Max Verstappen lucky to escape punishment as Daniel Ricciardo ‘decision made’

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen have both been in the headlines this week (Image: Getty) The second half of one of the most anticipated double-headers of the season gets underway this weekend with the drivers settling in at the legendary Suzuka circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix. Among the numerous talking points ahead of Sunday’s race is the form of Red Bull. Max Verstappen headed into the Singapore Grand Prix having broken the record for the most consecutive race wins after snatching his tenth straight victory at Monza.  However, things didn’t go to plan for the Dutchman in Singapore. Verstappen couldn’t make it through to Q3 and was noted for three separate incidents, two of which were blocking violations that infuriated some of the other drivers in the field.  The man who knocked Verstappen out of Q2 was AlphaTauri stand-in Liam Lawson, who has also been in the news this weekend as he returns to race in Japan, where he is currently battling for the Super Formula title. The young New Zealander’s future remains up in the air with a decision about Yuki Tsunoda and Daniel Ricciardo imminent.  12 mins ago 08:53 Harry Smith According to F1 journalist Lawrence Barretto , a decision on the AlphaTauri driver line-up has almost been made with the three-way battle nearly over. Daniel Ricciardo is the most likely of the trio to drive for the Italian outfit in 2024, despite making arguably the smallest impression of the three during his time behind the wheel of the AT04.  Yuki Tsunoda was a hot commodity earlier in the season but has been forced to battle for his future. The Japanese driver looks set to pip Liam Lawson to the final race seat for next year. This means that Lawson will complete test and reserve driver duties for both Red Bull and AlphaTauri, while Ayumu Iwasa is expected to make the jump to Super Formula in his native Japan. 46 mins ago 08:19 Harry Smith Lando Norris has claimed that Max Verstappen should have been penalised for his blocking incident involving Yuki Tsunoda at the Singapore Grand Prix. The Dutchman impeded Tsunoda just three corners into a flying lap during the second part of qualifying, eventually costing both drivers a place in Q3.  Speaking about the blocking, Norris said: ‘The blocking on track should have been a penalty. He blocked someone… it is not just down to the team.  ‘I know the team got the fine but at the end of the day, it is down to the driver to look in his mirrors and see if someone [is coming]. “You have got nothing else to do the whole lap other than look in your mirrors and it seems like a lot of people struggle to do that.’ Lando Norris was not impressed in Singapore qualifying (Image: Getty) 1 hour ago 07:58 Harry Smith Good morning and welcome to Express Sport’s live news coverage ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. With the most dramatic race of the season fresh in our minds, the drivers now head to one of the most anticipated races of the year at Suzuka.  Get ready for a weekend of early rises as we prepare you for the Japanese Grand Prix.