Max Verstappen won the Japanese Grand Prix from pole position to close to within one point of Lando Norris at the top of the drivers’ championship as the top six at Suzuka finished exactly as they started.
Norris and McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri had been hopeful of passing the Red Bull during the race – with McLaren undoubtedly in possession of the fastest car on the grid.
But Verstappen proved once again that, in his hands at least, the RB21 can be a contender.
Questions are likely to be asked of McLaren who, despite the fastest car and drivers in P2 and P3, did not try to do anything different with their strategies to make life difficult for Verstappen.
The closest Norris came to passing the Dutchman was when they both entered the pits on the same lap and came out side by side, with Norris squeezed onto the grass.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fourth, ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. The second Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton was seventh, having started eighth.
Elsewhere, Britain’s Ollie Bearman finished a creditable 10th in his Haas, while Yuki Tsunoda was a disappointing 12th on his Red Bull debut.
More to follow...
08:25 AM BST
1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve on Sky Sports
“McLaren do not seem overly disappointed which is strange as they should have been first and second.
“They were not slow but beaten by a team and driver who were better than them and that should hurt.”
08:20 AM BST
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella talking to Sky Sports
08:14 AM BST
The thoughts of Yuki Tsunoda, who finished 12th at his home race
“I am happy with my performance but I wanted to finish in the points. I was expecting more in my home Grand Prix so it is a mixed feeling.
“I am learning and gaining confidence in the car. I felt controlled. I am happy considering the amount of time I had in the car.”
08:13 AM BST
Double podium finish for McLaren
08:09 AM BST
Great day for Hadjar
08:03 AM BST
Christian Horner speaking to Sky Sports
“Max [Verstappen] has been absolutely outstanding this weekend. The hard work was done yesterday but he was inch perfect in the race.
“McLaren were quick but we were able to be that bit quicker to hold them off and keep them behind.
“Max drove the wheels off the car. We worked hard to give him a car he was able to extract the most out of. He is like Mr Motivator for us.”
07:59 AM BST
McLaren increase their lead at the top
07:57 AM BST
How things stand through three races
07:55 AM BST
1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve
“It shows how close everyone is. We are at the end of the regulations and the cars are almost all perfect and do similar lap times.
“If someone has a slightly better set-up or does a great lap, it gives them an advantage.”
07:52 AM BST
Verstappen wins again in Japan
07:47 AM BST
Podium celebrations
07:41 AM BST
Race winner Max Verstappen talking post-race
"We didn't give up." ????
Max Verstappen after winning the Japanese GP, saying it was the 'perfect send off' with Honda ???? pic.twitter.com/IFmxkOYSet
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 6, 2025
07:40 AM BST
The thoughts of Lando Norris, who finished second
"It's racing I think, he was still ahead" ????️
Lando on his pit lane incident with Max and securing P2 in Suzuka ???????? pic.twitter.com/5yOl3uVqWi
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 6, 2025
07:39 AM BST
Victory for Verstappen
07:36 AM BST
The thoughts of Oscar Piastri, who finished third
07:33 AM BST
Max Verstappen on the team radio
07:33 AM BST
Verstappen’s winning moment
07:31 AM BST
Ted Kravitz on Sky Sports
“This is what happens when you are dealing with the Dutch lion that is Max Verstappen. If you get outqualified by him, you lose the race.
“This has got to be the first operational error by McLaren this year - but what a drive by Max.”
07:27 AM BST
Top five
-
Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
-
Lando Norris (McLaren) +1.423
-
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +2.129
-
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +16.097
-
George Russell (Mercedes) +17.362
07:26 AM BST
Verstappen wins the Japanese Grand Prix
He sealed pole with a stunning lap in qualifying yesterday and wins at Suzuka yet again! Norris comes home just behind in second and his teammate Piastri third. McLaren will be disappointed they have not won this race and may regret some tactical decisions around the pit stops.
07:24 AM BST
Lap 53 of 53
Onto the final lap we go and Verstappen looks like he will seal this victory. Behind Antonelli is showing great pace having pitted after those ahead of him. He is not far behind his teammate but will probably not have enough time to get a move done on Russell.
07:22 AM BST
Lap 51 of 53
Will McLaren rue their decision to pit Norris at the same time as Verstappen? Should they have brought him in before or after the Dutchman? They have the faster car but being in the dirty air all race and a lack of overtaking opportunities may cost them. All ifs, buts and maybes now.
07:20 AM BST
Lap 50 of 53
Verstappen looks like he might have enough to hold on here as Norris cannot get into DRS range despite being so close and there is only one DRS zone.
07:16 AM BST
Lap 47 of 53
Norris is trying to get within DRS range of Verstappen but is just outside the second he needs. Piastri has DRS behind Norris and there is under two seconds between the top three with just over five laps to go.
