MAX VERSTAPPEN returned to his usual spot as he took his first win of the season in Japan.
The Red Bull driver edged out Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri the same way he did in qualifying as he won his fourth consecutive Japanese Grand Prix – the first driver in history to do so at Suzuka.
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Verstappen had earned pole position in qualification by setting an “incredibly rewarding” record lap round the Suzuka Circuit.
And he used that advantage to nip right in front of Norris from the off, staying in front of the Brit for the entire race.
In fact, Verstappen was leading the pack for the entire race, barring the laps he used to catch up following his pit stop.
It was that pit stop that looked like it could have been a turning point, as both the Dutchman and Norris came in at the same time.
Championship leader Norris looked like he was going to squeeze past Verstappen as the pair returned to the track, but instead got caught in the grass and lost a second on his rival.
From there, both Norris and Piastri were spending the rest of the race trying to make up ground on the four-time world champion.
Birthday boy Piastri was actually looking the faster of the two McLaren drivers, but a decision was made to leave Norris in second to keep the 25-year-old in top spot in the Drivers’ Standings.
Verstappen crossed the line in 1:22:06.983, with Norris trailing behind by just 1.423 seconds and Piastri taking third spot by 2.129.
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Charles Leclerc took fourth for Ferrari, while Mercedes pair George Russell and Kimi Antonelli made up fifth and sixth place.
That makeup is the exact same as yesterday’s qualification.
Meaning it’s the first time in history that the top six has stayed the exact same on a permanent race track.
Lewis Hamilton was the best of the rest in seventh spot, but still finished well behind any kind of podium spot.
Verstappen said on the team radio: “What an unbelievable weekend. What a turnaround. We win together, we keep pushing together.”
While in a post-race interview, he added: “The two McLarens were pushing me very hard. It started off quite tough this weekend and we had to keep improving the car, but today it was in top form.
“It’s important to always maximise your performance and I think we did that this weekend”.
Norris was asked after the race his thought on the incident that saw him head through the track-side grass after the pit stop, admitting it’s just part of the race.
He said: “Max is the last guy I expect to give me space. In a good way, in a competitive racing way.”
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