Damon Hill sends two-word message to Max Verstappen after watching him win the Japanese Grand Prix

Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen produced yet another impressive performance to take his first win of the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Max Verstappen was expected to have a very tough task on his hands, keeping both McLaren drivers behind him after snatching pole position.

Lando Norris got off to a strong start on the wetter side of the grid, but Verstappen held his nerve, and in a Red Bull that had a slight pace deficit to both McLarens, he secured an important 25 points for the team.

With his new teammate Yuki Tsunoda unable to secure a top 10 finish, the pressure continued to grow on Verstappen to deliver for Red Bull in their fight to win the constructors’ championship.

Verstappen was lacking some pace at the beginning of the Japanese Grand Prix race weekend, but produced a lap in the final session of qualifying that stunned everyone in the paddock.

Damon Hill was impressed with Verstappen’s one-lap pace, and the one-time world champion was blown away by his performance during Sunday’s race.

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Damon Hill lauds Max Verstappen after brilliant Japanese Grand Prix performance

Verstappen had the smallest of advantages over Norris throughout the race, with the pair nearly coming into contact at the pit exit.

Red Bull’s stop was slightly slow, and Norris came out just behind the Dutchman and in his efforts to stay alongside him, he ended up on the grass.

In hindsight, Norris may rue that split-second decision not to tuck in behind Verstappen, and from that point, he never quite got into DRS range of the four-time world champion.

Immediately after the race finished, Hill posted on social media and simply said: “Maxster Class 4 x 4,” referring to the fact that he’s now won each of the last four races at Suzuka.

Maxster Class 4 x 4 👏🏼👌🏻🤷🏻‍♂️ #f1

— Damon Hill (@HillF1) April 6, 2025

Earlier in the race, Hill noted on X that Norris needed to try and put his title rival under more pressure and said: “Lando needs to full attack now. But Max will never let him past [pass].”

While Oscar Piastri got within one second of Norris and activated his DRS, the lead McLaren driver never got close enough to the Dutchman, perfectly highlighting how well he managed their fight throughout the race.

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Max Verstappen praises Red Bull after Japanese Grand Prix victory

Verstappen sits a point behind Norris in the drivers’ championship after three race weekends, which, given the pace advantage McLaren currently possesses, he won’t be too upset about.

It’s been a long time since Verstappen was in the position of having to make up a points deficit, and Norris will only have to ask Lewis Hamilton about his attitude towards being in that position during a championship battle.

After the race, Verstappen was asked about the race weekend and said, “It was tough, just pushing very hard, especially on the last set, the two McLarens were pushing very hard.

“It was a lot of fun out there, not easy to manage the tyres but I’m incredibly happy.

“It started off quite tough, but we didn’t give up, and we kept improving the car, and today it was in its best form. Starting on pole that really made it possible to win this race.

“It’s important to execute, always try and maximise your performance, and I think we did that very well this weekend.”

Verstappen continued to stun his F1 rivals during race weekends, but he may need to produce even more breathtaking results if he’s going to become a five-time world champion this year.