Alonso defends the 'uneventful' race at Suzuka.

      Fernando Alonso has come to the defense of the Suzuka circuit, amid numerous complaints regarding the largely uneventful Japanese GP. While the sport admired Max Verstappen’s performance, it was undeniable that those responsible for highlighting the race faced challenges in compiling the most thrilling moments. "Is that all that happened?" Oscar Piastri remarked in the 'cool down' room while reviewing the immediate highlights.

      Some believe that the primary issue stemmed from the new asphalt surface, which, while enabling record-breaking lap times, also resulted in minimal tire degradation. "Long, boring," Nico Hulkenberg summed up his day in Japan when asked for his thoughts. "It's not particularly entertaining to just watch the rear wing and DRS of the car ahead. The turbulent air effect worsens each year."

      Former Sauber team manager Beat Zehnder didn’t place all the blame on the asphalt alone. "We also had the hardest tire compounds available here," he was quoted as saying by Auto Motor und Sport. "I could see Pirelli possibly introducing softer compounds in Japan next year. Given how closely matched the field is, overtaking becomes nearly impossible."

      Mercedes strategists reportedly determined that a 1.2-second pace difference was needed for a successful overtake. "It was very fast, but overtaking was as challenging as it is in Monaco," commented Carlos Sainz of Williams. "It's like the new Monaco, but with faster corners."

      However, veteran F1 driver Alonso has heard similar sentiments before. "This is Suzuka," he stated. "I can’t recall a race here with many overtaking moves unless the weather changed. It feels like every Thursday we praise Suzuka and Monaco for their glamour and spectacular weekends, only to wake up on Monday saying Monaco is boring. What can we do about the track? Suzuka is dull. That's Formula 1," added the two-time champion.