Esteban Ocon, Haas (P18): 5/10
Ocon’s weekend in Japan was always going to be a tough one, as he was on the older spec of VF-25 compared to his teammate Bearman, who received the upgrades first. Therefore the French driver was lacking outright pace throughout, as Haas expected to return to their Australian form as opposed to their China turnaround. Indeed, Ocon languished near the back of the pack for much of the race, an extended stint on the hard tyre failing to promote him to the top ten even for a brief moment.
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls (P17): 4/10
Lawson looked noticeably calmer and relaxed as soon as he switched out of his Red Bull uniform and back to the team where he started his Formula 1 career back in 2023. But, whether it was a lack of familiarity with the VCARB 02 or a lack of speed, he wasn’t nearly as quick as teammate Hadjar throughout the weekend. At least he managed to qualify ahead of Tsunoda though, who replaced the New Zealander at Red Bull. In the Grand Prix itself, Tsunoda eased past Lawson and the latter’s pace deficit became all the more evident as the Williams of Sainz disappeared into the distance when both put on fresh soft rubber in the second half of the race.
