The 2025 Japanese Grand Prix race saw Max Verstappen secure his first win of the season with an “inch perfect” drive from pole position. However, the victory was hard-fought, with the two McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri consistently applying pressure throughout the 53 laps of the Suzuka Circuit.
The Battle at the Front:
Despite McLaren being considered strong favourites for the weekend due to the track layout, Verstappen managed a “stunning” and “record-breaking” pole position This proved crucial on a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult
Throughout the race, Norris remained within sight of Verstappen, often just over a second behind, but struggled to get close enough to mount a serious overtaking attempt or benefit from DRS3…. Norris acknowledged that Verstappen made no mistakes and his pace was too similar to allow for a pass
Piastri, starting third, initially kept pace with the leading duo but was the first of the top three to pit4. This move was described as an attempt to cover the cars behind, particularly George Russell, and to potentially force Red Bull’s hand with Verstappen’s strategy
Piastri felt he had “really strong pace” and believed he could have challenged Verstappen for the win if he had better track position, highlighting the importance of qualifying4. He even questioned the team over the radio about a potential swap with Norris to allow him to attack Verstappen. However, McLaren opted to maintain their drivers’ positions
McLaren’s Strategy and Discussions:
Lando Norris questioned McLaren’s strategy, particularly the decision to pit on the same lap as Verstappen. He felt they could have potentially tried the undercut or gone longer on their stint to create a tyre delta. Norris admitted, “I probably should have tried to undercut, I think” However, he also recognised the risk of safety cars impacting an alternative strategy
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella defended the strategy, stating that the undercut wasn’t straightforward due to the Hard tyre’s performance in the first sector
The discussion about a potential driver swap between Norris and Piastri highlighted McLaren’s dilemma in managing two competitive drivers The team appeared hesitant to risk disrupting Norris’s race for a potential, but not guaranteed, chance of Piastri overtaking Verstappen.
Performance of Other Teams and Drivers:
Charles Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari, ahead of both Mercedes cars4. This was considered a good result for him, maintaining Ferrari’s position in the constructors’ battle
George Russell finished fifth for Mercedes. The Mercedes car seemed to have good pace, particularly on the hard tyres, as demonstrated by Kimi Antonelli’s long first stint However, Russell lost out to Leclerc in qualifying
Andrea Kimi Antonelli impressed on his debut weekend, finishing sixth after a strong and long first stint on the medium tyres
Lewis Hamilton struggled with his Ferrari, finishing seventh and expressing a desire for information on where he was losing time. His weekend was described as “uninspiring and off the pace”
Isack Hadjar, in his debut for Racing Bulls, qualified seventh and finished eighth, marking a strong performance. The VCARB 02 was noted as a consistent and benign car, making it the “car of choice” in the midfield pack19
Alexander Albon secured ninth place for Williams after another strong weekend4
Oliver Bearman rounded out the top ten for Haas, scoring points and justifying his participation
Alpine struggled due to an engine deficit, particularly on the straights, despite their car potentially being the fifth-fastest in the corners
Track Conditions and Race Characteristics:
The resurfaced Suzuka circuit resulted in extremely low tyre degradation for everyone. This negated McLaren’s usual advantage in tyre management and contributed to the lack of overtaking, as drivers could push flat-out for longer
The race became a relatively straightforward one-stop affair for most drivers due to the low degradation
Overtaking was difficult due to the track layout, the cars’ downforce levels, and the reduced impact of tyre degradation. As Lando Norris noted, “it’s pretty much impossible to pass here”. Max Verstappen also highlighted that with improving cars and more downforce, following closely has become harder
Notable Incidents and Feedback:
There was a close call at the pit exit between Verstappen and Norris, with Norris having two wheels on the grass4. Both drivers downplayed the incident as “racing”
Lando Norris questioned whether he should have tried to undercut Verstappen by pitting earlier7
Oscar Piastri enquired about swapping positions with Norris, indicating his belief in having the pace to challenge Verstappen
Max Verstappen reflected on the win being a “perfect send-off” in his final race in Japan with Honda as a partner
Overall, the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix was a tense race at the front, with McLaren having the pace but ultimately being unable to overcome Verstappen’s qualifying advantage and Red Bull’s strong execution. The low tyre degradation from the resurfaced track played a significant role in the limited overtaking and the strategic decisions made by the teams
While Verstappen secured a crucial victory, questions were raised about McLaren’s strategy and their ability to convert their pace advantage into wins
