Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo muck about in Japanese Grand Prix press conference

Formula 1 is in Japan this week and it looks as though the drivers are in fine spirits as the sport returns to Suzuka.

It’s one of the most popular race tracks on the calendar and it’s great to have it back, with the pandemic cancelling the 2020 and 2021 editions of the race.

The drivers all love the circuit and the venue and Max Verstappen may well love it even more come Sunday with him on the brink of winning the world title for a second time.

The Dutchman was a little peeved last weekend with the way things went for him in Singapore, with him having to abort a late run at pole in qualifying with Red Bull worried that he was not going to be able to provide a viable fuel sample at the end of the session.

That scuppered his race with him starting in P8 and then a slow start knocked him down the running order even further, meaning he could only scramble back to P7 by the end of the Grand Prix.

That, then, was far from enough for Max to win the championship last Sunday but he has another shot at it this weekend and is clearly in a decent mood.

Indeed, during the driver press conferences earlier on today in Suzuka, he and Daniel Ricciardo found an opportunity for a few laughs via the screens that were put up between the drivers, as a nod to the fact Japan is still slowly returning to normal from the pandemic.

Take a look at what they got up to here:

Press conference shenanigans with Maxiel