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Lando Norris is aiming to make a move on Max Verstappen at the start of Formula 1's Miami Grand Prix, but doesn't anticipate a repeat of April's Suzuka race if he can't pass at Turn 1
The Briton was put in the shade by Verstappen in qualifying
as a botched entry to Turn 17 derailed his progress to overturn the Red Bull driver's advantage
which was largely carved out in the opening sector
Norris stated after qualifying that he was "ready to see what he could do into Turn 1"; although he starts from second
this potentially grants him the inside line for the opening corner
He added that the three DRS zones and greater concentration of hard braking zones should ensure that overtaking opportunities are more prevalent
comparing it to his struggles to pass Verstappen at Suzuka in a race characterised by low degradation and few passing manoeuvres
"The DRS helps a lot around here with the overtaking
You also have some much bigger braking zones than you have in Suzuka
who finished second to Verstappen in Japan
"I hope that's the case and we can have a good race tomorrow. But I don't just expect competition from Max. Kimi [Antonelli]'s been quick all weekend and Oscar [Piastri] has been as well
I just expect a tough race from all accounts."
A more positive outlook from Norris over the Miami weekend, following a difficult pair of races in Bahrain and Jeddah
ensured that he was buoyed by qualifying despite losing pole to Verstappen
Norris spent time in the McLaren simulator ahead of the weekend
and felt that he was happy with the progress he had been making to feel more comfortable with the MCL39 - which he has stated numerous times sits largely at odds with his preferred driving style
"It's just a shame when you miss out on pole
"But I think I've been trying different things
I've been doing different things with the team to try and work a bit more in this area and things have been taking a step forward.
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Prepare for your exciting trip to the Japanese Grand Prix with these helpful tips and make the most of your F1 weekend while enjoying everything Formula 1 has to offer
it has been the site of the Japanese Grand Prix
witnessing iconic moments such as the Senna-Prost clashes in 1989/90
Michael Schumacher’s first Ferrari title in 2000
and Kimi Raikkonen’s stunning last-lap win from 17th in 2005
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1 – Drivers, teams, cars, circuits and more
Aside from Suzuka’s unique layout and rich history
one of the many highlights each year is the unrivalled passion of the fans
Famous for their creative custom-made outfits
as well as for their immense respect and support for all drivers on the grid
the atmosphere over race weekend leaves a lasting impression on everyone who experiences it
Keep reading for some useful information and friendly advice to help you make the most of your visit
Whilst there are no specific items we advise you bring with you to the circuit, check here for feedback from spectators who have attended the Japanese Grand Prix with information to enhance the viewing experience
Accepted forms of tickets are – electronic tickets on mobile phones, printed electronic tickets and tickets from Seven Eleven. Further information is available here
Anyone with a full weekend ticket (three-day) can enjoy the amusement park attractions
the ticket can also be used for entry and attraction access on Thursday
The Eve Festival takes place on the Saturday after Qualifying has finished, and fans with a V1/V2 reserved ticket can watch driver interviews on the main straight. Those without V1/V2 tickets will need a separate ticket to access this event. More information and timetable can be found here
The opening and closing times vary depending on the day of the week
The opening times may vary depending on which gate you enter through
Friday gates will open at 8.15am (apart from the Main gate which opens at 8am
and the Chicane gate which opens at 8.30am)
Saturday gates will open at 8.15am (apart from the Main gate which opens at 8am
Sunday gates will open at 8.15am (apart from the Main gate which opens at 8am
Toilets will be around the circuit and in the park. Additionally, public Wi-Fi will be available at the circuit. There are other facilities such as first aid stations and water stations. Please refer to the map for the location of facilities
Bring both cash and card with you for the Grand Prix weekend as most stores accept payment by cash or card
there are merchandise stalls within the circuit
Purchase merchandise of your favourite team and driver in the F1 Fanzone
There are plenty of food stalls and trucks serving a number of cuisines at various locations within the circuit. To see the list of vendors at the circuit over the Grand Prix weekend, click here
Additionally, dinner can be enjoyed at the Suzuka Circuit Hotel restaurant. As reservations are required in advance, please make a reservation through this link
bringing food and drinks is kindly discouraged
but there are plenty of food and drinks stalls within the circuit to enjoy
Heineken beer and a wide variety of other alcoholic beverages will be available at the venue
Alcohol can be purchased and consumed by those aged 20 and over (so bring a valid photographic ID if you wish to purchase alcohol)
there are wheelchairs for rent for use within the circuit
Free of charge to those with a valid disability pass
Children of all ages are welcomed into the circuit
Shuttle buses run to and from the circuit from Shiroko Station over race weekend. Further information can be found here
We also recommend travelling via train, pre-reserved bus, taxi, or bicycle. More information on that is available here
Don't miss your chance to experience the epic figure-of-eight Suzuka circuit..
MIAMI LOWDOWN: All the key moments as McLaren and Antonelli shine, Ferrari face tensions and LEGO takes over
MONDAY MORNING DEBRIEF: How Leclerc and Hamilton’s opposing Miami strategies culminated in fractious Ferrari radio exchanges
HIGHLIGHTS: Piastri leads McLaren 1-2 after thrilling race in Miami
Driveable LEGO big builds welcomed to Miami drivers’ parade
Cadillac unveil their team logo and brand during dazzling Miami launch event ahead of 2026 entry
Piastri wins from Norris and Russell as McLaren seal commanding 1-2 in Miami Grand Prix
'It was frustrating' – Hamilton opens up on tense Miami radio messages during Ferrari strategy debate
Driveable LEGO big builds welcomed to Miami drivers’ parade
© 2003-2025 Formula One World Championship Limited
makes its season debut at this the third round
That’s because Suzuka is one of the toughest tracks on the calendar when it comes to tyres and Pirelli has therefore always selected the hardest trio of compounds
Something new for this year is the fact that a large part of the track has been resurfaced
from the exit of the last chicane to the end of the first sector
as it features medium and high speed corners
such as the first two after the start-finish straight
the three hardest compounds in the range will be available
the C1 is the one that most closely resembles its 2024 iteration
have undergone the most changes in terms of performance
it will be interesting to see how the teams will manage their tyre allocation over the course of the three free practice sessions as they try to establish the best-set up for their cars
carried out using data supplied by the teams
suggests that lap times will come down thanks to the combined effect of the additional grip from the new surface and the increase in performance from the 2025 cars
which is reckoned will be around the one and a half seconds mark
That figure will be checked right from Friday during the first two hours of track activity
the Pirelli engineers have slightly modified the required minimum start pressures across both axles
with the front coming down by a half psi from 25 to 24.5 and the rear increasing by the same amount from 23 to 23.5
Friday’s data will be analysed immediately
to check the correlation between the simulation and the actual figures
as was the case in China for the second round
the new track surface will have a very significant effect on performance and also how quickly the track will evolve
given that Suzuka is one of the busiest circuits on the calendar
having already hosted two major events so far this year.
