[Paal Gulli]

Ted Kravitz shares Honda’s ‘weird’ explanation for Aston Martin’s vibration issues at Japanese GP

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/ted-kravitz-shares-hondas-weird-explanation-for-aston-martins-vibration-issues-at-japanese-gp/

Honda’s Koji Watanabe says their PU didn’t have this vibration problem until they installed it in the Aston Martin chassis. Which means, as I suspected all along, it’s a sympathetic resonance thing. Which might only ever present itself under a specific set of circumstances, and might not show up until the car is in full battle rattle and being driven at full suck.

Honda claims they made progress at Shangai and had a further fix that was tested in free practice but didn’t get enough data on it to risk using it in the race at Suzuka.

[Paal Gulli]

Charles Leclerc praised for unseen Japanese GP gesture no other driver performed

https://www.sportbible.com/f1/charles-leclerc-f1-japanese-grand-prix-ferrari-798665-20260330

Princess Akiko of Mikasa visited the podium during the award ceremony at Suzuka. She was in formal kimono and geta, which, in Japan, is the equivalent of a woman's tuxedo. Very formal. She was there representing the royal family so, in Japan, this is as hoity-toity as it gets.

Neither Antonelli nor Piastri paid her the proper respects, but Leclerc did.

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He doffed his cap.

Chapeau, Monsieur Leclerc. Good manners cost nothing, but bad manners can cost you dearly.

I have know several people in my life who I refer to as "disgustingly charming." Very few of them were American. Quite a few of them were French. And a number of them were Italian, so I don't quite understand why Antonelli and Piastri didn't get the memo.