The 2025 Japanese Grand Prix concluded swiftly with a win for Max Verstappen β his fourth-consecutive victory at the iconic Suzuka circuit.
Verstappen’s Dominance in Suzuka
As soon as the 5 lights went out, the pace of the Red Bull allowed Verstappen to smoothly snatch P1 from the McLaren of Lando Norris. Despite maintaining a strong lead for the first 22 laps, he encountered a moment of tension with Norris as they both exited the pits side-by-side, forcing the McLaren onto the grass.
Verstappen highlighted that the cooler track temperatures played a role in the team’s success.
“I think also the track temp today helped us β less overheating from the tyres naturally, when the track is cooler.”
He also emphasised the importance of starting from pole.
“Today was key to start first. They were trying to get into my DRS, but it’s very hard to follow around here”
This win marks the Dutchman’s fourth in a row at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Norris Faces Frustration
After securing P2, Lando Norris displayed mixed emotions. While satisfied with the points, he expressed frustration with how difficult overtaking was during the race:
“I mean, not a lot happened really, did it? Just difficult to follow and even harder to overtake”
“Don’t know what else we could’ve done really”
He pointed out that the McLaren had strong pace, suggesting that the issue wasn’t speed, but rather the qualifying result the team achieved on Saturday.
“You know, when you look at a race like this, you just think we lost out yesterday and not doing a good enough job”
“Do I think we’re a little bit quicker? β I guess, but I was gaining in the straights, losing in the corners, so I don’t think our pace was honestly that different in the end. Max didn’t make any mistakes, so nothing to capitalise on”
Describing the race as “not the most exciting”, he still remained positive about the podium finish β one that puts him just a point ahead of four-time world champion Max Verstappen in the standings.
Oscar’s Positive Approach
The Australian marked his birthday with a P3 finish, just behind his McLaren teammate. Despite a late push and applying pressure in the final laps, he couldn’t find a way past Norris, crossing the line just a second behind.
Similar to Lando, Piastri acknowledged that Saturday’s qualifying played a key role in shaping his final result:
“You know I felt like I was very fast today, just didn’t have the track position to do much with it”
“Unfortunately, that’s the result of qualifying”
Piastri also reflected on his previous struggles at Suzuka, considering this race as a step foward in his performance.
“I think there’s a lot of positives from today, you know, it’s been a track that’s not been great for me in the races the last couple of years and today I think I felt like I had very very strong pace, so I’ll take that forwards”
“The results, yes, not quite what I wanted, but yeah, there’s still a lot of satisfaction from today”
Photo Credit: Red Bull Content Pool
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