Mario Isola, the head of Pirelli, has released a statement about the “boring” Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix that took place last weekend. Although Saturday’s qualifying session was exciting and saw Max Verstappen produce a stunning final lap to secure pole position, the race did not live up to the pre-race hype. The Dutchman led from the front from the beginning to the end, winning his first race of the season ahead of title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. The three drivers discussed the lack of tangible excitement in the cooldown room after the race, with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton the only driver to finish in the top 10.
Though he acknowledged that it might not have been the show that many had hoped for, Pirelli chief Isola thought the criticism was excessive.
Although he wouldn’t go so far as to declare we saw the greatest exciting display in the history of the sport, he acknowledged that there was some close racing. “It’s easy to characterise the race as boring when the top six on the grid take the chequered flag in the very same order,” he added.
Isola indicates better performance.
“You only need to look at the top three, who finished within two seconds of one another in the race after being separated by just 44 thousandths in qualifying,” the Italian went on.
“All the drivers pushed all the way to the end in the second section after a reasonably cautious first portion, especially through the first sector, which was the most demanding from a tyre standpoint.
Indeed, in the last five laps, 14 out of 20 drivers recorded their fastest lap. It’s important to note that Antonelli’s time of 1’30″965 was 2″741 faster than Verstappen’s quickest racing lap from the previous year, demonstrating how much the performance has increased from 2024.”
After gaining 33 points, McLaren was able to increase their lead at the top of the constructors’ standings, while Verstappen’s victory guaranteed that the Dutchman would only be one point behind championship leader Norris.
Round four of the season will take place at the Bahrain International Circuit this weekend.