followed home by Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez and the then Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz
The field was split pretty fairly evenly between the Medium and Soft for the first stint
But race strategy was then influenced by the race being red flagged following a collision between Albon and Ricciardo
with seven drivers changing compounds for the restart off the grid
There was quite a difference in strategy choices
with the two-stopper nevertheless proving the most popular
and the order in which the compounds were used
the C1 did the most laps (61% of the total) ahead of the Medium (31%) and the Soft only doing a short first or final stint
as its performance drop was quite significant
tarting on the Medium and making only one change to Hard
Charles Leclerc managed to make up four places from his grid position
This year with what is on paper a big performance differential between the compounds
although one must wait and see what influence the newly surfaced part of the track might have
as well as what the temperatures will be this weekend
The Suzuka track is one of the most spectacular and demanding on the calendar
as well as being the only circuit of the season with a figure-of-eight layout
the venue is owned by Honda whose Suzuka factory
built in 1960 is one of its main sites in Japan
The track is regarded as being demanding for both car and driver
some of which are part of motor racing history
such as the Esses in the first sector and the legendary 130R and it has remained pretty much unchanged over the years
Apart from the aforementioned changes to the track surface
there are other minor modifications compared to last year
with kerbs and grass run-off areas having been changed
The most significant of these is at turn 9
where the single kerb has been replaced by a higher double kerb
while the synthetic grass on the outside of turns 2,7,9,14 and 17 has been replaced with gravel
Why type of forces are exerted on a tyre in an extreme form of motor racing like Formula 1
The tyres are subjected to several complex forces that have a direct influence on their performance and life
The main forces that act on the only point of contact between the car and the track are vertical
The first are a result of the weight of the car and the aerodynamic downforce generated by the wings and the floor
The lateral ones are generated while a car is cornering
when the weight is transferred towards the outside of the corner
generating lateral forces that increase as a function of the speed at which it is taken
typical of tracks with low radius corners at the end of long straights
can exert longitudinal forces on the tyres that can reach up to 5G
Suzuka is one of the most demanding tracks for tyres
especially in terms of the lateral forces to which they are subjected
On the scale used by Pirelli to rate the tracks
known in Japanese as “Sakura,” has hosted 40 Formula 1 World Championship Grands Prix to date
The first was held in 1976 and a total of three different circuits have been home to races
the Aida circuit hosted what was known as the Pacific Grand Prix
There have been 38 editions of the actual Japanese Grand Prix
while the remaining 34 have all been run at Suzuka
Michael Schumacher has the best record in Japan
The seven-time world champion took six wins at Suzuka – one with Benetton
the rest with Ferrari – and also won both Aida races
who shares Schumacher’s record for the number of world titles
Schumacher also heads the list for pole positions with eight and Ferrari is the most successful team in this regard with ten
The Japanese Grand Prix’s move to an early date in the calendar has robbed the event of the chance to decide the outcome of the drivers’ world championship
the matter was settled here no fewer than 14 times
Ayrton Senna clinched all three of his crowns at Suzuka
Schumacher won one in Aida in 1995 and two at Suzuka in 2003 and 2003
and Mika Hakkinen won his two titles in Suzuka in 1998 and 1999
Others to get their hands on the championship in Japan were James Hunt (1976)
Sebastian Vettel (2011) and Max Verstappen (2022)
Pirelli is a company with deep Italian roots now recognised all over the world for its cutting-edge technology
Motorsport has always played an important part in Pirelli’s strategy
The company has been engaged in motorsport for 128 years and today supplies tyres to more than 350 championships on both two and four wheels
Pirelli pays constant attention to the most efficient use of natural resources and energy
and will reach carbon neutrality by 2030.Pirelli has been Global Tyre Partner of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship since 2011
The company also supplies championships including FIA Formula 2
Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine and GT World Challenge
Max Verstappen’s Japanese Grand Prix weekend showed the four-time Formula One world champion’s brilliance
from a pole position lap that Fernando Alonso called “a magical moment” to a race that engineer Gianpiero Lambiase called “perfection.” And he did it all without having the fastest car
thriving in clean air while Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri struggled to close in behind
The Red Bull driver executed a mistake-free race and the only time he came close to losing the victory was the pit exit incident with Norris
where the McLaren driver ended up in the grass
the Woking-based team faced numerous questions post-race regarding its strategy
and whether swapping the order of its drivers would’ve changed the race outcome
You cannot discredit Verstappen’s standout drive
but as it possesses the fastest car early in the 2025 championship
McLaren not winning the Japanese GP isn’t as simple as saying it made a disastrous mistake on Sunday
Suzuka’s nature changed with large parts of its asphalt surface relaid for 2025 and teams’ strategy decisions subsequently differed from seasons past
This year, Suzuka exposed some of McLaren’s weaknesses
underlining concerns about it becoming a potential major future problem
Suzuka is known for being difficult to overtake
which was resurfaced with new asphalt in January
has a single DRS zone on the main straight and is in a figure-eight layout
It is fairly narrow and features few runoff areas
During the faster portion early in the lap
it can be hard for cars to follow closely and there is no DRS zone leading into the main overtaking spot at the final corners
Track position — and therefore qualifying — becomes even more important in these scenarios
the stagnant Suzuka race drew comparisons to the many processions that play out in the Monaco Grand Prix
Verstappen said he “fully committed everywhere” on the Q3 lap that landed him his first pole position of the season
He nailed every corner and made some critical small gains
making it possible to stay ahead of the McLaren duo
Norris was re-finding confidence after he’d “dipped a wheel in the exit of (Turn) 7
and 7 is the last place you want to make a mistake.” Piastri also admitted the first sector
you need to nail laps in qualifying,” McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said after Sunday’s grand prix
“and you need to bring on any possible millisecond because (qualifying) was indeed a matter of milliseconds
Norris or Piastri needed to get ahead of Verstappen quickly on Sunday to increase the chances of a McLaren win
eight-tenths of performance advantage.” These differentials in lap times can be helped by tire degradation and differing strategies
but that was not the case this year due to the resurfacing
Suzuka has changed from being a high-degradation circuit (and) is now a very low-degradation circuit,” Stella said Sunday
and Stella noted how there were “not many strategic options.” McLaren opted to pit Piastri first
The Australian driver said he was “was starting to struggle a little bit on the medium (tire),” and that pit stop fell within the windows for one of the one-stop strategies suggested by Formula One tire supplier Pirelli pre-race
It is a questionable strategy move given the difficulty of overtaking and would mean relying on a slow Verstappen pit stop or a subsequent overtake to gain the race lead
Red Bull’s pit stop wasn’t entirely clean and it became a race to get back on track
but the Dutchman had the edge as he and Norris raced out of the pit exit
the Red Bull driver slightly ahead and the McLaren going into the grass
Considering Norris was right behind Verstappen and leading the drivers’ standings
questions soon arose over why McLaren didn’t go for an undercut attempt and pit the Briton first
And was pitting on the same lap as Verstappen the right move once it was clear what Red Bull was going to do
“I think our pace was probably slightly better
but not enough to get through the dirty air
and then passing is a whole other story because it’s pretty much impossible to pass here,” Norris said while reviewing his race
Maybe we could have tried a bit more with strategy
Overcut or undercut — we just boxed on the same lap for some reason.”
