Fernando Alonso finished just outside the points in last weekend's Japanese Grand Prix but offered a typically wry take on a processional race where overtaking was as rare as a Ferrari strategy masterclass.
With much of the field locked in position for the duration of the 53-lap event, and Max Verstappen cruising unchallenged to a dominant win, Alonso compared Suzuka to the famously follow-the-leader streets of Monaco.
As far as the Aston Martin charger was concerned, the biggest thrill of the weekend wasn't Sunday – it was Saturday.
“This is Suzuka, I don’t remember a race when we saw too many overtakings here without the weather changing,” said the two-time F1 world champion.
“It seems like we repeat always on Thursday, how great Suzuka is, how great Monaco is, the glamour, the spectacular weekend.
“And then on Sunday, we wake up and we say: ‘Monaco is boring. What can we do to the track?’ ‘Suzuka is boring.’ This is Formula 1, and Suzuka is great first, because Saturday is incredibly high adrenaline.”
Clearly, Alonso’s love for a high-stakes quali lap outweighs his disdain for Sunday snoozes.
With Suzuka kicking off a triple-header that continues this week in Bahrain, Formula 1 finds itself facing a growing concern: overtaking – or rather, the lack of it.
Across 2024, overtakes were down by 70 compared to the previous year, despite more races. And in 2025 so far, every race – three Grands Prix and one Sprint – has been won from pole position.
Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur warned that we may be heading into a “quali world championship.”
Alonso, meanwhile, leaned into the absurdity of it all with classic deadpan humor.
“Maybe one stop was not the race that we were hoping for,” he said. “In the past with multiple stops, maybe the tyres are different but when we don't have grip, we complain that there is no grip and when we have too many stops… we complain the tyres don't last!"
His conclusion? Embrace the chaos – or lack thereof.
“So instead of seeing the negative part of the weekend I try to enjoy what we experienced this weekend.”
Spoken like a man who’s seen it all – and probably complained about it all too.
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