07:13 AM BST
Lap 45 of 53
It feels like Norris has just been saving his tyres in recent laps but now it looks like he has stepped it up to close back in on Verstappen. Norris never dropped more than a second and a half behind Verstappen.
07:12 AM BST
Lap 44 of 53
Piastri gets very close to the back of Norris into turn one but runs out of straight to make a move.
The top five (with gaps):
-
Verstappen
-
Norris +1.416
-
Piastri +0.892
-
Leclerc +9.885
-
Russell +3.455
07:10 AM BST
Lap 43 of 53
Piastri has said over the team radio that he thinks he has the pace to get to Verstappen. Piastri is within a second of Norris and has DRS. Norris is one and a half seconds behind Verstappen.
07:06 AM BST
Lap 40 of 53
Piastri now has DRS behind Norris, who has dropped a few tenths behind Verstappen. There is only one DRS zone though at Suzuka.
07:03 AM BST
Lap 39 of 53
Norris is getting close to getting within DRS range of Verstappen but he is just not quite able to get within a second to get the DRS. Piastri is just behind his teammate but also just outside of DRS range.
06:59 AM BST
Lap 36 of 53
There are under three seconds that cover the top three at the moment. Further back Hamilton is within two seconds of Antonelli for sixth and seventh, with Hamilton being on the faster medium tyres.
06:55 AM BST
Lap 33 of 53
Albon gets a good move done on Lawson into the final chicane to move up into ninth. Lawson is yet to pit.
06:53 AM BST
Lap 32 of 53
Antonelli’s stint on the mediums is over as he finally pits to put on a set of hards. He comes back out in sixth, which is where he was before the pit stops.
That means we are back to where we were before the pits. Norris is just one and a half seconds behind Verstappen.
06:52 AM BST
Lap 31 of 53
Just as Verstappen comes up to the back of him, Hamilton locks up into the final chicane and he now ditches the hard tyre to put on a set of mediums. Verstappen is up into second but Antonelli is still out there in the lead on the mediums he started on.
06:51 AM BST
Lap 30 of 53
We have seen a couple of good moves into turn one over the last few laps, with one Williams making a place and the other losing one. Moments after Albon passed Ocon, Hadjar then got past Sainz.
06:47 AM BST
Lap 28 of 53
The top five (with gaps):
-
Antonelli
-
Hamilton +3.968
-
Verstappen +2.986
-
Norris +2.088
-
Piastri +1.908
Antonelli (mediums) and Hamilton (hards) are yet to pit. Antonelli is the youngest driver to lead an F1 race.
06:44 AM BST
Lap 26 of 53
There will be no further investigation into the Verstappen/ Norris incident. Hadjar has come into the pits and comes back out in tenth.
06:43 AM BST
Lap 25 of 53
Antonelli has inherited the lead as he is still yet to pit. Hamilton is second having started on the hard tyres. Hadjar is third and is yet to pit. Verstappen is then fourth with Norris fifth. The incident between Verstappen and Norris at the end of the pit lane has been noted.
06:38 AM BST
Lap 22 of 53
Red Bull bring in Verstappen, McLaren pit Norris and Ferrari bring in Leclerc. Norris’ stop is faster and they are side-by-side as they come out of the pits. Verstappen forces Norris onto the grass and keeps hold of the lead. Norris is straight onto the team radio to complain about Verstappen.
06:36 AM BST
Lap 21 of 53
Piastri had dropped back a little from Norris and he comes into the pits. A good stop from the McLaren pit crew as they get Piastri back out in ninth, just ahead of Alonso and into a bit of free air on a new set of hard tyres.
06:34 AM BST
Lap 20 of 53
Norris is told by Will Joseph that his pace is really strong and is within one and a half seconds of Verstappen, who is told he can push. Mercedes have decided behind to pit Russell, who goes onto the hard tyres. He comes back out in 13th, behind home favourite Tsunoda.
06:32 AM BST
Lap 19 of 53
Norris has gained a few tenths on Verstappen in the last few laps and has been told to box by his race engineer Will Joseph. The McLaren crew come out into the pit lane but Norris is then told to stay out. Was that an attempt to lure Red Bull into the pits?
06:29 AM BST
Lap 17 of 53
The home fans would have been hoping to see Tsunoda make more inroads than he has, with the new Red Bull man only making one place up into 13th from 14th on the grid. He has DRS behind the Alpine of Gasly and these two used to be teammates and are good friends.
06:27 AM BST
Lap 16 of 53
The top five (with gaps):
-
Verstappen
-
Norris +2.145
-
Piastri +1.164
-
Leclerc +2.516
-
Russell +1.436
When will see the frontrunners pit? Who will be the first to jump? With McLaren having two dogs in the fight at the front they can force Red Bull’s hand. Much further back Alpine have brought Doohan in, replacing the softs with a set of hards.