Norris reckoned he “probably should have tried to undercut;” however
he did acknowledge the risk of a safety car being sent out once he’d come in was raised
Verstappen would’ve gain significant time stopping subsequently while Norris and co where driving at slower
Norris also felt he wouldn’t have lost his position if he had run longer
But when Stella was asked whether McLaren considered extending Norris’ stint when Verstappen pitted
the team boss claimed that would have caused the Briton to lose positions to other drivers
given these rivals had already pitted and were lapping faster on fresher tires
you cannot be faster than somebody that fitted on a hard,” Stella continued
“The situation became very clear when Russell pitted and he was very fast on a new hard.”
The overcut strategy works at tracks where you’re able to gain positions
such as Barcelona or past grands prix at Suzuka
Drivers are able to build multiple laps of tire life delta
enough so that “even if you pit behind the car that stopped before
you will pass him because you have better tires,” Stella said
the tires almost didn’t degrade at all from one lap to the other
We kept seeing purple sectors and purple laps (indicating fastest lap times) until the final lap.”
Stella told reporters that he felt Saturday’s Q3 laps “were even more of a determinant factor than anything that happened (Sunday) in the race.” And he’s right
you need perfect execution because I think in hindsight
the gap we had to Red Bull (Saturday) in qualifying and also this gap (in the race) was the same that we measured in practice sessions.”
It had become clear to McLaren that Verstappen was its closest competitor throughout the Japanese GP weekend
the Dutchman was around half a second off Norris
But Stella noted that when you take into consideration fuel loads and engine modes
Verstappen was only a tenth or so off McLaren’s pace in practice and at the same time he was very unhappy with the handling of his car
Red Bull subsequently addressed this with set-up changes pre-qualifying
one tenth and a half advantage,” Stella said
everyone always retains the possibility to say ‘I could have done better here and there,’ but this is a matter of milliseconds
I don’t want this matter of milliseconds to outshadow (sic) a weekend that is overall still quite positive.”
Norris now holds a one-point lead in the drivers’ points standings over Verstappen
but McLaren is the only team with triple-digit points — sitting at 111 points with a 36-point gap over second-place Mercedes and a 50-point gap over third-place Red Bull
The Milton Keynes-based team is in a tricky position
where Verstappen is the only driver who has scored points for it after three grands prix and a sprint race in 2025
though Yuki Tsunoda (in his first race with the team) wasn’t far off adding more to Red Bull’s total with his P12 finish
Norris anticipates Verstappen will challenge McLaren each race weekend
pointing out how he was battling for the win in the Australia season opener and “he wasn’t miles away” in China
we need to operate at the highest standard,” Stella said
“but also we need to operate consistently.”
a team’s goal takes a higher priority than its drivers’ aspirations
the topic of the brewing title battle between Norris and Piastri was again much discussed
as well as McLaren’s ongoing headache regarding team orders
Piastri voiced over his team radio that he felt he had the pace to get Verstappen
But was there a realistic chance of McLaren swapping its drivers
“I don’t think it is so clear that Oscar was faster
I think Lando was trying to get in Max’s slipstream even closer
But anytime you went below to one second (when the DRS overtaking aid becomes active)
then there was a significant loss of (tire) grip,” Stella said
“Lando was doing a little bit of elastic — trying to cool down his tires
I don’t think it is a situation that we should judge at face value in terms of what the pace of the car was.”
As many noted after the Chinese Grand Prix weekend
McLaren faces the perfect problem with two front-running drivers
It puts the team in a very strong position most weekends and McLaren allows its drivers to race each other — fairly
who is 13 points off of his teammate in the standings
but Red Bull team principal Christian Horner noted that the approach of treating drivers equally in one team can invite compromises
Fans saw this near the end of Sunday’s race
where McLaren didn’t make a call to swap its cars after pitting Piastri first much earlier — when
it made more strategic sense to pit Norris first
“I guess the problem they have is having two drivers that are fighting for the drivers’ championship,” Horner said when asked whether he would’ve swapped the drivers’ positions
“The difficulty they have is that they’ve made a bed where they’re going to let them race
So that’s the compromise that inevitably comes with that.”
