Max Verstappen may have taken a lights-to-flag victory at the Japanese Grand Prix. However, behind the seemingly routine result lay a tense, closely fought race and a moment of controversy between the reigning World Champion and McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Under pressure for much of the race, Verstappen admitted that the final stint was anything but comfortable. “It was tough, you know, just pushing very hard – especially on the second stint. The two McLarens were pushing me very hard and it was a lot of fun out there,” Verstappen said in the press conference. “Not easy, of course, to manage the tyres, but yeah, I’m incredibly happy.”
The controversy surrounding Verstappen and Norris
The most heated race moment came at the pit exit, when Norris, attempting to undercut the Red Bull, found himself alongside Verstappen as the Dutchman rejoined the track. The pair went wheel-to-wheel down the narrow exit, forcing Norris onto the grass. This incident drew complaints over the radio from the McLaren driver but no penalty from the stewards.
Asked for his perspective, Verstappen delivered a typically dry response. “Yeah, I think the grass was a bit—it was not really well cut on the right-hand side. So I think Lando saw that as well, and he made sure that it was nicely cut.”
When pressed for further comment, Verstappen shut it down in classic fashion: “What do you want me to say?… Next question then!”
Though the McLarens shadowed Verstappen for the majority of the race, the Red Bull driver once again proved untouchable in clean air. “The whole race I saw two orange cars in my mirror… especially those last 20 laps, we were pushing quite hard out there,” he said. “With like five laps to go, I felt like, ‘This is OK… from here on it’s just make no mistakes and it should be OK.'”
The relationship with Honda
Verstappen’s win marked his fourth consecutive victory at Suzuka. This came in what is expected to be his final Japanese Grand Prix driving a Honda-powered car—a relationship that has defined much of his success.
“It means a lot to me,” Verstappen said. “It was in the back of my mind as well. Our final kind of farewell race together with Honda here in Japan. I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved over all those years together… This is like a perfect send-off.”
Indeed, the Japanese crowd was treated to a fitting tribute to the Red Bull-Honda partnership, with Verstappen acknowledging the emotional weight of the occasion: “Honestly, the relationship that we’ve had with Honda has been amazing. I’ve really enjoyed my time with them… They’ve given me so much. Together we’ve won four Drivers’ Championships and two Constructors’. It’s been unbelievable and something you’ll never forget.”
A look into the future
As for the championship fight, Verstappen quickly recognises that Red Bull still has work to do. “We still have work to do. But it does show that if we really nail everything, we can be up there,” he said. “From our side, we want to be better than just sometimes being up there.”
And with that, the four-time World Champion heads to Bahrain with the title fight alive, and McLaren lurking ever closer.
