The Japanese GP will take place at the Suzuka circuit next weekend. According to Damon Hill, the Suzuka circuit and in particular the race in Japan will be an important test for Ferrari. If Ferrari manages to compete with Red Bull in Suzuka, Hill believes it will be promising for the rest of the F1 season.
After two dominant races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia for Max Verstappen, with Red Bull achieving a double victory each time, Ferrari was suddenly partying in Australia. Verstappen took pole position in Melbourne, but Carlos Sainz managed to put pressure on Verstappen and overtake during the early stages of the race. Shortly afterwards, Verstappen had to give up.
Opinions are divided as to whether Carlos Sainz could have won ahead of Verstappen without the problem, but the fact is that Ferrari seemed a lot more competitive in Australia. According to Damon Hill, next weekend it will become clear whether Ferrari has actually taken a big step forward and can compete with Red Bull.
“I think Suzuka will be an important test for the competition to see where they stand against Red Bull,” Damon Hill looks ahead in the ‘F1 Nation podcast’. “I think it will be a real test in terms of aerodynamic efficiency and also the efficiency in terms of tire wear.”
“But Ferrari is fast on the straights and in Suzuka there are a lot of straights and corners at high speed. What I really hope is that Ferrari manages to compete with Red Bull during the race.”
“I think in qualifying we will probably see Max Verstappen take pole with a similar lead, probably two or three tenths.”
“The question, however, is whether Ferrari has the tire wear under control, which we will try to analyze during the three practice sessions.”
“But you have to ask yourself: Did Ferrari win in Melbourne because Max’s car broke down?’ We will never know the answer to that question so we need Ferrari to beat Max in a normal race.”
According to Damon Hill, Ferrari faces a major challenge, but if they actually beat Red Bull during a normal race, this proves that Red Bull is vulnerable after all, that the battle is not lost in advance and still needs to be fought. That would obviously be promising for the rest of the F1 season.
“Once that happens, and I think we’re getting close, I really think we’re getting close,” Hill said. “It might be wishful thinking on my part, not because I don’t want to see Max win, but just because I want to see racing, I want to see a championship that has not yet been decided and is completely open.”
“But if that happens, wow, that would really send shockwaves through Formula 1 because it means something can be done about Red Bull’s dominance.”