2025 Japanese Grand Prix Recap

By Ryan Wu

Verstappen’s Breakthrough?

Max Verstappen delivered a commanding performance in qualifying, setting a new track record at Suzuka. He followed that up with a strong start, shutting the door on Lando Norris into Turn 1 and gradually building a lead of over two seconds by lap 10. Verstappen’s pace was especially impressive in Sector 1, where he consistently pulled away from Norris.

The early stages of the race were relatively quiet. Apart from Lewis Hamilton overtaking Isack Hadjar, there were no changes in the top 10, and on-track battles were few and far between. Interestingly, both Verstappen and Alex Albon reported issues with upshifts during this phase of the race.

By lap 20, as Norris approached his pit window, he picked up the pace and cut Verstappen’s lead to 1.5 seconds. It became clear that pit strategy would be crucial in determining the race outcome. After some dummy calls from both teams, Verstappen and Norris pitted on the same lap. Norris gained nearly a second during the stop but ran wide onto the grass at pit exit while attempting an overtake—an overzealous move that led to some light-hearted radio exchanges between the two championship contenders.

McLaren’s decision to mirror Red Bull’s stop was questionable. George Russell’s earlier attempt at an undercut had proven ineffective, leaving him stuck in traffic with little to gain. Arguably, Norris may have been better off staying out a lap longer.

With around 10 laps to go, some intra-team drama emerged at McLaren. Oscar Piastri was heard on the radio asking to be let past, believing he had the pace to chase down Verstappen. However, no team orders were issued. Norris closed the gap to within a second but couldn’t mount a serious challenge.

Verstappen went on to win the race, becoming the first driver in history to claim victory at the Suzuka four years in a row.

Overall, the race lacked drama, with only one change in the top 10 from qualifying—Hamilton gaining a single position. The rest of the order remained unchanged.

Red Bull's Controversial Driver Swap

A lot of buzz surrounded the recent swap between Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson, following Lawson’s early-season struggles. But the universe has a funny sense of irony—Lawson ended up qualifying one place ahead of Tsunoda, in 14th and 15th respectively.

Tsunoda never found consistent pace throughout the race, raising questions about whether this might be another short-sighted decision from the Milton Keynes-based team. In a sport as cutthroat as Formula 1, tough calls are inevitable—but judging Lawson after just two races, especially in the notoriously challenging Red Bull car, feels premature.

Red Bull was in a "damned if you do, damned if you don’t" situation. If Lawson continued to underperform, criticism would follow. Yet they publicly backed him at the beginning of the season, with Christian Horner stating the team believes the New Zealander has a higher ceiling than Tsunoda. But two races is hardly enough time for anyone to reach their potential.

It also begs the question: was this simply too much pressure for Tsunoda? Racing at home, with the weight of expectations and a point to prove, he may have been trying too hard to show he deserves a shot in the senior team. In the end, he finished 12th—well off the pace of race winner Max Verstappen.

Rookie Report

Antonelli led the race from lap 22 to lap 32 before making his pit stop. The young Italian showcased impressive tire management on the medium compound, maintaining strong pace throughout his stint. After his stop, he rejoined the race in 6th—the position he had started from—and ultimately finished there along with collecting the fastest lap of the race, continuing his promising start to his career.

Isack Hadjar also impressed this weekend, qualifying 7th ahead of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. He went on to claim his first points of the season with a solid 8th place finish.

Oliver Bearman also put another strong performance in as he made Q3 and collected a point for Haas with a 10th place finish.

Weekend to Forget for Lance Stroll

Stroll had a difficult qualifying session, finishing nearly a full second slower than his teammate, Fernando Alonso. Although he gained a position early in the race by overtaking Gabriel Bortoleto, he ultimately finished in last place and was lapped by the three race leaders.

Racing Refresh Driver of the Day

Max Verstappen, Red Bull

Final Points Finishing Positions

1st: Max Verstappen

2nd: Lando Norris

3rd: Oscar Piastri

4th: Charles Leclerc

5th: George Russell

6th: Andrea Kimi Antonelli

7th: Lewis Hamilton

8th: Isack Hadjar

9th: Alex Albon

10th: Oliver Bearman

Next on the F1 Schedule:

Bahrain Grand Prix: April 11th-13th