Max Verstappen was unattainable in Japan and returned to victory in F1
The Dutch built his success since Saturday’s classification and closed it with a race without errors to support the two powerful McLaren who completed the podium.
“It was a perfect race, you never have to give up,” was the radio message of Christian Horner, director of Red Bull, to Max Verstappen after winning the Japan Grand Prix, the third date of the 76th season of Formula 1. “We will continue to push,” was the response of the tetracampeon. If there is something that is absolutely clear in the World Cup, it is that the Dutch will never lower your arms. His competitive spirit and his hunger to win does not know concessions, despite having four titles in his bag. In Suzuka he did not achieve one more victory, it was special. It is true, the race was soporÃfera, of the most boring of recent times, but for Max it has enormous value.
ANDn The set of reasons that give this triumph a specific weight in that he could win his RB21 inch. The almost null degradation of tires on the Japanese track was the necessary balm for a Red Bull that usually mistreats the roofs. And the victory was not simple, because on Friday, when it all started with the rehearsals, the car was far. He had already been complicated and far from the McLaren in Australia and China and in the search to find the right development path until an emergency meeting was organized at the team’s base, in Milton Keynes. Already in Suzuka, the engineers and Max turned the Red Bull to improve performance. “We put the car leg up on the weekend,” Horner confessed on Saturday after the classification. The weight distribution, aerodynamic balance, antivuelco bars and to the wing level was modified. Verstappen chose a more unloaded wing to gain speed. In Red Bull they left nothing without moving in search of the RB21 complex having a better performance window. And they succeeded.
All that work was the basal and fundamental stone to achieve victory: the classification. That magical pole that Verstappen got was absolutely key for the Dutch could celebrate his victory. An anthology return, taken from the huge and inexhaustible talent that has already added the little ones, but constant errors of Lando Norris, especially in the key moments. The English failed in classification, Oscar Piastri also had in Yerro and that is very much if the goal is to overcome a pilot who is never wrong.
Another reason that exalts success was precisely overcome the two McLaren. The Woking team is, at the start of 2025, the team to win. While their pilots prefer to accuse those who think that they speak “nonsense,” the MCL39 demonstrate it in the rhythm. But those little mistakes on Saturday condemned the orange machines to chase Verstappen throughout the todin career. They were always close, but they could never attack or finish being a threat to the Red Bull. Something was clear after Japan: Piastri and Norris will not yield an apex in the internal fight because both have the same objective in mind, the title. That is accepted by the popes of the team, who ended up losing the possibility of threading the third success in a row that could have occurred if they used two different strategies, but that meant sacrificing someone. Result: They chose to do the same with the two and witness on the podium like those of Milton Keynes took the largest trophy. They did not even accept the order, which arrived in a question mode, which Piastri made to pass Norris to go to Max’s hunt. The Australian was faster than English, but those who command did not leave it. Conclusion: A team with runners with the same goal, with bosses who already showed an extreme softness several times when making unfriendly decisions is the ideal combo for Verstappen, with less potential, arising as it did in Japan.
As if something was missing to enlarge the value of success, Max cut the worst start of the season since 2020. In that year marked by the pandemic, the tetracampeon took until the fifth date to achieve his first victory in the tournament. Since then, he always won in the first or second or both (2024). This year he had two without triumphing and in China he finally achieved success.
The champion won again, added his 64th success and the fourth in Row in Japan. The victory was a warning for all that their goal is to be champion again, achieve the fifth crown in a row with Red Bull. And he showed that it is possible despite not having all the potential McLaren has. In fact, Yuki Tsunoda, his brand new companion who replaced the degraded Liam Lawson (after two races) was 12th either managed to add, the same thing that had happened to the Neozyre. Verstappen is alone, against everyone and beats them. “You never have to give up,” Horner told him after crossing the goal. You don’t need or tell.
Japan GP result
