Max Verstappen was in imperious form at the Japanese Grand Prix as he managed to lead home his Formula 1 rivals despite an obvious car disadvantage.
To pair with his sensational qualifying lap, Verstappen only surrendered his lead during the pitstops before regaining it once everyone had stopped.
After fending off two McLaren drivers all by himself, the Dutchman crossed the line to complete an almost perfect Japanese Grand Prix performance.
It’s no secret that the Red Bull can be a tricky car to drive, but he recovered from a poor Friday and did exactly what he needs to do in pursuit of a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship.
David Croft noticed Verstappen’s ‘brilliance’ in Suzuka, and could see how quick he was through the high-speed first sector.
Despite Verstappen ‘lacking’ one thing in Japan – confidence, he dug deep and found a result at a time when he desperately needed it.
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Max Verstappen set his Japanese Grand Prix success up with ‘astounding’ Red Bull qualifying lap
Verstappen has serious ‘doubts’ at Red Bull over their ability to develop this year’s RB21 and keep it in contention at the front.
Three races into the campaign and any suggestions that the team should focus on the 2026 F1 regulations are going to be ignored. They want to win now.
Peter Windsor was most impressed with the Dutchman on Saturday, and how he set himself up for success on Sunday.
“For Max Verstappen, this was an amazing recovery from a poor Friday when he did have understeer,” he said. “He got the pole with that astounding lap.
“Having got the pole, and there being no rain even though rain was still being threatened on lap 20, there was no rain. It was a dry race. Max didn’t have the benefit of the wet if you like. He still beat the two McLarens, just outstanding work.”
READ MORE: Helmut Marko sets Red Bull deadline on when it will be ‘too late’ for Max Verstappen to catch McLaren
How Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda suffered a ‘really bad’ start to life as Red Bull teammates
Just in time for the third race of the season, Red Bull promoted Yuki Tsunoda to ensure that Verstappen would be lining up alongside a third teammate in the last four races.
The Japanese driver has led the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls outfit well over the last four seasons and finally earned his promotion after Liam Lawson failed to extract any performance from the Red Bull.
However, before the weekend even started, Verstappen and Tsunoda did something ‘really bad’ ahead of their first race together.
It was revealed that the new addition doesn’t ‘trust’ his new partner entirely. It’s going to take some time for Tsunoda to develop a better relationship with the four-time champion.
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