The Japanese Grand Prix is notorious for safety cars but it was a red flag that brought the race to a premature halt on Sunday morning.
All 20 cars made it through the first two corners before under-pressure Daniel Ricciardo collided with Alex Albon’s Williams.
Commentating on Sky Sports F1, David Croft and Anthony Davidson noted another driver who put in a particularly aggressive move going through the first few corners.
The crash couldn’t have happened between two cars that were more desperate for a strong race.
Daniel Ricciardo’s seat at Visa Cash App RB is far from secure and after his best qualifying of the season, will be disappointed he can’t capitalise on it.
Meanwhile, the mechanics in the Williams garage will be praying that Alex Albon’s chassis isn’t too badly damaged.
Logan Sargeant is already using his old repaired chassis that was destroyed in Australia and they won’t have a spare until they reach Miami, although his Williams also ended up in a gravel trap at one point.
However, Kevin Magnussen’s start in Japan caught the eye as he narrowly avoided a crash himself.
The 31-year-old picked up a couple of positions as a result, but there were nearly four cars eliminated from the race before the end of the first lap.
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Kevin Magnussen produces ‘typical’ start in Japan
The Japanese Grand Prix always has the potential to be one of the most exciting races on the calendar.
Last season, McLaren produced a performance that showed they were back among the frontrunners, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri joining Max Verstappen on the podium.
There are always plenty of incidents and this weekend’s race was no different.
Daniel Ricciardo didn’t appear to spot Alex Albon in the right-hand mirror after a poor start in the RB.
The Thai driver attempted to pull out of the move when he spotted that his rival was moving onto the racing line with Lance Stroll looking down the inside but by then it was too late.
However, just behind them, Kevin Magnussen was making up for a slightly sluggish start in Japan and it nearly cost him as well.
The Danish driver managed to keep the place ahead of Sargeant before the red flags started waving.
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Japanese Grand Prix produces another incident-packed race start
Starting the race in P18, Magnussen only had to deal with Sargeant and Zhou Guanyu behind him and the American got off the grid particularly poorly.
However, they were nearly side by side heading into the Esses but the Dane made sure he was in front but almost ended both of their races.
Watching the race from Magnussen’s perspective, Anthony Davidson said: “He [Daniel] Ricciardo did just go for the racing line, I’d say, it was nothing, [Alex] Albon it wasn’t the OK place to be.
“As it got pretty close here with [Kevin] Magnussen, typical [with Logan Sargeant]!”
David Croft added: “It was almost four cars out!”
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An overtake going into the first corner by Magnussen on Gasly saw Davidson describe him as ‘very feisty’ and that sums up the 31-year-old well.
After scoring his first point in Melbourne at the previous race, Magnussen would have wanted to build on that momentum.
Unfortunately, despite Magnussen’s fast start in Japan, he couldn’t score back-to-back points.
His performances at the start of the season have helped him make his case that he deserves a drive in 2025.
With Ferrari youngster Oliver Bearman lurking over his shoulder looking for a way onto the grid, Magnussen needs to maximise every race.
He put in a couple of great overtakes, especially into turn one, but couldn’t match what his teammate Nico Hulkenberg did who narrowly missed out on a third top-ten finish on the bounce.
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