F1 hiatus upcoming: Japanese GP will be the last race for 5 weeks due to the Iran war

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SUZUKA, Japan (AP) — The Japanese Grand Prix is only the third race of the new Formula 1 season, but it will be the last one for five weeks with events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia called off because of the war in Iran.

The next F1 race is not until May 3 in Miami. Here's what we've learned so far from races in Australia and China with the Japanese GP set for Sunday:

Mercedes and Ferrari have adapted best to Formula's 1 most radical change in power and chassis in more than a decade.

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have won each of the first two races, and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have flip-flopped finishing third and fourth. Mercedes and Ferrari are the favorites on Suzuka's figure-eight circuit, located in central Japan and among F1's most storied venues.

Suzuka is a vastly different circuit from Australia — a street course in Melbourne — and Shanghai, which resembles many of the newer Formula 1 venues. Suzuka is old-school — narrow, twisting with only one major straightaway for passing.

Hamilton has won the Japanese GP five times, four times at Suzuka as he surges back near the top of the standings after two races.

McLaren has struggled after winning last season's drivers' championship with Lando Norris, and adding the constructors' title for good measure. But McLaren failed to even start the race two weeks ago in China with engine and electrical faults.

Asked on Thursday if the problem had been resolved, Norris replied: “I think it took a little bit of time to figure things out, but yes. Of course it hurt us as a team, certainly didn’t make us look good to have two cars not starting a race.”

Norris talked up the team which includes Oscar Piastri. It had the best car on the grid in the last two seasons, having won the constructors' title each time.

“Now is just as good a time as ever to prove exactly what we can do as a team — against Ferrari, against Mercedes, who are performing very well at the minute,” Norris said.

Andrea Stella, McLaren's team principal, said Friday: “We understand the source of the problem. I both cases it was related to the electrical side of the power unit.”

Then there's Red Bull and four-time champion Max Verstappen, who had to retire in China. Verstappen has probably been the most vocal in criticizing this season's radical makeover of F1 racing, calling it “yo-yo racing” as top drivers surge to the front and just as quickly fall off the lead.

He's already looking ahead to the five-week break.

“We just need to keep working, keep trying to put more performance on the car," he said. “Maybe the little break we have now is a good time to look back and analyze even more things. Basically, try to be better in Miami.”

Verstappen kicked a journalist out of an interview session on Thursday, unhappy with what was written about him last season when the failed to win his fifth consecutive drivers' title.

Honda had great success as the engine supplier for Red Bull. This season it's had a horrible start as the engine supplier for Aston Martin with Red Bull moving to Ford power.

The Japanese manufacturer's power unit has caused severe vibrations and neither Fernando Alonso nor Lance Stroll have completed the two opening races.

Honda operates the Suzuka circuit. It's not the kind of publicity the company wants in its home race, and just getting both cars to finish the race would be a victory.

Koji Watanabe, the head of Honda Racing, said there's a plan to fix the problem.

“Well, we have some recovery plan together with Aston Martin but we cannot tell that today,” Watanabe said Friday. “The most difficult point (is) that we started the development a bit later compared to the others.”

Piastri was quickest in Friday's second practice session for Sunday's race. Piastri clocked 1 minute, 30.133 seconds. He was followed by Antonelli and Russell, Norris and with Ferrari's Leclerc and Hamilton rounding out the top six.

The second-session times were much quicker than times in the early session, which Russell led.

Alonso missed the early session but ran in the second. His time and that of teammate Stroll were among two of the three slowest.

Reports in Spain said Alonso was late arriving in Japan because his partner Melissa Jimenez gave birth to the couple’s first child. The team said only he was arriving late for personal reasons.

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