 point advantage.

If successful, the Dutch will become the third driver to secure the title with four races remaining in the championship. Who were the others? The Germans Michael Schumacher, in 2001 and 2004, and Sebastian Vettel in 2011, always with Red Bull.

With this scenario, a victory by Verstappen in the Japanese Grand Prix will allow him to be champion even if Leclerc gets on the podium, as long as he is on the third step or even lower. But one detail can crown it beyond what the Ferrari driver does: win the race and score the point on the fastest lap.