Max Verstappen, who has won four world championships, stated he would continue working hard following his triumph at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday. This was his initial win of the 2025 Formula One campaign, placing him just ahead of McLaren’s championship frontrunner, Lando Norris.
The Red Bull racer dominated the race from start to finish, crossing the finish line over 1.5 seconds ahead of British driver Norris. Norris managed to secure second place, just edging out his McLaren teammate, Australian Piastri, who finished in third position.
Verstappen’s triumph on the wet yet improving surface at Suzuka marked his consecutive fourth win in Japan and narrowed the lead over Norris atop the drivers’ championship standings to just one point.
Verstappen has found it difficult to adapt to his Red Bull this season.
However, following the initial event in a series of three consecutive race weekends, he stated that the victory demonstrated "if we truly get every detail right, we have the potential to be at the forefront."
The Dutchman commented, 'It’s pleasant, yet I disregard both the positive and negative aspects; I remain neutral.' He secured second place in the opening race of the season in Australia and finished fourth in China.
Just concentrate on my individual shows and continue putting in effort, keep pushing forward.
After three races, Norris leads with 62 points, followed closely by Verstappen who has 61. Piastri ranks third with 49 points.
Next week, the action shifts to Bahrain, followed by the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix the following weekend.
"We aim to consistently perform at a higher level," stated Verstappen.
We simply continue our diligent work and find out where we stand in Bahrain.
- Superior to the rest -
The McLarens had an impressive beginning to the season, with Norris securing victory in Australia and Piastري achieving a first-place finish ahead of his teammate in China for a clean sweep. Both drivers continued their strong performance by claiming spots on the podium once more in Japan.
Norris mentioned that the Japanese Grand Prix was essentially decided during qualifying, where Verstappen delivered an outstanding lap to secure his maiden pole position of the season along with setting a new track record.
"I believe that whenever someone performs exceptionally well during Saturday’s qualifying session, they become eligible for these opportunities," stated Norris.
"At this moment, I believe McLaren and Red Bull — likely among the three of us drivers, we’re performing more effectively than the others.”
Charles Leclerc from Ferrari came in fourth place, followed by the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Kimi Raikkonen.
Lewis Hamilton from Ferrari finished in seventh place, followed by Isack Hadjar from Red Bull. Next came Alex Albon representing Williams and Oliver Bearman driving for Haas.
In his debut race with Red Bull after taking over from Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda secured a 12th-place finish, starting from the 14th spot on the grid during Japan’s Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Lawson ended up in 17th place for RB.
- 'Mr Motivator' -
When Verstappen and Norris came out of their pit stops simultaneously as leaders, they had a collision.
Norris moved next to Verstappen, who maintained his position and pushed the Englishman onto the grass as they exited the pit lane.
The stewards chose not to penalize either driver, and Verstappen playfully remarked that his competitor was simply ensuring the grass would be "neatly trimmed."
Norris didn’t hold any grudges and stated: “I never anticipate Max giving me any leeway, but that’s exactly how it should be in a competitive race.”
McLaren's dual-podium finish increased their lead in the constructors' championship defense to 36 points ahead of Mercedes.
McLaren has accumulated 111 points, followed by Mercedes in second place with 75 points, and Red Bull is third with 61 points, all of which were earned by Verstappen.
"Nothing boosts morale like victory," stated Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, praising Verstappen for maintaining their championship hopes.
Verstappen acts like Mr. Motivator. The entire race was full-throttle with no concern for conserving tyres.
For everyone, the main focus is on the drivers' championship; however, achieving success in the constructors' will pose more challenges for us.
During the middle of the race, Antonelli momentarily took the lead as Verstappen and Norris headed into their pit stops, making him Formula One’s youngest ever race leader at just 18 years and 224 days old.
Verstappen was just four days older when he claimed victory at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, making him the youngest driver ever to win a Formula One race.
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