Damon Hill admits he made a ‘mistake’ after ‘underestimating’ what one Formula 1 driver could achieve in qualifying for the 2024 Japanese GP at Suzuka this Saturday.
The Land of the Rising Sun has welcomed the pinnacle of motorsport back to its shores only six months after F1’s last visit. It is the earliest that Formula 1 has ever staged a Japanese GP since the race’s debut in 1976. The 2024 event will also see Max Verstappen start from pole.
Verstappen and Sergio Perez secured Red Bull a one-two start for the first race this term at the Japanese GP. Lando Norris of McLaren will also head the lead Ferrari of Carlos Sainz on the second row. Just 0.066 seconds also split the front row with Norris 0.226s behind Perez.
Damon Hill admits he made a ‘mistake’ with Fernando Alonso at the 2024 Japanese GP
Aston Martin star Fernando Alonso in P5, Oscar Piastri (P6) of McLaren, Lewis Hamilton (P7) and George Russell (P9) of Mercedes, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (P8) and Visa Cash App RB’s Yuki Tsunoda (P10) finished the top 10 in qualifying for the 2024 Japanese GP on Saturday.
But while Alonso achieved fifth with his 1:28.686 lap in Q3, 1996 F1 champion Hill admits he ‘ignored’ the 42-year-old when predicting the outcome of qualifying for the Japanese GP. He also hails the experienced Spaniard as Alonso should ‘never’ be deemed out of contention.
READ MORE: Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso’s life outside F1 from net worth to Cars 2
“He goes on my impressed list, I’m afraid,” Hill admitted on Sky Sports F1 (6/4, 08:58). “We discounted him, we completely ignored him, which was a mistake because we should never, never underestimate Fernando Alonso. He’s an incredibly impressive driver.”
Fernando Alonso enjoyed his best qualifying at Suzuka since 2014 driving for Ferrari
Alonso made light work of leading Aston Martin’s qualifying efforts at the 2024 Japanese GP with Lance Stroll only in P16. The 25-year-old bowed out in Q1 for the first time this season after posting a 1:30.024 lap. Alonso posted a 1:29.254 for the second-fastest lap time of Q1.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Only Verstappen lapped Suzuka faster than Alonso in the first stage of qualifying by 0.388s. Alonso also lapped within 0.342s of Verstappen in Q2 but was only able to claim fifth place in the stage. The Spaniard’s Q3 lap was then 0.489s off the pace but was still enough for P5.
It is also Alonso’s best qualifying position for a Japanese GP since he secured P5 on the grid for the 2014 race with Ferrari. The two-time F1 champion will hope the 2024 meet ends on a brighter note after retiring on only the second lap one decade ago with an electronics issue.
The post ‘Never underestimate’: Damon Hill admits ‘mistake’ after ignoring F1 driver at Japanese GP appeared first on F1 Oversteer.