Five big Japanese GP questions were sent to max verstappen after being dragged out for….

in Japan

After Carlos Sainz’s stunning victory in Australia, are Max Verstappen and Red Bull set to hit back hard at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix?

Rumours since the car’s launch in February have suggested Red Bull are set to bring a significant – and very Mercedes-esque – upgrade at Suzuka. That leads our discussion of the main talking points ahead of the fourth race of the F1 2024 season…

2024 Japanese Grand Prix preview
Are Red Bull about to go in for the kill?
The launch of the RB20 in February was Red Bull’s checkmate moment, when the reigning World Champions blew apart any suggestion that the law of diminishing returns would result in a closer season in 2024.

In producing a car so different to last year’s dominant RB19, Adrian Newey and his team had taken Red Bull out of range of the opposition and completely changed the game. Again.

READ MORE:F1 News: Max Verstappen Hits Back At Claims Of Red Bull Ford Powertrain Concerns

And now, on the eve of the Japanese GP, are they about to go in for the kill?

Reports in the days after the RB20 reveal claimed Red Bull are planning to go full zero-pod at Suzuka, embracing a concept Mercedes spent more than a year trying and failing to master before abandoning completely in early 2023.

Toto Wolff would often say during Mercedes’ dominant spell that his team were at their most dangerous on their bad days.

And there would be no better riposte to a rare defeat in Australia than Red Bull arriving at the very next race with the RB20 turned up to 11, primed to utterly bury the opposition.

“Well, I mean, the colour will be the same,” Verstappen said when asked about the rumoured upgrade.

“You will see.”

How will Charles Leclerc respond after Carlos Sainz stole his thunder again?
It’s becoming a pattern for Charles Leclerc now, forced to offer warm congratulations to Carlos Sainz on a milestone achievement when it could have been him instead.

For Australia 2024, see Monza and Singapore 2023 – all races within the last six months when Ferrari were seriously competitive and Leclerc was simply outperformed by his team-mate.