Max Verstappen claimed his first victory of the 2025 Formula 1 season after beating the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to the chequered flag at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, Afrosport reports.
The reigning world champion had a strong start from pole position and held a decent lead over the McLarens throughout the early stages , however drama ensued during the pit stops when Verstappen forced Norris wide while trying to make an overtake.
The battle intensified in the final 10 laps as Piastri closed in on Norris which forced the latter to up his pace and cut Verstappen’s advantage.
The Red Bull driver was however able to hold firm, crossing the chequered flag, 1.423 seconds clear of Norris, for his fourth consecutive win at Suzuka and the 64th Grand Prix win of his career.
Reacting to his victory, the 27-year-old said: “It was tough, [I was] just pushing very hard especially on the last set [of tyres]. “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.
“It’s very important to always try to maximise your performance, and I think we did that very well this weekend.”
Bringing in the points
Here’s your top ten from today’s Japanese Grand Prix
#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/PEBox1K0kc
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2025
Charles Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari, ahead of the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, while Lewis Hamilton was seventh in the other Ferrari.
Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar clinched his first F1 point with an eighth place finish, with Alex Albon and Ollie Bearman completing the top 10 for Williams and Haas respectively.
