In a head-to-head battle on the track between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, the Red Bull driver secured his first victory of the 2025 season, beating both McLaren cars, which finished second and third.
Absolute intensity unfolded at the Japanese Grand Prix (GP), where the four-time world champion, Max Verstappen, delivered a flawless race over 53 laps to clinch his first win of the season. He outpaced Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who crossed the line in second and third place, respectively.
Verstappen enters the title fight
After a dominant start by the two McLaren drivers in the first two races of the 2025 Formula 1 (F1) season, the Dutchman from Red Bull has officially joined the fight for the Drivers’ Championship. With this win, Verstappen now has 61 points, just one behind Lando Norris, and has overtaken Oscar Piastri, who sits at 49 points.
Just ONE POINT separates Lando and Max at the top of the championship 🤏
1️⃣ Norris: 62 points
2️⃣ Verstappen: 61 points
3️⃣ Piastri: 49 points#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/eFj3UszKKC— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2025
This fierce showdown between Verstappen and Norris lit up the Suzuka Circuit, especially during a pivotal pit stop when both drivers exited the pit lane simultaneously. In a dramatic wheel-to-wheel clash, Norris was pushed onto the grass by a strong defensive move from the Red Bull—an incident that ultimately determined the top two positions of the race.
The rest of the grid at Suzuka
Following the podium finishers, Charles Leclerc came in fourth, with the Mercedes drivers securing fifth and sixth, as George Russell finished ahead of Kimi Antonelli. Lewis Hamilton claimed seventh place, while Isack Hadjar had an impressive race to take eighth. Alex Albon and Ollie Bearman rounded out the Top 10 at Suzuka.
Fernando Alonso just missed out on points, finishing 11th. Yuki Tsunoda took 12th, showing better form than Liam Lawson, but still falling short of Red Bull’s expectations. Pierre Gasly ended in 13th, Carlos Sainz came 14th, and Jack Doohan finished 15th.
In the final positions of the race, Nico Hülkenberg came 16th, Lawson finished 17th, and Esteban Ocon took 18th. Gabriel Bortoleto and Lance Stroll occupied the last two spots, with Stroll’s Aston Martin delivering the worst performance of the weekend in Japan.
Cover photo: X (@F1)