(Top photo: Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
*The YZF-R1 shown is for illustrative purposes only
and was created based on the base racebike
Formula 1 held the third round of its 2025 season at Suzuka in Japan yesterday
The race used to be held toward the end of the calendar
but F1 now visits while the cherry blossoms are blooming
which certainly makes for some good visuals
With a hefty timezone difference between Suzuka and fans in Europe and the US
a difficult decision must be made: Do I stay up all night to watch it live
Let's just say I was glad I did that for qualifying on Friday night—and I was equally glad I slept in the following night and watched the race on Sunday morning
The circuit at Suzuka is one of the few old-school tracks left on the calendar
it's a real driver's track; anyone who's played it in Forza
or the racing franchise of your choice will know what I mean
The first corner is flat after a long straight
The left-right-left-right of turns 3–7 might be the best set of esses on any track in the world
It even crosses over itself in a figure-eight
some bits have become less of a challenge for modern F1 cars with their immense amounts of power and grip
but now the cars barely notice it as a corner
A lot of what we think of as driver's tracks don't actually race very well
the chicane between 130R and the final corner that leads onto the start-finish straight
maybe into turn 1—maybe—but only if you have a big speed advantage
even with the effect of the drag-reduction system down that main straight
But there are titanium skid blocks that poke out a few millimeters from the plank's surface
and these are what make contact with the track surface when a car bottoms out (and before any wear to the plank)
Titanium skid blocks were common in the 1980s (pre-plank) and were reintroduced in 2015
perhaps with the show in mind as much as anything else
This is the first time I can remember them causing a problem—five problems
the newly swapped Red Bull and RB drivers got their first experience in the cars they will drive for the rest of the season
Liam Lawson looked much more at home in the RB
a team he raced with for part of last year
The Williams might be the fastest car in the midfield right now
but the RB looks to be more exploitable by the drivers
within a few tenths of a second of his outrageously skilled teammate Max Verstappen
one of those grass fire red flags interrupted his run plan during the second of three qualifying sessions
With overtaking as difficult as it is in Suzuka
he looked dejected while being interviewed as he contemplated having to start from 14th
he showed much more comfort in the car than Lawson did during the first two rounds
and Red Bull boss Christian Horner had to answer many uncomfortable questions from the media on the topics of Red Bull's car and its driver-selection process
Speaking of onboards, we're spoiled with both a visorcam (pioneered by Formula E, to give credit where it's due) and the gyrocam
which might be the most immersive onboard feed yet
It has a wider field of view than the normal onboard camera and is not as well-stabilized
so you get a much better impression of just how much an F1 car vibrates at speed
Only a few cars carry a gyrocam at each race for now
but I'm eager to see it become more widespread
Neither Lando Norris nor Oscar Piastri in the McLarens had perfect laps; Piastri in particular gave up plenty of time in the first sector of the track
all three were separated by just 0.044 seconds
with the gap between Verstappen and Norris being a mere 0.012 seconds
All three were faster than Sebastian Vettel's record time set in 2019
it is awe-inspiring how late Verstappen was able to brake—successfully—for the Casio triangle
put in something of an inspiring performance
not just making it into the top 10 but doing so in severe discomfort while his over-tightened lap belts were threatening his reproductive health
I'm more and more impressed with this young French driver
who certainly never seems to have a boring moment
The reputation of Haas rookie Oliver Bearman went up a few points this weekend as well
Haas brought a new floor for its car to Japan that has successfully solved a handling problem—a self-described "risky move" by team boss Ayo Komatsu that paid off despite no wind tunnel testing ahead of fitting it to the cars
and Bearman used a line around the final corner that he picked up in iRacing to shave a few extra milliseconds
Sim racing is not uncommon among the F1 drivers
although this might be the first instance I remember of one of them mentioning they tried something they learned while gaming
General Motors is making quite good use of AI/ML in motorsport as it competes in IMSA and the World Endurance Championship
and I have to imagine F1 teams do something similar
even if it seems unlikely that any of them would go on the record with me
The race itself was perhaps best summarized by McLaren's Piastri in the cooldown room after the event
A video wall played the race highlights for the top three finishers as they awaited the podium ceremony
"That's all that happened in that race?" asked Piastri
"For a race that felt like it was pretty flat out
a grass fire would have been the best chance for something unusual to happen—perhaps while Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli was in the lead as a result of not having made his pit stop yet
A red flag period during an F1 race allows competitors a free tire change in the pits while the race is suspended
and if the racing fates wanted to make Antonelli the youngest winner in F1 history
yesterday would have been the day to make that happen
but that's not real life; morning rain made the grass damp enough that nothing went up in flames
A recent repave of the track surface not only increased grip but basically eliminated tire degradation
which in turn meant the drivers could race flat out rather than having to manage their tire wear by driving more slowly than the cars are capable
With everyone on basically the same strategy
in cars that are very closely matched in performance and starting lined up in order of that performance
there was more overtaking at last year's Monaco Grand Prix
Piastri appeared to have more speed than his McLaren teammate
but Norris was staying further back from Verstappen on purpose
This ruleset was introduced in part to reduce the wake of dirty air given off by an F1 car at speed
but much of that progress has been reversed as teams have evolved their designs to improve their balance and prevent the aerodynamic-induced oscillations known as porpoising
So the top three finished where they started
giving his Honda engine partners a home win in the final year of Honda's association with Red Bull
still one point ahead of Verstappen in a championship that still has more than 20 races left to go
And Piastri had to settle for third on his birthday
a stinging lesson in the importance of stringing together a qualifying lap
McLaren might not have been too upset with the finishing order
it also had two of the fastest drivers on the grid in Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso
Either Hamilton or Alonso could have won the world championship that year but took points off each other
allowing Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen to score more than either by year's end
Verstappen and Red Bull appear to be the underdog
but they've also just come off four victorious seasons
that team makes very few mistakes during the actual races
We won't have long to wait for round four: the sport heads to Bahrain this week
That was the site of its preseason test days
although that event was held in unseasonably cold weather
which means much of what the teams learned then may be inapplicable this coming weekend
playMax Verstappen wins fourth consecutive Japanese GP (0:56)Take a look at the incredible numbers behind Verstappen's fourth consecutive Japanese GP victory
Andrea Kimi Antonelli showed he was a quick learner by becoming Formula 1's youngest race leader and fastest lap setter on his way to sixth place for Mercedes in the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday
led for 10 laps in a 31-lap first stint on medium tyres after others had pitted and then set a best time of 1:30.965 seconds on the hard tyres around the Suzuka circuit
Antonelli finished one place ahead of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton
whose place at Brackley he took when the 40-year-old Briton joined Ferrari
for his third scoring finish in three races
Andrea Kimi Antonelli started and finished sixth
one place behind teammate George Russell. Kym Illman/Getty Images"It was not bad
What I'm most happy about today is the confidence I had in the car and the confidence to push
which I didn't have on Friday and the start of Saturday," Antonelli
"It was quite surprising to get fastest lap but definitely the feeling I had in the car is the most important..
I was able to explore the limit and to push and to play with the car as well
"It's good learning and good experience for next time."
Antonelli was able to put in consistent lap times
with the pace improving in free air as he ran longer on the opening stint
and was catching the cars ahead before he ran out of time
"It was also a nice feeling to lead the race for a few laps and become the youngest driver in F1 history to have done so
The next goal is to do that on the only lap that matters: the final one," he said
The previous fastest lap setter was Max Verstappen
with Red Bull in Brazil in 2016 at the age of 19 years and 44 days
race winner for Red Bull from pole position on Sunday
still holds the record for youngest ever winner at 18 years and 228 days and Suzuka was Antonelli's last chance to beat that
Fernando Alonso has compared Suzuka to Monaco in terms of being a Formula 1 race that is basically won on a Saturday during qualifying
Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix saw a dearth of overtaking as the spectacle failed to spark into an entertaining race with Max Verstappen winning from pole
It is something that has become an issue in recent years at Suzuka in the same way that Monaco has been highlighted as a race where success is determined by a driver’s starting position
F1 will be hoping the Monaco issue is now set to be solved after it introduced two mandatory pitstops for the 2025 grand prix
who finished 11th for Aston Martin on Sunday
fears Suzuka may have now gone the same way as the race in Monte Carlo
I don’t remember a race when we saw too many overtakes here without the weather changing,” said the two-time F1 world champion
“It seems like we repeat always on Thursday
What can we do to the track?’ ‘Suzuka is boring.’ This is Formula 1
because Saturday is incredibly high adrenaline.”
