Max Verstappen wins the japanese grand prix for fourth time in a row

Max Verstappen takes victory in the Japanese Grand Prix with a flawless performance. The Red Bull driver dominates from start to finish, securing his fourth consecutive victory at the Suzuka circuit.

Photo: Red Bull

It was a fairly quiet race, as Suzuka is known for its difficult overtaking. The lower track temperature also played a key role: the tires didn't wear as quickly, allowing the drivers to extend their stints and maintain a more consistent pace over more laps.

In the top ten, everything ended pretty much the same as it began. The only change was Lewis Hamilton's rise to seventh place, after overtaking Isack Hadjar, who dropped to eighth. Despite this, Hadjar's outstanding race deserves special mention: with consistent pace and a successful strategy from Racing Bulls, the young driver managed to score his first four points in Formula 1.

It was also a great race for Ollie Bearman, who managed to score a point for Haas with a solid performance. Another rookie who shone was Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who not only finished in the top 10 but was also the fastest driver on track at several points during the race. He was very close to his teammate, George Russell, and broke a new record: he became the youngest driver in Formula 1 history to lead a race.

The three leading drivers Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri were lapping at very similar paces and were very close to each other, making any maneuver extremely complicated. The real battle was between the two McLarens: Piastri, who was running third, managed to set a few faster laps than Norris, but the latter also maintained a solid and consistent pace. Additionally, Lando Norris generally displayed better race pace throughout the race, further justifying his continued position ahead of his teammate.

The team didn't give any order to swap positions, as, despite the competitiveness between the two, such a strategy would have made no sense. The two McLarens were very similar in performance, and even with a swap of positions, the end result would have been the same: finishing behind Verstappen.

As is well known, McLaren allows its drivers to compete against each other on the track, and that's exactly what happened. With no clear advantage and considering that the internal struggle did not compromise the overall result, the team chose not to intervene.

The most exciting moment of the race was a minor incident between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris at the pit lane exit. Verstappen was driving in the right lane, while Norris attempted to overtake him on the side, causing the British driver to briefly go off onto the grass. While it wasn't a serious incident and had no impact on the final result, it did cause some tension at the time. However, it remained a mere anecdote, as both drivers made light of it and shared a few laughs about the incident after the race.