Only fifth last weekend in Singapore after winning ten races in a row, Max Verstappen will be keen to restore order in Japan. Find all the information to follow the Grand Prix.
[Updated September 21 at 8:40 p.m.] A small earthquake hit Singapore last Sunday on the Marine Bay circuit. Max Verstappen did not win the Grand Prix, a first since…April 30 in Baku (Azerbaijan). It was also the first time this season that the reigning double world champion did not reach the podium in a race. Only 11th on the starting grid, the Dutchman managed to gain several places, in particular by delaying his pit stop as much as possible, but that was not enough to join the fight for victory in the company of the Ferraris, the Mercedes and Lando Norris’ McLaren.
With only a week between the Singapore and Japanese Grands Prix, Max Verstappen will not have had time to think too much. The Red Bull driver, still very much in the lead in the world championship, arrives in the land of the rising sun with a vengeful spirit and the firm intention of launching a new series of victories. It was on the Suzuka circuit that he won his second world crown last year after an event shortened after violent precipitation which caused more than two hours of interruption.
During this sixteenth round of the season, Max Verstappen will undoubtedly have to scrape with the Ferrari drivers who were exhilarated after Carlos Sainz’s magnificent victory last week. Author of the pole and a race enhanced by good strategic choices – notably during the last laps where he let Lando Norris come back on him so that the Briton benefits from DRS in order to protect himself from the thunderous returns of the Mercedes of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton -, the Spaniard therefore became the first driver from a team other than Red Bull to win in 2023. Enough to boost the confidence of the Scuderia – Charles Leclerc having for his part signed a nice third place – then that the Japanese Grand Prix will mark the start of the final third of the season this weekend.
You will have to be very early to follow the sixteenth Grand Prix of the season live. Due to the seven-hour time difference between Japan and France, the various events will take place at night or early in the morning in France. Thus, Friday like Saturday, the drivers will be on the track from 4:30 a.m. (French time) for free practice sessions 1 and 3. It will be a little “easier” to watch free practice 2 and qualifying, scheduled for these same days from 8 a.m. The start of the race will be given at 7 a.m. on Sunday (2 p.m. in Suzuka).
The Japanese Grand Prix will be broadcast exclusively on the channels of the Canal group, holder of the rights to the Formula 1 world championship. The three free practice sessions as well as the qualifying sessions will be broadcast on Canal Sport. Only the race, Sunday from 7 a.m., will have the honors of the premium channel.
Do you prefer to follow the Grand Prix on your computer, tablet or from the warmth of your bed with your smartphone and your duvet? No problem, this sixteenth Grand Prix of the season will of course also be watchable in streaming. Two possibilities are open to you: access to the Canal streaming platform MyCanal or via the official F1 website, F1.com. Both will offer the entire practice sessions, qualifying sessions and races live but also in replay. On MyCanal, activating expert mode also allows you to combine screens, multi-cameras (including on-board cameras) and data, for example pilot times in real time. On F1.com, live broadcasting of testing and the race is supplemented by replays, documentaries and even historical reminders via the F1TV Pro service, offered at 64.99 euros per year or 7.99 euros per month.
