Verstappen fends off McLaren threat to win fourth consecutive Japanese Grand Prix
- Damian Hall
- Apr 7
- 3 min read
Max Verstappen held firm under relentless pressure from both McLaren drivers to win the Japanese Grand Prix for a record fourth consecutive time, as Red Bull’s reigning world champion once again proved untouchable around the legendary Suzuka circuit. McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri completed the podium.
Starting from pole, Verstappen led away cleanly and controlled the race despite repeated threats from Norris and Piastri behind. The Dutchman was made to work hard for his victory, with the McLarens keeping him honest right to the chequered flag.
“It was tough,” Verstappen admitted. “Just pushing very hard, especially on the last set — 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 yeah, I’m incredibly happy. This weekend we didn’t give up, we kept improving the car and today it was in its best form. Starting on pole really made it possible to win this.”
Verstappen’s win marked his fourth consecutive victory at Suzuka — a feat no other driver has achieved.
Norris finished second for the second race in a row, his best chance to challenge Verstappen coming after the final round of pit stops. Getting just within 1.1 seconds behind the Red Bull on lap 39, with teammate Oscar Piastri close behind.
Still, neither driver could make a decisive move, as Verstappen’s pace and race management left little room for error.
“[We] lost out yesterday [in qualifying],” Norris said. “Max drove a good race today [with] no mistakes and the pace was too similar to do anything more. It was a long race, a lot of pushing, a flat-out race from start to finish. It was tough, they were quick and he [Max] made no mistakes, like I said, so he deserved the win.”
Piastri crossed the line third, making it a double podium for McLaren. The Australian was left reflecting on what could’ve been, knowing that his qualifying performance might have cost him a better result.
“I think yesterday [in qualifying] was the day where you effectively won the race and I didn’t do a good enough job,” he admitted. “So I’ll take the podium. I think there are still a lot of positives to take out [of] this weekend. The pace was mega — next time I just need to make sure I’m in a better position to use it.”
It was a clean start to the race with no major incidents early on, though drama did arrive in the pit window. Norris and Verstappen came dangerously close to colliding at pit exit in a moment that highlighted how close the fight for victory really was.
Further back, Sir Lewis Hamilton started eighth for Ferrari on an alternate strategy, opting to begin the race on the hard tyre compound. The Ferrari driver ran long and briefly climbed to second before eventually pitting on lap 31, re-joining in seventh on fresh mediums.
“I woke up this morning hoping for a wet race and obviously it’s gonna be a dry one,” Hamilton said before the lights went out. “But it’s still windy and cold so it should be different on the tyres compared to what we experienced in practice. It’s not easy to overtake here so trying to figure out how to do something different to everyone else that’s around me. I’m not in a great position in P8 so from there it’s difficult to progress — but when there’s a will, there’s a way.”
There were no significant gains for the seven-time world champion on Sunday, but his strategy highlighted Ferrari’s willingness to take a different approach. His teammate, Charles Leclerc, enjoyed a stronger outing, finishing fourth on his 150th Grand Prix weekend.
George Russell and Kimi Antonelli brought both Mercedes cars home in the top six, with Antonelli also setting the fastest lap of the race on lap 50. Hamilton recovered from his alternate strategy to finish seventh, followed by Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar, Williams’ Alex Albon, and rookie Oliver Bearman, who rounded out the points in tenth.
Verstappen fends off McLaren threat to win fourth consecutive Japanese Grand Prix by Damian Hall
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