Japanese GP 2024: Edd Straw ranks his top five worst and best performers

In the fourth round of Formula One’s 2024 season, Max Verstappen won his third race of the season at the Suzuka circuit in Japan. The circuit is one of the most testing for any F1 driver as it has long and sharp turns which not only puts some exciting things on the card but also makes it difficult for the drivers.

As the fourth round of the season ends with some excitement star Formula 1 content creator Edd Straw ranks his top best and worst performers of the Suzuka circuit. According to him, there have been some drivers who pushed above their weights to perform amazingly while some performed below par.

Here is how Edd Straw ranks top 5 worst and best drivers at Suzuka:

#10. Zhou Guanyu

Stake’s racer Zhou Guanyu started his race from the 20th position after a poor performance in the qualifying round but failed to finish the race. He had to retire his car after facing a gearbox-related problem. However, Straw ranks him among one of the worst performers as he feels “Guanyu Struggled even before reliability problems hit.”

#9. Daniel Ricciardo

Red Bull driver Daniel Ricciardo was one of the victims of the crash in the first lap of the race. He got stuck into Alex Albon due to his careless approach after starting the race. The collision triggered the red flag and forced the delay in the start of the race. According to Straw, “Ricciardo Improved pace but was careless on lap one.”

#8. Lance Stroll

Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll was driving an upgraded vehicle on Sunday at Suzuka. However, his lacklustre performance forced him to finish out of the top 10 as he failed to climb into points. His struggle was evident in the qualifying round too as he finished almost eight-tenths slower than his team-mate, Alonso, who was driving an old version of Aston Martin. Edd Straw verdicts that “Floundered as Alonso flew.”

#7. Alex Albon

Williams’ driver Alex Albon was another victim of the lap one crash at the Suzuka on Sunday. While trying to get back on track at Turn 3 he collided with Red Bull’s Ricciardo and finished his race into the walls. According to Straw “It was an early end to a tricky weekend.”

#6. Esteban Ocon

Ocon continues to race well despite facing different adversities as he reached Qualification Two for the second consecutive race. How big this achievement is, was visible by his celebrations. However, without any assistance of fresh-tyre grip, the Alpine’s true pace shone through and he was cast adrift of the midfield pack. According to Straw, “He is doing a decent job in a hopeless situation.”

#5. Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton had one poorer race in the ongoing season as he finished in ninth position with a gap of more than -48 seconds. Despite having a quick car Hamilton failed to put up a show in Q3 which cost him fourth place in the main race. Straw calls his performance “A mix of encouragement and frustration.”

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#4. Sergio Perez

Red Bull had a great time on Sunday as Sergio Perez along with Max Verstappen grabbed 1-2 position for the third time in the ongoing season. Despite being far behind Verstappen he maintained his distance from others and did a great job for the Bulls. Straw calls it “his strongest weekend of the year.”

#3. Charles Leclerc

After if and but performances in the qualifying round Charles Leclerc put up a strong show in the main race. His amazing performance helped him to get better of his tyres as he finished fourth. However, he was just a tenth of a second behind Sainz he grabbed fourth position after executing a one-stopper. According to Straw, “He is Iffy in qualifying, strong in the race.”

#2. Max Verstappen

The Red Bull giant Max Verstappen made a remarkable comeback at one of his most dominating tracks in the world. Making it three in a row at Suzuka Circuit he also overcame the poor display of Australian GP. According to Straw, “Verstappen’s Qualifying wasn’t perfect, but he is supreme in the race.”

#1. Fernando Alonso

According to Edd Straw, the best performer of the Japan GP 2024 was Fernando Alonso. The man started his race from fifth position and finished at 6th. He utilized his Aston Martin as much as possible and finished one of the greatest races of his career. Straw verdicts, “He couldn’t have done more.”