Red Bull's record-breaking run of success came to an abrupt halt in Singapore last week, but Max Verstappen and co will be expecting to bounce back to dominant form at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.
Suzuka is a hugely popular circuit with the drivers, who enjoy the flowing corners and unique test of the figure-of-eight track. There is plenty of high-speed running, but a superior aerodynamic package is key to victory at the track, and that is one of Red Bull's strengths.
- Podium finish - George Russell
- Points finish - Esteban Ocon
- Both cars points finish - Alpine
Russell To Bounce Back
There was no more disconsolate figure in the paddock after Singapore than George Russell.
The British driver, who started second on the grid behind Carlos Sainz, had an ace up his sleeve in the form of a fresh set of medium tyres waiting in the garage. And when a late virtual safety car period gave him the opportunity to dash into the pits and fit them, he would have felt that a victory charge was on the cards.
Russell quickly ate into the gap to the leaders, but after some clever driving from Sainz to keep second-placed Lando Norris in his tow, Russell was unable to progress higher than third.
As the front four ran nose-to-tail on the final lap, Russell momentarily lost concentration and clattered a wall, ending a race that would have delivered at least only his second podium finish of the season.
It is the second time in three races that a podium opportunity has escaped Russell, but he should be in the mix again in Japan.
After changing his approach to qualifying, Russell has lined up third, fourth and second for his last three races, and his Mercedes should cope better than most with Suzuka's tyre-torturing layout.
Ocon Hoping For A Change Of Luck
Russell wasn't the only driver to leave Singapore frustrated.
It was an unhappy birthday for Esteban Ocon, who had been running in sixth position when he suffered a gearbox failure with 20 laps to go.
Luckless Ocon has failed to finish four of the last six races but he scored points in the other two and has finished in the top ten in six of the last seven grands prix that he has seen the chequered flag.
It has been a turbulent season for Alpine off the track, with prominent staff leaving and accusations of mismanagement at the highest level, but the drivers have a tidy car with which to compete.
It's true they haven't anywhere near lived up to the promise that pre-season running suggested, but both Ocon and Pierre Gasly have made a podium appearance, and Gasly ended up earning the sixth-place finish that his team-mate deserved in Singapore.
The duo put together a run of three races in which they both scored points earlier in the season, and while they have managed that only once in the last eight races, external factors have played a big part in that.
OCON AND BOTH ALPINES POINTS FINISH
