Suzuka, April 6, 2025 – by GP Thread
Max Verstappen delivered a clinical and mistake-free drive to take his first win of the 2025 season at the Japanese Grand Prix. Starting from pole, the Red Bull driver kept Lando Norris behind from lights out to the chequered flag, despite a tense moment during their side-by-side pit exit.
With this result, Verstappen closes the gap in the championship standings to just one point behind leader Norris. Oscar Piastri completed the podium in P3. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda, racing in front of his home crowd, missed out on points, finishing in P12.
🇯🇵 Race Summary – Key Moments from Suzuka:
Lap 1/53:
Verstappen gets away cleanly from pole. Both he and Norris are slightly angled toward each other on the grid, but the Dutchman makes no mistake and opens a one-second gap within the first lap.
Lap 7:
Verstappen extends his lead to two seconds. Piastri holds station behind Norris in P3, with no real battles on track as the field settles into rhythm.
🚨 Pit Lane Drama
Lap 22:
Verstappen and Norris dive into the pits at the same time. Norris has the faster stop, but exits just behind Verstappen, getting pushed onto the grass in the process. Both drivers express frustration over team radio. Verstappen rejoins in P4, Norris in P6 behind Alex Albon.
Lap 27:
Race control confirms no further action for the pit lane incident. At this stage, Verstappen and Norris run P3 and P4, about 2.5 seconds apart, behind Antonelli and Hamilton who still need to pit.
🟢 Verstappen in Control, McLaren Battle Builds
Lap 36:
Verstappen retakes the lead and maintains a 1.5-second cushion over Norris. He’s told over the radio he’s free to “push.” Little drama elsewhere on track as the top ten begins to solidify:
Top-10: Verstappen, Norris, Piastri, Leclerc, Russell, Antonelli, Hamilton, Hadjar, Albon, Bearman.
Lap 42:
Piastri begins to close in on teammate Norris, slipping into DRS range. Tension builds within McLaren as both cars push — while Verstappen maintains a steady lead.
Lap 48:
Norris claws back some time on Verstappen, but Piastri continues to apply pressure. Further back, Russell defends P5 from teammate Kimi Antonelli.
🏁 Final Lap – Verstappen Seals It
Lap 53:
Verstappen never puts a wheel wrong and keeps Norris out of DRS range for the entire race. He crosses the line to take his first victory of the season, proving once again that while the car may not be the fastest, his skill behind the wheel makes all the difference.
🏆 Final Top 10:
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
- Ollie Bearman (Haas)
Next stop: Bahrain, next weekend.