06:21 AM BST
Lap 12 of 53
We heard Verstappen earlier complaining of upshifts and now we have a very irate Albon complaing to his Williams team about the upshifts in his car. Albon is currently ninth, where he started, just over a second behind Hadjar.
06:18 AM BST
Lap 10 of 53
Norris has just been told there could rain on lap 20, which would last just one lap and would be light. He has been told by his race engineer Will Joseph that it would not change their plans or strategy. Norris is just over two seconds behind leader Verstappen.
We have the first stop of the race as Aston Martin bring in Stroll to get rid of the softs and put on a set of hard tyres.
06:15 AM BST
Lap 8 of 53
The top five (with gaps):
-
Verstappen
-
Norris +2.015
-
Piastri +0.710
-
Leclerc +1.338
-
Russell +0.826
06:12 AM BST
Lap 6 of 53
Hamilton has DRS behind Hadjar and easily makes the overtake up the inside before turn one. The seven-time world champion is on the hard tyres and this is good data for all the medium runners.
06:11 AM BST
Lap 5 of 53
Norris has dropped out of DRS range behind Verstappen and will be looking in his mirrors with his teammate Piastri having DRS on him.
06:08 AM BST
Lap 3 of 53
Verstappen has been complaining over the team radio about his upshifts but he has managed to just get out of DRS range from Norris.
06:07 AM BST
Lap 2 of 53
The drivers do need to be a little careful of some of the damper patches, including a small puddle down the main straight not long before the braking zone into turn one. They do not break particularly hard into the first corner but still something to watch out for. That was a very calm start, with everyone behaving themselves and no incidents to speak of.
Antonelli has just gone deep into the final chicane but did not lose a place. He started sixth and is still sixth
06:05 AM BST
Lap 1 of 53
Norris gets a decent start, despite being on the slightly damper side of the grid, but Verstappen holds the lead into turns one and two. The top ten hold positions.
06:04 AM BST
Off we go!
We are under way in Suzuka.
06:01 AM BST
Formation lap
All 20 drivers are making their way around on the formation lap. The racing line is every so slightly drier. Most of the grid is starting on medium tyres. The only man in the top ten not on mediums is Hamilton in eighth on a set of hards. The last four drivers are on a mix of hards and softs.
At the end of the formation lap both Verstappen and Norris are pointing towards each other.
05:58 AM BST
Track conditions
Both George Russell and Oscar Piastri have been speaking to Sky Sports in the last few minutes and neither are fazed by the track conditions. They have said there is a bit of dampness but not too much and all will be starting on slick tyres. The first sector could be a little slippery as it has been newly relaid. Will those starting on the racing line (odd numbers) get a bit of an advantage over those on the even side of the grid? We will have to wait and see. There is a small risk of rain during the race.
05:55 AM BST
Five-minute klaxon
Not long to wait for the start of the Japanese Grand Prix. Yuki is ready, are you?
05:50 AM BST
Fans in full support
05:47 AM BST
Home favourite Yuki Tsunoda, who starts 14th
“I am feeling ready. Yesterday was yesterday, today is today. Different conditions. Rain will be new as well but I am excited.
“I did not expect to progress as fast as I have so there are positives. I am still learning, there are lots of ups and downs but I feel there is potential.
“I am just disappointed I was not able to put it all together when it mattered.”
05:45 AM BST
Anthem time
A proud moment for Yuki Tsunoda, with the performance of the Japanese national anthem “Kimigayo”.
05:44 AM BST
Weather update
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has just been speaking to Sky Sports and said he thinks it is unlikely to rain during the race, although you have to be on your toes at Suzuka with it being near the sea.
05:44 AM BST
Max Verstappen speaking ahead of the race
“I am excited for the day ahead and hopefully we can have a great result. A win would mean a lot, but we have to stay realistic.
“It is going to be a tough fight to try to stay in the lead but we will try our best. Just try and do our own race, really try to use the strengths of the car and see how far we can get.”
05:39 AM BST
Lando Norris speaking to Sky Sports
“At the minute it is looking a bit drier. I think it is still meant to rain a little bit. If it is anything like the Australian Grand Prix, I am sure the fans and everyone watching will love it. Of course, stressful for us inside the car, but I am excited for today.
“Max [Verstappen] did a very good job yesterday, so hats off to him. When you watch the on-board, the rear does not move one time, but they do look like they suffer with an understeer, so I am hoping that comes into our favour a little bit today, especially in the cooler conditions.
“We know our race pace is strong. Maybe we sacrificed a bit too much of our qualifying pace for our race pace today, but we will see.”
