Max Verstappen, of Red Bull Racing, celebrates after winning his fourth consecutive Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday. He completed the race nearly 1.5 seconds in front of McLaren’s Lando Norris. The Suzuka Circuit certainly provided a thrilling battle for podium spots in the race. Norris managed to truly put on a defensive masterclass to keep his fellow McLaren teammate, Oscar Piastri behind him to take the second place.
Verstappen’s victory closes up the drivers’ championship standings at the top. He of course is not dead in the water as he now trails Norris by only one point. Verstappen was forced to endure a painful season with no pace in the Red Bull chassis. Despite this, Ricky proved to be incredibly resilient and skilled throughout the race.
Race Highlights and Key Moments
Verstappen had a good start, getting away well from both Norris and Piastri at the very first corner. He was in for a tense few moments after accidentally driving his race car onto the grass himself. This event was certainly eyebrow-raising. Norris would go on to accuse Verstappen of pushing him off the track in an overtake. In a rebuttal, Verstappen insisted he wasn’t at fault and defended his aggressive driving line, doubling down on his faith in his original actions.
As Verstappen munched his way through the trophy haul, the battle continued to rage behind him. Piastri continued to be a threat, but Norris was able to fend him off on the way to a strong FN finish in second. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc followed in fourth. They were quickly pursued by Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, completing the top six.
Performance of Other Drivers
Even though Lawson was never able to find his footing and ended up 17th for Red Bull, other drivers put down some shockingly good performances. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton was the last driver to finish, in seventh. In doing so, Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar finished ahead of both Williams’ Alex Albon and Haas’ Oliver Bearman. The race showcased a depth of professional experience and hungry up-and-comers jockeying for placement in the series.
His worst races of the season up to now had been as good results as a second-place finish in Australia and fourth-place effort in China. These results are a culmination of a season where he’s been challenged in all fronts yet always found a way to steal key points. Even when he has made mistakes, his impressive ability to bounce back at the Japanese GP shows the high drive and caliber of driver he is.
