A brilliant drive would be an understatement to describe Max Verstappen’s Japanese GP triumph in Suzuka, as he held off the faster McLarens to clinch his first race win of 2025. This has bolstered Verstappen’s chances for the drivers’ title this season, with only one point now separating him from championship leader Lando Norris.
This is quite significant because of the pre-season perception around him and Red Bull. With the Austrian team still suffering from balance issues on the RB21, many had ruled out Verstappen to defend his crown this season. On top of that, the McLaren drivers looked like the clear favorites, with the MCL39 being the class of the field so far.
But the 27-year-old’s stellar performance this weekend in Japan has changed a few perspectives in the paddock. “Max is proving you can never count him out. He is able to drive around so many issues so is in this fight,” said Sky Sports F1’s Naomi Schiff, whilst 1997 world champion, Jacques Villeneuve predicted a tougher path ahead for Verstappen.
“Max will always be there to grab anything he can but that is a car that will suffer in the heat. It is hard to set up and will be more difficult in heat,” he explained. Having said that, while the paddock now believes that Verstappen can fight the McLaren duo for the title, the Dutchman himself isn’t too sure about his chances.
Rather, he has highlighted how the persistent issues on the RB21 will make life much harder for him down the line.
“We still have work to do, we still have limitations, but knowing these limitations you try to find out how much you can push it. To fight for the title, we need more,” weighed in the 27-year-old.
“What an unbelievable weekend”
Celebrations and congratulations for Max Verstappen over the radio! #F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/HeUd6kEWDl
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2025
This was the case last year as well, when Red Bull started to slide back in the pecking order and Verstappen’s frustrations peaked during the European leg of the season. Still, he somehow managed to get out of that corner to secure his fourth consecutive title by maximizing his results.
In the 2025 campaign so far, the #1 driver is again extracting the maximum out of the car like he was in the second half of last season, as he has seemingly made peace with the RB21’s current reality.
On the other hand, Norris and McLaren are still not able to stamp their authority on the field despite having the fastest car. So, that is an excellent situation for Verstappen’s title chances.
Norris flags one area of deficit to Red Bull
There is no denying the fact that McLaren have produced the fastest car currently on the grid. Yet, Norris was unable to challenge Verstappen during the race in Suzuka despite being only two seconds behind him for the entirety of the race.
After the Grand Prix, the Briton revealed that the MCL39 suffered from one crucial disadvantage against the RB21, which ruined his chances of extending his lead in the drivers’ standings.
“I was quicker in sector one than Max [Verstappen] but the Red Bull is a lot quicker than us in slow-speed corners. It is too difficult to overtake here [Suzuka] and our strengths and weaknesses were in the wrong spots,” he explained.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella called the double podium result an encouraging sign but also conceded that their car did not have the pace advantage to mount an attack on Verstappen.
Going further into the season, the Woking-based team will want to address these issues to strengthen their grip on the championship.