Speaking after the race, Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur said this season could become a “quali world championship” if the trend of struggling to overtake seen in both China and Japan continues
In what is the final year of the current regulations
there has not only been a convergence in car design but simultaneously teams have also found ways around rules that were originally introduced to promote more overtaking
Across 2024 there were 70 fewer overtakes than a year earlier
All four races in 2025 meanwhile (three grands prix and one sprint) have been won from pole
Maybe one stop was not the race that we were hoping for,” added Alonso on Sunday’s grand prix. “In the past with multiple stops
maybe the tyres are different but when we don't have grip
we complain that there is no grip and when we have too many stops
so instead of seeing the negative part of the weekend I try to enjoy what we experienced this weekend.”
Suzuka began an F1 triple-header with this weekend being the Bahrain Grand Prix ahead of Saudi Arabia next week.
MIAMI LOWDOWN: All the key moments as McLaren and Antonelli shine
Red Bull's protest into Russell over yellow flags rejected by Miami stewards
Verstappen led from pole and looked in complete control throughout the race
which gave Norris half a chance but he held the racing line and emerged from the pit lane ahead
From there he was able to push flat out to the finish for his fourth straight win at Suzuka
he was bogged down in traffic and could not make much progress
He managed to get past Lawson at the start
and Gasly was picked off in the pit stop period
but he could not get close to the points at his home race
“We couldn’t have wished for a better result today in our final race with Honda here together
It’s been amazing and I’m really proud of what we have done this weekend
We made all of the right calls during the race
were constantly pushing and our tyres weren’t overheating so much due to the colder tyre temperature which helped us
Yesterday was a beautiful day for us and the key to the win was to start from pole
We maximised everything we could and to follow this up with the win is fantastic
We know our limitations and still have work to do
We are just finding where we can push the car to the limit and need to maximise everything that we can to get the best out of the car and make it more balanced
this is a perfect send off for Honda and our relationship is something I will never forget
I’ve enjoyed my time with them and how they work: they are so professional and dedicated and they have given me so much
Together to win four Driver’s Championships and two Constructors’ Championships is unbelievable
It did cross my mind whilst driving that it would be insane to win here today and at a home track for Honda
so that gave me a bit of motivation as well
It’s a proper send off and we couldn’t have wished for a better weekend.”
“It’s tough today because I wanted to at least finish in the points
I am happy with the race in terms of what I have learnt but not in terms of result
I was feeling a lot of support from the crowd
every lap it felt more and I wanted to give something more back to them
At least I know I did the maximum I could in the race and these 53 laps gave me so much to learn about the car
I now know what kind of things I need to work on
I was stuck behind cars all day in traffic so it’s hard to know the full race pace of this car but
I was building up my confidence in the car
That confidence level is now completely different from the beginning of the weekend to now
but I am still disappointed because it is a home Grand Prix and it’s only once a year
I need to reset before Bahrain and I am sure compared to what I was feeling
in terms of car and in terms of confidence it will naturally be better there
it is good to see one of the Honda engines win at our home Grand Prix
in their final year of collaborating with Red Bull
I feel like there were more than ever at the track and I feel very honoured to represent them
I am very happy to be able to drive in front of them as an Oracle Red Bull Racing driver
An imperious drive from the front secured a fourth consecutive win at Suzuka for Max
the Team and of course our engine partners Honda who we owe a debt of thanks and gratitude for their support over the years
In reality though the hard work was done yesterday
It has to be one of the best weekend’s of Max’s career
one that further underlines Max as the best in the world currently
Suzuka is a driver’s circuit and boy did Max deliver
credit has to go to the engineering Team as well for turning things upside down after Friday and pushing together to get the job done
The nature of the race meant overtaking was hard to come by throughout
but he made some ground and will only improve as he continues to settle into the Team the next few races.”
Norris made a surprisingly good start considering he was on the greasier side of the grid
He managed to hold onto P2 ahead of his team mate
those two closely matched on the medium tyres
Piastri pitted first but the undercut was not potent
so he found himself still behind Norris after the only stops
Norris had half a chance of grabbing the lead in those pit stops
nearly side by side with Verstappen in the pit lane and having to run across the grass as the Dutchman refused to yield
Norris was never close enough again to mount a challenge for the win
READ MORE: Norris concedes McLaren had ‘nothing special’ in Japan as he gives verdict on Verstappen pit exit incident
it was flat-out from start to finish but the pace was too similar to do anything
and it ultimately came down to Qualifying positions today
It’s still been a very good weekend for the team securing more points together
but we will continue to work hard as we head to the next one in Bahrain."
"A good haul of points and a nice result for the team
I think the pace today was really good and I was very happy with that
but track position around here is just so important
I think yesterday was the day where you effectively won the race
we have scored good points in both Championships and executed a very smooth weekend thanks to the trackside team
Leclerc had to fend off a feisty Russell in the early stages of the race
before pulling away in the closing stages for his best result of the season so far
Hamilton had to work a little more after starting on the hard compound tyre
A long opening stint saw him rise up to second
having picked off Hadjar in the opening stages
he could not find the pace to chase down his Mercedes replacement Antonelli at the end of the race
We didn’t have the pace to challenge the top three
and that’s something we’ll be working hard to address ahead of the next rounds
I went with a setup that felt good overall
but it just didn’t give me everything I needed out there
and we’ll keep pushing together to find those gains
The fans have been amazing all weekend – their energy and support means a lot."
"It was a bit of a lonely race for me today
P4 is not a result we are ever satisfied with
but looking at the positives of this weekend
the work we did on Friday in terms of set-up adjustment and the learnings we take into the next races have paid off
but we have to keep our heads down and keep working before we come to any conclusions
The front runners still have quite an advantage in terms of pace
we have to focus on maximizing the points we bring home
and hopefully later in the season we can fight for the top positions."
"Today’s race result reflected what we saw in qualifying yesterday
With the car that we had we probably could not have done more
We were two to three tenths off the quickest in qualifying and it was pretty much the same today in the race
"We are struggling with some aspects and we must keep working to try and extract more from the car for Bahrain and Saudi Arabia
We know there is room for improvement and we need to work on car balance and tyres management
will have some baseline data from pre-season testing
so we will be able to get a clearer picture of where we stand and of what we need to do to improve."
Russell showed that his pace in practice was genuine
as he was one of the quickest cars in the opening stint
He was able to follow in Leclerc’s wake for lap after lap
showing that Mercedes are able to manage their tyres well
But he could not find a way past the Ferrari
Antonelli ran a very long first stint and wound up leading the race for a handful of laps
He might have cut the chicane a couple of times when pushing flat out
but it was still a very composed drive by the youngster
With the top six cars all finishing where they started
it was a Grand Prix dictated by yesterday’s qualifying performance
It was a relatively easy one-stop strategy and
on a circuit that is very difficult to overtake at
there were few opportunities to make forward progress
We tried our best to make the undercut work on Leclerc at the end of our first stint
we didn’t quite have the pace to pull it off with the traffic that we had to clear in those two laps
I think we would have ultimately finished P5
"Our frustration mainly comes from the fact that we didn’t optimise qualifying yesterday
we had a car that could have been competing for the front two rows of the grid
It is the first qualifying session of the year where we haven’t maximised our full potential
but we can bounce back straight away in Bahrain
It will be fascinating to see where everyone’s relative performance is and is going to be another test for everyone."
