A few of Red Bull’s sponsors might want to negotiate a cheaper deal when renewal time comes around. Max Verstappen cruised to victory in the Japanese Grand Prix, ahead of his team-mate Sergio Perez, but he seemed to barely feature in the TV pictures that were beamed from Suzuka.
So accustomed are we to an unchallenged run to the flag that Max was once again left to his own devices, while our screens were filled with the closely fought battles raging behind.
For the record, Verstappen scored the 57th victory of his career in Japan to give Red Bull its third 1-2 of the season. And despite failing to finish the last race in Australia, Max holds a 13-point lead at the top of the championship from his team-mate.
Are we set for another all-conquering campaign?
“No-one is going to catch Max this year,” was Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s stark opinion after the race. If so, you can understand why F1’s directors are focusing
