Image: Liauzh
Max Verstappen claims victory at The Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix 2025, breaking McLaren’s momentum
SUZUKA, JAPAN – Max Verstappen took home his first win of the season for Red Bull at The Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, holding off McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in P2 and P3.
Despite grass fires in practice sessions and early rain on Sunday, weather conditions remained stable producing an incident-free race.
Max Verstappen started strong from pole position after setting a new course-record time in qualifying, securing a decent lead ahead of the two McLaren drivers. Trouble then occurred when Verstappen’s slow stop saw both him and Norris side-by-side in the pit exit, pushing the McLaren driver on to the grass. Regardless, Verstappen finished the race where he started: in first place, securing his fourth consecutive victory at The Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix.
Norris, the current championship leader, and his second place briefly looked threatened by his teammate in the ending laps. Nonetheless, Norris was able to maintain his place with Piastri finishing the race in third.
Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari secured fourth ahead of the Mercedes pair of George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli in fifth and sixth. Antonelli also became the youngest race leader in F1 history after Verstappen pitted on Lap 22.
Lewis Hamilton added some more points to Ferrari’s tally in seventh, while rookie Isack Hadjar grabbed his first points of the season with a great drive for Racing Bulls in eighth. Williams driver Alex Albon secured ninth for the team, now scoring points in all three races this year. Ollie Bearman in the Haas claimed the final point on offer in 10th.
With Verstappen’s unexpected victory, the McLaren team and Norris will need to keep eyes on their competitors to ensure their dominance on track. The Bahrain Grand Prix kicks off next weekend on April 11th, the second race of the triple-header. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is soon after, taking place the following week, on April 18th.