I am happy with how it went and the speed we were able to show
and I was able to extend my stint on the Medium tyre
I was able to put in some consistent lap times
I was catching the cars ahead but ran out of time in the end to get on the back of them
It was also a nice feeling to lead the race for a few laps and become the youngest driver in F1 history to have done so
The next goal is to do that on the only lap that matters: the final one
It’s a great track and one that I felt that I was getting on top of by the end of the weekend
I am building my learning and feeling more comfortable with the W16
I am looking forward to heading to Bahrain
Hopefully we can keep improving and begin to fight for some of the positions further forward than we managed today."
"We come away from Japan with solid points but ultimately feeling that there was the potential for more this weekend
Suzuka is a difficult track to overtake at and today’s race was a good example of that
George looked to have the pace on the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc in the opening stages but didn’t quite have enough speed to make a pass
Being in the dirty air likely hurt his tyres and he therefore couldn’t deploy the necessary pace to make the undercut work before his stop
had we started further forward and where we believed our qualifying pace was
we likely could have competed for the podium
"Kimi meanwhile ticked off several more milestones today
He has built his confidence over the weekend at a demanding track and achieved a solid result
He also led his first laps in F1 and took his maiden fastest lap
becoming the youngest driver in history to achieve these feats
His development is encouraging to see and it’s a third consecutive strong race performance from him
"We now head to Bahrain and will be aiming to be amongst the fight for the podium there
It is a very abrasive circuit and will be another good test of the progress we have made with the W16."
"Today’s race was a case of what might have been for us as a team
but Suzuka is a track that is heavily biased towards qualifying
Failing to optimise our session yesterday therefore meant we knew we would be fighting an uphill battle to make significant progress today from P5 and P6
We had one eye on the weather this morning but ultimately it proved a dry Grand Prix
"The second limiting factor was the durability of the tyres
which made it a comfortable one-stop strategy for most
having sat in the Ferrari’s dirty air for a good portion of his first stint
We were close to making it work but just fell short
That left him running in a frustrating fifth to the flag
"Kimi meanwhile ran longer on his opening stint and then showed good pace in clean air to extend
That helped him not only cover the undercut from Lewis (Hamilton) but create a tyre offset to those ahead
He used that to close onto the back of George by the end of the race and take fastest lap in the process
It was another mature performance from Kimi as he continues to build his experience
"Bahrain is a very different type of circuit to those that we have raced at so far this season
The abrasive tarmac makes it a real challenge for the tyres
and it will be a good yardstick of the progress we have made with our car since last year
Hopefully we can put in a solid performance and be back in the fight for the podium once again."
The issues for the Racing Bulls started from word go
Hadjar unhappy with his seat on his lap to the grid while Lawson was hearing strange things from his cockpit
Hadjar made a great start and held Hamilton at bay for a number of laps before eventually yielding to the faster Ferrari
He scored his first F1 points to cap a strong weekend
but Lawson was unable to make much progress
he couldn’t extract the same pace as Sainz managed and came home a lowly P17
but we did the maximum we could have done today
Achieving P8 was our target today as Lewis was out of reach
We put it all together maximizing our performance
and therefore we’ve been able to achieve this result on merit
without benefitting from any issues of the others
I couldn’t be happier to be rewarded with my first points in F1 here in Suzuka after a weekend like that
I felt comfortable in the car and I think it suited me very well
Today there was almost no degradation on track
so I was flat out all time and I didn’t really leave anything on the table
Now we look at racing in Bahrain next week
and it gives us confidence as I think we can be up there too.”
a massive well done to Isack for getting his first points in F1 today
lap one was pretty tricky; I went a little bit wide in turn 13
but I don’t think from where we were it would have been possible to move from there
There’s been positives to take from this weekend
obviously it takes some time to adjust and get used to it
It’s been a pretty crazy few weeks and months
I just want to get into a groove and get racing
We get to go again next week with a new style of track
"Solid race from the team securing a P8 for four points and confirming the strong pace shown in Qualifying yesterday
drove consistently and managed the car and his tyres very well
Liam was starting further back on the grid
so we tried to extend him to grab any opportunity
nothing happened and he finished in P17 in a train of cars
This result rewards a competitive weekend straight from the outset on Friday and this is boosting all of us ahead of the next race in Bahrain."
with P7 in Qualifying and P8 today in the race with some seriously fast cars behind him
That was quite something in only his third Formula One race at such a difficult track
He confirmed that talent today with a faultless race: 53 laps perfectly executed between him and the team and his first F1 points in the bag
Our car has been strong all weekend and it's encouraging for the races to come
All the teams will now be entering into an intense development race and we know we will have to work very hard to keep fighting for these good positions
"There were also plenty of positives for Liam
He had to learn the car live during the race
with only three free practice sessions to prepare himself; he was just one tenth off Q3 yesterday
With a full race distance now under his belt
we are sure he will be stepping up in Bahrain.”
Albon finished in the points for Williams for the third straight Grand Prix
but he was not a happy driver at times in Japan
He was chastising his Race Engineer for the team’s strategy
worried he had missed out by running a longer first stint
Sainz ran an even longer first stint on the mediums and was able to bolt on the softs late on
and he picked up a few places but ran out of time to climb any higher
as he continues to find the FW47 a little tricky to drive at times
"We’ve been experimenting with shift settings all weekend and we thought we’d finally landed on something we were happy with
it actually felt much better in Qualifying than it did in the race
The car wasn’t easy to drive in the conditions either
It just shows that even on days when we’re not that optimal
it was a difficult race stuck in traffic after a costly Saturday
with some details to polish in Qualifying and then the penalty
managed to do some good overtakes and overall learnt a lot out there on track
Now the focus is to carry the positive feeling of this weekend on to the next GPs and build from here
"It’s great to add another two points to our championship tally
with another strong and consistent performance from Alex
Near enough all cars finished in Qualifying order and my reflection on the weekend is we didn’t get it all right with Carlos in traffic yesterday and that’s on us as a team
In positive news Carlos’ performance is in a strong place and I can’t wait for next two races to see how we as a team perform and bring it all together
It’s clearly an incredibly close championship battle around us and a few milliseconds is making all the difference
so we’ll do everything we can to dig deep and find everything for the next few races."
