Max Verstappen fended off Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to claim his first victory of the 2025 Formula 1 season in a tense finish to the Japanese Grand Prix.
Pole-sitter Verstappen beat Norris by just 1.4 seconds for his fourth straight Suzuka win, with Piastri just seven tenths behind his McLaren team-mate in third place.
The key moment of the race came on Lap 22 when Verstappen and Norris pitted together, and the pair exited the pit lane almost side by side, with Norris going onto the grass.
Norris claimed he was “forced off” but the stewards quickly decided not to investigate the incident after noting it, suggesting the McLaren driver should have backed off as Verstappen had his car ahead.
From there, Verstappen managed his tyres perfectly despite several efforts from Norris and Piastri as they pushed hard but never got within DRS range of the reigning world champion.
The top three in Suzuka now have a race win each in 2025 but Norris leads the Drivers’ Championship by a solitary point from Verstappen and Piastri is 13 points back ahead of next weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Max Verstappen holds off the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to claim the Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit
The top six finished as they started with Charles Leclerc in a lonely fourth, George Russell in fifth and Kimi Antonelli, who led his first laps of an F1 race, in sixth.
Lewis Hamilton overtook Racing Bull’s Isack Hadjar early on to take seventh place from the rookie driver, with Williams’ Alex Albon in ninth and Haas’ Oliver Bearman in 10th.
Home hero Yuki Tsunoda only made up two spots on his first Grand Prix for Red Bull as he finished 12th behind Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
How Verstappen beat faster McLarens
The Suzuka Circuit was damp at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix but dry enough for slicks and Verstappen knew he needed to stay ahead of the McLarens off the line to stand a chance of converting his sensational pole from Saturday into victory on Sunday.
Verstappen and Norris pointed their cars at each other but got equal launches and the top 10 held their positions with no incidents of note throughout the field.
From there, it was a game of tyre management. Norris initially held back before pushing hard prior to the only pit stop phase.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Lando Norris and Max Verstappen almost clash coming out of the pits leaving Norris in the grass as they battle for position in Suzuka
McLaren opted to pit Piastri first though, before Verstappen and Norris came in together with just over one second separating them.
A slightly slow Red Bull pit stop meant Norris got around half of his car alongside Verstappen when released from his pit box. Norris took to the grass and immediately stated he was forced off by Verstappen, who said the British driver “drove into the grass himself”.
McLaren had a clear pace advantage though, as they have all season, but the high-speed corners of Suzuka meant following the car in front was difficult due to the dirty air.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Max Verstappen jokes Lando Norris was an ‘expensive lawnmower’ after their pitlane clash, which saw Norris drive into the grass during the Japanese Grand Prix
Verstappen kept a 1-to-2.5s gap throughout the remaining 30 laps of the race after the pit stop, so Norris was not close enough to attack but suffered from the lack of downforce behind the four-time world champion.
Piastri was also in the battle, however, did not take any risks against his team-mate so had to settle for the podium on his birthday.
Although McLaren’s double podium puts them 36 points ahead of Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship, their drivers will be left frustrated to not win on a track which played to their strengths.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Max Verstappen held off Lando Norris on the opening lap in Suzuka
“It was tough. The McLarens were pushing me very hard,” said Verstappen, who is the first driver to win four races in a row at Suzuka.
“It was a lot of fun but not easy pushing the tyres. I am incredibly happy. This weekend started off quite tough but we didn’t give up, kept improving the car. Today it was on its best form. Starting on pole made it possible to win.”
Elsewhere, there was little action aside from Antonelli going long in the first pit stop phase and leading his first ever laps in F1.
Hamilton, who started on the hard tyres, also had a long first stint, hoping for a Safety Car, but took seventh on a relatively quiet weekend for Ferrari.
All 20 drivers finished the Grand Prix for the first time in 2025 and circuit organisers will be relieved there were no grass fires, which disrupted earlier parts of the race weekend.
Formula 1 continues its triple-header in Sakhir for the Bahrain Grand Prix next weekend on April 11-13, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – No contract, cancel anytime
