Verstappen thrilled with fourth Suzuka win in a row

Max Verstappen was left “incredibly happy” after taking victory at the Japanese Grand Prix, with the World Champion bouncing back from a tough start to the weekend – as well as facing a close call with Lando Norris at the pit exit during the race – to claim a fourth consecutive win at the Suzuka Circuit.

Having caused a surprise by grabbing pole position in the dying moments of Saturday’s Qualifying session, Verstappen led away smoothly when the race got underway to hold off the challenge posed by the McLaren pair of Norris and Oscar Piastri.

When the Dutchman made his sole pit stop, Norris also dived into the pits on the same lap – and, following a slightly slow stop from Red Bull, Verstappen was just heading to the pit exit when Norris appeared alongside him, resulting in a side-by-side moment that saw the Briton run onto the grass.

That drama aside, Verstappen then stayed ahead for the remainder of the 53-lap encounter, clinching his first win of the campaign by 1.4s from Norris.

2025 Japanese Grand Prix: Norris and Verstappen fight for the lead at the pit exit

“It was tough, [I was] just pushing very hard especially on the last set [of tyres],” the 27-year-old said after stepping out of the car. “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. Of course starting on pole really made it possible to win this race.

HIGHLIGHTS: Catch up on Verstappen's stellar victory at the Japanese Grand Prix

“It’s very important to always try to maximise your performance, and I think we did that very well this weekend.”

Pushed on how much the Suzuka Circuit means to him as his run of success at the venue continues – with this win taking place during the final year of Red Bull’s partnership with Japanese manufacturer Honda – Verstappen responded: “It means a lot to me.

“It was in the back of my mind as well in those last few laps – I was like I need to try and stay ahead, it would be a great story for our final farewell race together with Honda here in Japan. I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved over all those years together, and I think this is a perfect send-off.”

Reflecting further on his back-to-back victories in Japan, Verstappen acknowledged that his triumph this time took place in slightly different circumstances compared to his more dominant campaigns in recent years.

2025 Japanese Grand Prix: Verstappen crosses the line to take his first victory of the season

“Four in a row of course is great, but very different scenarios compared to I would say the last few years here,” he explained. “Today it was key to start first – they were trying to get into my DRS but it’s very hard to follow around here.

“I think also the track temp today helped us, less overheating from the tyres actually when the track is cooler and, yeah, just incredibly happy with this result.”

AS IT HAPPENED: Follow the action from Japan as Verstappen takes commanding victory

In terms of how much pressure he felt from the chasing McLarens, Verstappen insisted that this was not affecting him much as he also gave his take on the pit exit incident with Norris.

“I was quite calm,” the Dutch driver said. “I’ve been in this position before, but I just tried to focus on my own laps, trying to not make any mistakes, making sure that the balance was driveable, because of course throughout the stint the tyre life, it definitely changes the balance a bit front to rear.

“But we managed everything really well, and just very happy with this result. And then of course with that pit lane thing, yeah, it was tight.”

Verstappen is now just one point away from Norris at the top of the Drivers' standings, while Red Bull remain in third of the Teams' Championship, with Verstappen's new team mate Yuki Tsunoda having missed out on points at Suzuka.