Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing secured his first victory of the 2025 season at Suzuka, successfully defending against McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. This win marks a historic achievement, as Verstappen becomes the first driver to claim four consecutive Japanese Grand Prix titles.
Following a strong start from pole position, Verstappen maintained a narrow lead over the aggressively pursuing McLarens during the initial phase of the race. After successfully countering a challenge from Norris upon exiting the pits, where both drivers made their sole pit stops on the same lap, the defending champion secured his first victory since Qatar last year. He adeptly managed both his tires and race pace, finishing 1.4 seconds ahead of Norris, with Piastri finishing in third, a further six tenths behind.
“It was tough, just pushing very hard – especially on the second stint,” said Verstappen afterwards. “The two McLarens were pushing me very hard, and it was a lot of fun out there. Not easy, of course, to manage the tyres, but I’m incredibly happy. It started off quite tough this weekend, but we didn’t give up. We kept improving the car and today it was in its best form. And of course, starting on pole, that really made it possible to win the race.”
Following his successful maneuver to surpass Norris at the start, Verstappen focused on creating a lead over the McLaren drivers. Despite expressing concerns regarding suboptimal upshifts, he had established a 1.4-second advantage over Norris by lap five, with Piastri trailing almost a second behind.
As the opening phase of the race approached the pit window, Piastri was the first among the front-runners to make a strategic decision. At the conclusion of lap 20, the Australian entered the pit lane to change to a set of Hard tires. This move prompted Red Bull to bring Verstappen in at the end of the subsequent lap, and McLaren followed suit by pitting Norris on the same lap.
“The pace today was really, really good and I was very happy with that. Obviously got close a few times and tried to mount a challenge, but track position around here is just so important,” Piastri said. “So, yeah, I think yesterday was the day where you effectively won the race and I didn’t do a good enough job. So, I’ll take the podium. I think there’s still a lot of positives to take out of this weekend. I think the pace was mega. Next time I just need to make sure I’m in a better position to use it.”
McLaren responded promptly by fitting a set of Hard tires to Norris’ car. As Verstappen approached the end of the pit lane, Norris exited into the working lane, almost alongside the Dutch driver. Verstappen maintained his position in the fast lane, and despite Norris’ claims that he was forced onto the grass at the pit exit, Race Control determined that there would be no further investigation, allowing Verstappen to retain his lead on the track.
Following the completion of the pit stops, Verstappen held a lead of 1.4 seconds over Norris, with Piastri in third position, an additional two seconds behind. Charles Leclerc from Ferrari occupied fourth place, trailing the leader by five seconds, while George Russell and Kimi Antonelli from Mercedes were positioned fifth and sixth, respectively.
With 20 laps remaining, Verstappen was granted the opportunity to increase his pace; however, he was unable to distance himself from the McLarens, who maintained significant pressure. Nevertheless, Verstappen demonstrated exceptional skill and executed a flawless final third of the race, securing his first victory since last year’s race in Qatar and marking the 64th win of his career.
“Max drove a good race today, no mistakes, and the pace was too similar today to do anything more,” Norris said. “Long race, a lot of pushing. It was a flat-out race from start to finish – tough, but just not enough today. Nothing special that we had that could get Max on. They were quick, and no mistakes like I said, so he deserved it.”
Following the top three, Charles Leclerc secured fourth position, leading George Russell, who managed to close the gap to just 1.3 seconds from the Ferrari in the final stages but was unable to exert significant pressure on Leclerc. Mercedes rookie Andrea Antonelli finished in sixth place, while Lewis Hamilton finished seventh after implementing a Hard-Medium tire strategy, which contrasted with the majority of the competitors. Isack Hadjar achieved an impressive eighth place, earning his first Formula 1 points for the Racing Bulls, ahead of Alex Albon from Williams. The final point was claimed by Ollie Bearman from Haas.
2025 FIA Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix – Race
1 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Honda RBPT 53 1:22’06.983
2 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 53 1:22’08.406 1.423
3 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 53 1:22’09.112 2.129
4 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 53 1:22’23.080 16.097
5 George Russell Mercedes 53 1:22’24.345 17.362
6 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 53 1:22’25.654 18.671
7 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 53 1:22’36.165 29.182
8 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 53 1:22’44.117 37.134
9 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 53 1:22’47.350 40.367
10 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 53 1:23’01.512 54.529
11 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Mercedes 53 1:23’04.316 57.333
12 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull/Honda RBPT 53 1:23’05.384 58.401
13 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Renault 53 1:23’09.105 1’02.122
14 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 53 1:23’21.112 1’14.129
15 Jack Doohan Alpine/Renault 53 1:23’28.297 1’21.314
16 Nico Hülkenberg Sauber/Ferrari 53 1:23’28.940 1’21.957
17 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Honda RBPT 53 1:23’29.717 1’22.734
18 Esteban Ocon Haas/Ferrari 53 1:23’30.421 1’23.438
19 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber/Ferrari 53 1:23’30.880 1’23.897
20 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Mercedes 52 1:22’19.912 1 lap /12.929
Photos/MaxVerstappen/X
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