Max Verstappen clinched his first victory of the 2025 Formula 1 season at the Japanese Grand Prix, successfully holding off intense pressure from McLaren`s drivers throughout the race.
This result contrasted with the initial two races where McLaren demonstrated superior car performance. Verstappen`s impressive pole position lap on Saturday set the stage for his win, outperforming Lando Norris by a mere 0.012 seconds.
Verstappen`s win, followed by Norris in second place, narrows the drivers` standings gap. Verstappen now trails Norris by just one point after three races and leads Oscar Piastri, the other McLaren driver who finished third, by 12 points.
Reflecting on his victory, Verstappen communicated via team radio, “We never give up, we keep pushing together. Unbelievable! What a great weekend for us.”
This race also marked Red Bull`s final event with Honda engine support in Japan, celebrated by the team with a special white livery.
Verstappen maintained his lead from the start of the 53-lap race, establishing a gap of 1.5 to 2.5 seconds in the initial stint.
“It was challenging, we were pushing very hard, and it was incredibly enjoyable,” Verstappen commented post-race. “I am extremely happy. The car performed optimally today, and starting from pole position was crucial.”
He added, “Winning here for Honda in Japan is very meaningful and a fantastic narrative.”
During lap 18, McLaren considered instructing Norris to pit for an overtake strategy but retracted the call due to potential traffic upon re-entry to the circuit.
Two laps later, Piastri pitted from third, prompting Verstappen and Norris to pit subsequently to prevent being undercut by Piastri with fresher tires.
Choosing an identical strategy to Verstappen positioned Norris in second place. However, the swift McLaren pit crew enabled Norris to nearly draw level with Verstappen as they exited their pit boxes.
Upon track re-entry, Norris attempted to overtake Verstappen but ran out of space on the right side, briefly going off-track.
Norris expressed his dissatisfaction with the lack of room given by his rival, but race stewards decided against further investigation.
Norris later stated, “We lacked the pace today to challenge Max, and he was faultless. He squeezed me in the pit lane, but that`s expected racing from him.”
“Overall, it`s been a strong weekend. We are competitive for wins each week, but they deserved this victory,” Norris conceded.
In the race`s final 15 laps, Norris struggled to close the gap to Verstappen and soon faced pressure from Piastri in the other McLaren.
With ten laps remaining, Piastri inquired if Norris was conserving tires, suggesting he needed to push harder to catch Verstappen. Informed of Norris`s maximum pace, Piastri reiterated his belief in his own potential to challenge Verstappen.
In the closing five laps, Norris reduced the gap to 1.1 seconds, while Piastri remained within a second behind him. In the final three laps, any changes in the top three positions became unlikely. Verstappen completed a flawless race, securing his 64th Formula 1 victory.
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished fourth, 16.1 seconds away from a podium finish. Mercedes` George Russell came in fifth, followed by his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli in sixth, who briefly led during pit stops.
Lewis Hamilton improved one position from his qualifying position to finish seventh. Isack Hadjar from Racing Bulls, Red Bull`s junior team, delivered a strong performance to finish eighth. Alex Albon secured points for the third consecutive Grand Prix this season, finishing ahead of Oliver Bearman of Haas in tenth place.
Yuki Tsunoda, under the spotlight this weekend after replacing Liam Lawson at Red Bull, finished 12th after starting 14th on Saturday.