Ocon gambled on the C1 rubber for the start
but his longer first stint did not pay off and he was unable to make many inroads today
Bearman’s superior qualifying form from yesterday paid off though
The car had some upgrades this weekend and Bearman was able to put them to good use
keeping Alonso at bay to grab a well deserved P10 finish
“The aim was to pick up a Safety Car as we started on the hard compound – we didn’t have much to lose trying this strategy – and still managed to get a good start
without a Safety Car it wasn’t the best strategy and we knew that
and more information to compare for next race
The important thing is that we transfer the good performance we saw on Ollie’s car
and to the team for bringing updates after Australia.”
not quite enough pace to fight the Williams or the VCARB so P10 it is
and China was an even bigger shock for all of us as to come back with such great pace without changing anything on the car
This weekend we brought a slightly different floor to help the bouncing we’ve been struggling with and it seems like so far
We have a lot of positives from this weekend so we’ll take a point and look forward to Bahrain.”
“It was a really good job from everyone to get Ollie finishing P10 with one point
It’s only one point but that makes a world of difference and it’s a big reward for everyone’s effort
We knew this was going to be a huge challenge considering the issue we had in Melbourne
but the new parts we brought to Bahrain worked and the engineering team worked hard across the three days and found a good set-up to get the most out of the tyres and qualifying
execution of tyre management was very good and communication was good
it was going to be difficult to overtake in a one-stop race
so we need to get to the bottom of why we couldn’t get Esteban to perform yesterday
and then look at today’s race data to try to get both cars up there in Bahrain.”
Stroll rolled the dice and started on the soft compound tyres
He became the only driver to stop twice on his way to a last placed finish
Alonso finally saw the chequered flag for the first time
but couldn’t score on a day where it was difficult to make progress
He did manage to get Gasly in the opening laps though
in an entertaining tussle that only ended when the Alpine driver had a slow pit stop
"It was a difficult race today at Suzuka and despite our best efforts we missed out on the points
The first half of the race I had Pierre [Gasly] within one-second and then Yuki [Tsunoda] close for the second half of the race
but it's very hard to overtake on this track
We need to improve our car performance going forward and I'm looking forward to that development."
"Ultimately there wasn't much we could do today – we tried to make up some positions at the start
It was still an opportunity to learn what we could
It was just one of those days and we will see what we can do next weekend."
"Today's race had its challenges
We tried to seize available opportunities where we could
but we ultimately finished in eleventh - just outside the points - which was the maximum we could achieve
"Lance's starting position made it really difficult to progress through the field
especially at a track like Suzuka where overtaking is notoriously tough
"The race has highlighted other areas we can improve; it's part of the learning and building process and we'll take these lessons forward as we head into Bahrain next weekend."
but lost out to Alonso in the opening laps
He stuck with the Aston Martin and was trying to get the place back when both pitted on the same lap
But a very slow stop proved costly and he lost a couple of places as a result
His team mate had started on the softs and pitted early
but was asked to make way for Gasly who was on fresher tyres
But the Frenchman could not climb back towards the points
and that means Alpine remain without a score in 2025
“It was not our race today and there are definitely a few things for us to analyse
It felt like we did everything we could in terms of performance
well balanced and we know where we are lacking a bit of pace
quite dicey with Fernando [Alonso] and we missed out on a place there even if it was a fun battle
We lost a bit of time at the pit-stop so we’ll review what happened there and we know how important track position is around here in terms of traffic and pace management
We gave it our best and it was not enough to be near the points
We have a good chance next week in Bahrain where the car seemed to perform well in pre-season testing
but it’s a chance to reset and hopefully we can come away with a much better outcome.”
“It was good to get another full race distance under my belt and continue to gain experience and understanding of the package
we went more aggressive with tyre strategy with the Softs at the start
which allowed us to attack and gave us the best chance to move forward with the undercut
That also meant we ran a longer second stint on the Hard tyres [38 laps] and had to defend towards the end
I think we did well to keep Nico [Hülkenberg] at bay
but it was a pity we could not keep Carlos [Sainz] behind on the newer Softs
It was positive to move forward at a track that’s difficult to overtake and the race pace also felt strong despite no high fuel running
We will take a couple of days between races to rest and recover
I’m looking forward to going again in Bahrain where the conditions will be completely different again.”
“It’s not been the smoothest weekend for the team here in Japan
We found some good steps in performance compared to the first two rounds
it is not enough for us to score points with Pierre finishing thirteenth and Jack fifteenth
Jack did a good job to climb a number of positions
We go to Bahrain knowing we had a good pre-season test there and aim to continue making steps forwards.”
struggling to get the hard tyres up to temperature and getting some wheel spin as he found one of the puddles still out there
and left the rookie with a difficult afternoon
he yoyoed up and down the order a little bit
could not make much progress as he finished where he started
and I would have liked the chance to explore its full potential a bit more
But Suzuka is a track where overtaking is notoriously difficult
which made it hard to make any real progress and ultimately turned it into a fairly uneventful race
We know there’s still work to do – both in terms of overall pace and car characteristics – and today’s race underlined that once again
It‘s still early in the season and we continue to learn with every race weekend.”
“Even though I was obviously aiming for more than the final result
I’m leaving Suzuka satisfied with how the weekend unfolded
I have learned a lot – it’s been a steady learning curve since Melbourne
and I am feeling more in control with each session
I want to thank the team both trackside and back at base in Hinwil for this
as they are always by my side with their unwavering support
I didn’t get off to the best start today and found myself at the back of the pack
Climbing back through the field proved difficult
especially at a circuit like Suzuka where overtaking is notoriously tough
I’m taking all the experience and learnings with me as we head to Bahrain for the second leg of this triple header.”
“There are a lot of positives to take away from this race
he gained competitive speed during the race and together with Nico
both cars kept pace with the lower mid-field pack
Nico had another solid race and given the challenges of overtaking at Suzuka together with getting stuck in the DRS train behind Jack Doohan
I want to recognise the great teamwork this weekend and in particular some encouraging pitstop times
That is a good start to the triple header and I want to thank the race team and everyone back at the factory for their support and contribution.”
“When the top six on the grid take the chequered flag in the very same order
it’s easy to characterise the race as boring
While I wouldn’t go so far as to say we witnessed the most thrilling show in the sport’s history
separated by just 44 thousandths in qualifying and then finishing within two seconds of each other in the race
the most demanding from a tyre perspective
all the drivers pushed all the way to the end
14 of the 20 drivers set their fastest lap in the final five laps
It’s worth noting that Antonelli’s time of 1’30”965 was 2”741 quicker than last year’s fastest race lap
which shows just how much the performance has improved compared to 2024
HIGHLIGHTS: Catch up on Verstappen's stellar victory at the Japanese Grand Prix
“On a track where thermal degradation has traditionally played a major role
today we saw virtually no drop in lap time performance with the Hard and Medium compounds
That was down to the low ambient and track temperatures
actually the lowest recorded at Suzuka since 2011
The other contributory factor is the improvements brought to the 2025 tyre range
specifically aimed at reducing this type of wear
Another of our technical objectives was to limit graining and today
we saw almost no signs of this issue across the field.”