05:36 AM BST
Norris vs Piastri another McLaren battle royal that could end in tears
Norris leads the drivers’ championship on 44 points, with Piastri fourth, 10 points behind the Briton. But that is largely down to the fact that Piastri spun during the rain-affected Australian race, finishing ninth as Norris won.
Until that spin – which of course he ultimately has to take the blame for – the Australian had looked to be a threat to Norris, even being instructed to hold position at one point after he closed.
In China, Piastri was clearly the more comfortable of the two McLaren drivers, finishing second in the sprint and winning the feature race.
For more from our senior sports correspondent Tom Cary, click here.
05:31 AM BST
McLaren out in front
05:27 AM BST
Bernie Collins: I felt like a fraud when I moved from pit wall to punditry
For more than a decade, Bernie Collins accrued a wealth of experience at the highest level of Formula One. In 2014 she was performance engineer to 2009 world champion Jenson Button at McLaren before eventually becoming Aston Martin’s head of race strategy.
Her most glorious moment in F1 was the chaotic Sakhir Grand Prix in 2020 when Sergio Pérez went from last on the first lap to take a memorable maiden victory for both himself and Racing Point. Yet when Collins moved from the pit wall to in front of the camera two years ago, becoming an on-screen analyst for Sky Sports F1, the transition was an uneasy one.
“For a long time, I felt like I was a bit of a fraud, not doing enough work on the pit wall. I felt a bit like I wasn’t contributing as much to the sport. Before, the decisions I made directly affected the outcome of the race,” she says.
Luke Slater has sat down for an interview with Sky Sports’ Bernie Collins.
05:21 AM BST
Norris leads the way through two rounds
05:16 AM BST
Russell: I always looked up to Lewis Hamilton – it’s surreal being the older driver now
9am
The first thing I do is jump in cold water. I live on the coast in Monaco so I’ll go down in the lift from my flat and get straight in the sea, or into the ice bath at home. I have to pinch myself that I live here. I left school young so my friends are from the racing world, as well as athletes like tennis players and cyclists, who live here, too. To be in the top 20 of any sport requires huge discipline and sacrifice, so it’s good to have like-minded people around you.
In our weekly My Saturday column, celebrities reveal their weekend virtues and vices. This week it is George Russell, who starts fifth today.
05:12 AM BST
Piastri turns 24
The Australian could become the third driver after James Hunt (1976 Dutch GP) and Jean Alesi (1995 Canadian GP) to win on his birthday.
05:08 AM BST
Schedule at the start of the season
Round one: Australia- Winner: Lando Norris
Round two: China- Winner: Oscar Piastri
Round three: Japan
Round four: Bahrain Sunday 13th April
Round five: Saudi Arabia Sunday 20th April
Round six: Miami Sunday 4th May
05:03 AM BST
Starting grid
04:57 AM BST
Who will be victorious in Suzuka?
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen starts on pole for today’s Japanese Grand Prix after a stunning lap at the death in qualifying yesterday. The four-time world champion produced a brilliant performance at the end of Q3 to keep the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri off pole position as he secured his fourth consecutive pole at Suzuka. Not even half a tenth covered the top three with Norris starting on the front row alongside Verstappen with Piastri in third. Verstappen was delighted with his pole lap but knows it will be tough to beat the McLarens today.
“We tried the best we could to get the best possible balance. It was not easy but every session we had little improvements. That made the difference. The last lap was just flat out and it is incredibly rewarding.”
“I was fully committed on the final lap. At points, not sure if I was going to keep it (on the track). If you look at how our season started, even this weekend, it is very unexpected and that makes it a very special one.
“It will be very hard [to win], but that is fine. I will try to do my best. So far this season we have not been able to fight them. But it is not like we just sit there and accept it. We try to do the very best and we will give it a good fight tomorrow if we can. But at the end of the day, it is a very long championship and you need to keep on scoring points whenever you can in the best way possible. At least we are starting from the front - then we will see where we go.”
Norris, who leads the drivers standings by eight points ahead of polesitter Verstappen, is looking forward to today’s race.
“I am excited with a battle with Max. We had plenty of them last year, looking forward to some more tomorrow [today],” Norris said. “I do not know what the weather will do, which is the big question honestly. It could be a bit like Melbourne which was an exciting race for you guys, tough and nerve-wracking for us.”
Charles Leclerc will start fourth for Ferrari and Mercedes’ George Russell is fifth. Home favourite Yuki Tsunoda, who has been promoted from RB to the senior Red Bull team since the Chinese Grand Prix, was knocked out in Q2 and will start from 14th at his home race. Ironically, the man who Tsunoda has replaced at Red Bull, Liam Lawson, starts one place higher. Williams’ Carlos Sainz has received a three-place grid penalty after qualifying for blocking Lewis Hamilton, who starts eighth today, in the second part of qualifying.
The race from Suzuka gets under way at 6am.
