SUZUKA, Japan – Max Verstappen celebrated his first victory in the 2025 Formula 1 season at the Japanese Grand Prix, successfully resisting race-long pressure from McLaren`s two drivers.
This result contrasted with the initial races of the season where McLaren appeared to have the superior car. Verstappen`s exceptional pole position lap on Saturday set the stage for his win, outqualifying Lando Norris by a mere 0.012 seconds.
Verstappen`s win, with Norris following behind, puts him just one point behind Norris in the driver standings after three races. He is also 12 points ahead of Oscar Piastri, the second McLaren driver, who finished third.
“We never give up, we keep pushing together,” Verstappen exclaimed over the team radio after crossing the finish line. “Unbelievable! What a fantastic weekend for us.”
This victory also marked Red Bull`s final race with Honda power in Japan, commemorated 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 extremely hard, and it was a lot of fun,” Verstappen commented post-race. “I am incredibly pleased. The car performed at its peak today, and starting from pole position was crucial.”
“Winning here for Honda in Japan is very significant for me, it`s a wonderful story.”
On lap 18, McLaren initially instructed Norris to pit to gain an advantage but then retracted the call as it would have likely placed him into traffic upon re-entry to the track.
Two laps later, Piastri pitted from third, prompting Verstappen and Norris to pit on the subsequent lap to prevent being overtaken by the Australian with fresher tires.
The decision to mirror Verstappen`s strategy seemed to secure second place for Norris. However, as he exited the pit lane, the McLaren crew`s efficiency brought his front wheels alongside Verstappen`s rears as they prepared to rejoin the race.
Upon exiting the pits, Norris attempted to overtake Verstappen but ran out of track on the right side, briefly going onto the grass.
Norris protested that he was not given enough space by his competitor, but race stewards decided against further action after reviewing the incident.
Norris later stated, “We weren`t fast enough today, we didn`t have anything extra to catch Max, and he didn`t make any mistakes. He squeezed me in the pit lane, but that`s expected from him – it`s racing.”
“It has been a very positive weekend, we are competing for wins every week, but they deserved this one.”
In the race`s final 15 laps, Norris appeared unable to close the gap to Verstappen and soon had Piastri`s McLaren close behind.
With ten laps remaining, Piastri inquired with McLaren if Norris was conserving his tires, suggesting he should “push soon” if he intended to catch Verstappen. Upon being informed that Norris was already at his maximum pace, Piastri reiterated his belief that he had the potential “to catch Max”.
With five laps to go, Norris reduced the gap to 1.1 seconds but still had Piastri within a second behind him. In the final three laps, any prospect of position changes among the top three diminished, and Verstappen completed a flawless race to claim his 64th F1 victory.
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished fourth, 16.1 seconds away from a podium position, followed by Mercedes` George Russell in fifth and his teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who briefly led during pit stops, in sixth.
Lewis Hamilton improved one position from his qualifying to finish seventh, ahead of a strong performance by Isack Hadjar of Red Bull`s junior team, Racing Bulls. Alex Albon scored points for the third consecutive Grand Prix this season, finishing ahead of Oliver Bearman of Haas in tenth place.
Yuki Tsunoda, who was a focal point of attention before the weekend due to his promotion to Red Bull over Liam Lawson, finished 12th after qualifying 14th on Saturday.
Rupert Caldwell 
Tristan Blackwood