Valtteri Bottas was on pole position and after the start and restart it looked like there would be no problem for the Finn, but in the end it turned out to be no more than third place. The Mercedes driver was unable to follow the pace of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen after the first and only pit stop of the day. Bottas is not entirely satisfied.
"It was tricky today," the Finn said after the race. "I don't know what happened in the first stint. I didn't have the pace for unknown reason and we have to take a look at that but I think the second stint was pretty good. We had a bit of an issue with a sensor so I couldn't get Max."
When asked why his car looked better on a lower fuel load the Finn was unsure.
"I don't know really. Overall we had a strong package. I don't know why it didn't work in the first stint."
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Japanese Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 27.03.26
Practice 1
02:30 AM
Practice 2
06:00 AM
Saturday 28.03.26
Practice 3
02:30 AM
Qualification
06:00 AM
Sunday 29.03.26
Race
05:00 AM
Friday 27.03.26
Practice 1
Fri 02:30 AM
Practice 2
Fri 06:00 AM
Saturday 28.03.26
Practice 3
Sat 02:30 AM
Qualification
Sat 06:00 AM
Sunday 29.03.26
Race
Sun 05:00 AM
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F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 51 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 47 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 34 | |
4 | FerrariFER | 33 | |
5 | HaasHAA | 17 | |
6 | McLarenMCL | 15 | |
7 | AlpineALP | 9 | |
8 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 8 | |
9 | Racing BullsRCB | 8 | |
10 | Racing BullsRCB | 4 |
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