F1 Preview: Japanese Grand Prix

Russian recap

Hamilton claimed victory around Sochi to maintain Mercedes' 100% record at the circuit. It was a silver arrows 1-2 after Bottas held off the late charge of Leclerc. The two Red Bulls followed with Verstappen ahead of Albon - who came through the field impressively after starting in the pit lane following a crash in qualifying.

Sainz was arguably the driver of the day after brining home his McLaren in a best of the rest 6th place ahead of Perez who himself has been in fine form since the summer break. It wasn't such a good day for the Williams team who suffered their first double DNF of 2019. With just 5 races left of the season Hamilton has taken a giant step towards sealing his 6th drivers championship.

Russian GP Top 10: 1. Hamilton, 2. Bottas, 3. Leclerc, 4. Verstappen, 5. Albon, 6. Sainz, 7. Perez, 8. Norris, 9. Magnussen, 10. Hulkenberg

Japanese GP

Last year Hamilton come out on top around the Suzuka circuit, finishing ahead of team-mate Bottas with Verstappen in 3rd. A repeat of last year would see Hamilton within touching distance of his 6th driver's championship. Can Red Bull dent his charge at what is Honda's home race or can Ferrari bounce back from the disappointment of Russia?

Top 10 prediction - 1. Leclerc, 2. Hamilton, 3. Verstappen, 4. Vettel, 5. Bottas, 6. Albon, 7. Perez, 8. Ricciardo, 9. Sainz, 10. Gasly

Good luck with those picks and enjoy the race!

By Jack Lowe #KeepFightingMichael

Update: Since Jack kindly wrote this piece for us, there have been some announcements regarding plans to combat the impact of Typhoon Hagibis which is expected to hit Japan on Saturday. Qualifying has been moved to Sunday (the pick deadines have been adjusted accordingly), but should it still be cancelled due to the weather, FP2 standings will decide the grid for Sunday afternoon's race.

These are the FP2 standings:



Remember to make your F1 Predictor and F1 Fantasy picks.