Red Bull Racing’s four-time world champion Max Verstappen emerged victorious from pole position on Sunday at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan.
Throughout the race, McLaren drivers and winners of the two previous races Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri pressured Verstappen, but neither managed to catch or undertake him through pit stops, with the three cars only boxing once.
“When I got here this weekend, I didn’t expect to win here at all, especially after Friday,” Verstappen said. “The most important thing was to start from pole.”
Verstappen led from the start with the medium tire until he boxed on Lap 22 alongside Norris. Verstappen’s stop was one second longer than Norris’, but the pair lined up to return to the track simultaneously. Norris went off track into the grass while battling to exit the pits first, and on his radio, he accused Verstappen of pushing him off. The stewards deemed the incident unworthy of further investigation.
“That’s quite an expensive lawn mower,” Verstappen said when rewatching the footage in the cooldown room postrace.
Verstappen returned to the lead after Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli boxed on Lap 32. Norris and Piastri chased him for the rest of the race, and Piastri — who had a stronger pace — requested that the team order Norris to let him pass to try to overtake the race leader. McLaren did not give the order, and the three drivers crossed the finish line after 53 laps in the order they started.
“The two McLarens were pushing me very hard, so [it] was a lot of fun out there,” Verstappen said. “I’m incredibly happy. It started out tough this weekend, but we didn’t give up, kept improving the car and starting on pole. We could win the race.”
Verstappen’s new teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, celebrated his first home race as a Red Bull Racing driver, finishing P12 without points. He had previously driven for the junior team, Visa CashApp RB.
“There’s work to be done, but I’m excited to keep improving and building from here,” Tsunoda posted on his X account. “Racing at home in Japan is such a privilege, and even if we didn’t get the result we wanted, I’m so grateful to everyone for all the love I received this weekend.”
Red Bull celebrated their last Japanese GP with a Honda engine this Sunday, as they are changing engine manufacturers in 2026. They honoured the Japanese brand with a special white and red livery inspired by the Japanese flag, deemed “White Bull.”
“I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved over all those years together,” Verstappen, who won his four championships with a Honda engine, said. “I think this is like a perfect send-off dream result.”
Norris now leads the World Driver’s Championship by one point over Verstappen, with 62 points to 61.
Round 4 of the 2025 season will occur at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Bahrain International Circuit.
English
Spanish