Former Formula 1 world champion Damon Hill has now predicted his podium for the Japanese Grand Prix.
The F1 circus heads to Suzuka much earlier in the season than usual after a fascinating race in Melbourne that closed the gap between Red Bull and Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship.
Speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, Hill chose his trio to finish on the podium and once again snubbed three-time champion Max Verstappen as his likely winner.
The Dutchman was virtually impossible to beat last season as Red Bull were head and shoulders above the rest of the grid and Verstappen had a clear advantage over his teammate.
They appeared to be in a similar position this season after back-to-back one-two finishes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
However, the race in Australia last weekend showed that there is a degree of fallibility within the team which could provide fans with a more exciting season to look forward to.
Damon Hill has now shared his thoughts on who will finish on the podium for the Japanese Grand Prix and thinks Carlos Sainz could earn consecutive victories for the first time in his F1 career.
READ MORE: Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz’s life outside F1 from full name, girlfriend and height
Damon Hill predicts the podium for the Japanese Grand Prix
After pre-season testing and the first couple of Grand Prix in 2024, it appeared as though Formula 1 fans were going to have to put up with another procession at the front.
Adrian Newey and his team designed a car that looked very different to last year’s masterpiece but somehow appeared to improve on it.
Max Verstappen had very little trouble winning in Sakhir and Jeddah and despite not qualifying on the front row, Sergio Perez didn’t take long to clear the rest of the field.
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth and girlfriend to height
However, Carlos Sainz was much closer to Verstappen throughout the weekend in Australia and the Dutchman’s brake failure guaranteed him his third race win.
But what Ferrari – and McLaren – would have been even more buoyed by was Perez’s inability to catch up to them after starting sixth.
Heading to the Japanese Grand Prix, Hill believes that Sainz could repeat that feat and stand on the top step of the podium once again.
If the Spaniard can achieve that when Verstappen hasn’t suffered a technical fault then that would suggest that this season is going to be much more exciting than anticipated.
Damon Hill thinks three different teams could share the podium in Japan
Asked to make his prediction ahead of the race, Hill said: “I think Carlos Sainz is going to win, Max [Verstappen] second, and third is going to be Lando Norris, how about that?
“If I’m right, that would be good!”
Lando Norris broke the record for the most podium finishes without a victory in Australia and Hill thinks he can add to that tally at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The £300,000-a-week driver is under pressure from Oscar Piastri who currently leads his teammate in the Drivers’ Championship.
It’s going to be one of the most fascinating intra-team battles on the grid this year considering they’re so closely matched.
The difference is that Piastri seems to be in a position where he can continue improving for some time, while Norris is already in his sixth season on the grid.
Sainz will hope Hill is right, while Verstappen will be determined to put a very rare DNF behind him.
The track should suit Red Bull more than Melbourne did but Ferrari have shown they can’t be written off this season.
The post ‘I think’: Damon Hill predicts 29-year-old star to beat Verstappen in Japan, £300k-a-week driver to come third appeared first on F1 Oversteer.