Verstappen vs Norris into Turn 1 and Antonelli after redemption – What To Watch For in the Miami Grand Prix
AS IT HAPPENED: Follow all the action from the Miami GP as Piastri wins in dominant McLaren 1-2
STRATEGY GUIDE: What are the tactical options for the Miami Grand Prix
‘I didn’t deliver’ – Norris laments struggle to maximise McLaren’s performance in Miami
The Japanese Grand Prix marked the start of Formula One’s first tripleheader of the 2025 season
and it ultimately did not live up to many fans’ expectations after 11 of the 20 drivers finished the race in the same spots they started
Suzuka is already notorious for difficulty in overtaking
but it seemed even harder this time around
But plenty of notable moments emerged from the race, such as Andrea Kimi Antonelli becoming F1’s youngest race leader and fastest lap setter on Sunday
Williams has now secured more points in three races than in all of 2024 after Alex Albon finished ninth
face questions after their underwhelming starts to the season contunued
Before the next race weekend kicks off in Bahrain
we answered a few of your questions for our post-Japanese GP mailbag
Editor’s note: Questions were lightly edited for clarity and brevity
As simple as that: is McLaren underestimating Verstappen
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella shared Sunday how
“it was very clear that Verstappen was close.” When you look at the timing sheets for practice
the Dutchman was about a half-second off in FP1 and FP3 to Norris
but this is without taking into account fuel loads or engine modes and that Verstappen was very unhappy with his early car handling
One thing to remember when analyzing practice sessions
is how “10 kilograms of fuel at this circuit is three tenths and a half
and engine modes can be several tenths of a second.”
McLaren thought it had around a one-tenth-of-a-second or so pace advantage
Norris and Piastri were covered by 0.044 seconds while Charles Leclerc
was 0.316 seconds behind Verstappen’s pole position lap (which also set a new unofficial lap record at Suzuka Circuit
as only race fastest laps officially count)
The question arose as to whether Stella felt Verstappen and Red Bull still needed to make a step or if they were already a full-season threat
He stated that he considers both the Dutchman and Red Bull as full-season contenders
but we treat all these certainly within the spectrum of the full season
at least until we have stabilized a little bit
Because at the moment we are still falling within the variability of the circuits
We have (had) Hamilton winning the sprint in China
Russell being competitive in the race in China; here (in Japan)
Definitely the most important condition to pursue both championships is having the best car.”
or is he struggling to adjust to the Ferrari
I thought his pitting strategy was going to lead to an interesting showdown between him and Charles Leclerc
Lewis Hamilton’s up-and-down start to life with Ferrari continued in Japan as he qualified eighth and crossed the line seventh
only making up a place on Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar during the race
He didn’t have Leclerc’s pace through the weekend
the longer first stint on the inverse tire strategy didn’t pay off to try and close the gap with a tire delta late on
as the race’s low tire degradation significantly reduced this possibility
Hamilton made some interesting comments post-race
saying he hoped for “positive changes” in the coming races after claiming a difference had been spotted between the two Ferrari cars
there’s been a bit of a deficit between both sides of the garage on an element of the car
something underperforming,” Hamilton told reporters
that’s the best result I could get.” He went on to say that Ferrari was “clearly” the fourth-fastest team at the moment
The adjustment period would always be a challenge
Hamilton can still cut it as one of the quickest drivers on the grid
So it’s not a case of him losing his pace at all
especially if that “deficit” he referred to between the two cars goes to explain why he trailed Leclerc at Suzuka
Why is Ferrari off to an underwhelming start
The momentum they finished the end of last year with is completely gone and it seems strange that they aren’t competing more than they currently are
Ferrari has arguably made the most disappointing start to this season
Hamilton’s post-race comments emphasize that it’s the fourth-quickest team at the moment
It’s a definite step backward considering how Ferrari ended last year
when it narrowly missed out on the constructors’ championship to McLaren
The margins between the leading teams are now so razor-thin that if you’re even a little bit off the pace
And there is clearly a lot of good in the Ferrari car
as evidenced by Hamilton’s sprint success in China
Leclerc was also able to beat both Mercedes cars at Suzuka
The Ferrari does seem incredibly setup sensitive at the moment
with a narrow window to unlock optimum performance
Hamilton told us on Thursday that if Ferrari had left the car setup alone after the sprint
instead of making some changes to try and make a step forward
he’d likely have qualified in the top three instead of winding up fifth on the grid
He also called it “fascinating“ how Leclerc could go quicker than him in the race in China despite losing his front wing endplate
Both cars were ultimately disqualified from that race due to separate technical infringements
It’s really a case of Ferrari not quite getting everything out of the SF-25 car yet
lacking McLaren’s consistent strength or Mercedes’ stability
should offer some decent comparisons and more answers as it looks to get properly into the fight
are races usually as dull as Japan and China
At least China has the evolving tire strategy to keep things somewhat interesting
After the re-surfacing of the much of the asphalt at Suzuka
it went from being a high-degradation to a low-degradation track
which led to a one-stop race as the tires weren’t degrading much
Stella said at one point during his post-race media session on Sunday
“The tires don’t almost degrade at all from one lap to the other
We kept seeing purple sectors and purple laps (indicating fastest times being set by drivers) until the final lap.” Thus
Suzuka is traditionally a track that is difficult to overtake around
and its layout makes it difficult to follow closely
But F1’s dirty air problem is also significantly worse this year
Dirty air refers to the turbulent air that comes off the rear of a car ahead
which can make it hard to overtake as chasing drivers struggle to control their cars normally in the unstable air
even on low-degradation tracks such as this
The current regulations introduced in 2022 aimed to help close the performance gap and improve overtaking opportunities
The ground-effect aerodynamic operation these cars use was supposed to reduce dirty air and it initially was an improvement
the cars struggle to close in on the driver ahead as the teams have fitted ever more sophisticated aerodynamic parts
as well as making an individual car faster in clean air
not much happening,” Nico Hülkenberg said Sunday after finishing the race 16th and back where he started
and it’s not that fun looking at someone’s rear wing and the DRS
And now with the new (asphalt) and the low deg
plus the tires degrade significantly on this abrasive track surface
so there should be more action compared to this past weekend in Japan
The corner names at Suzuka have prescriptive
Ernst Degner was a proverbial thorn in Honda’s side
helping Suzuki develop a series of 50cc racing motorcycle engines capable of screaming beyond 17,000rpm
and enabling Mitsuo Itoh to become the first (and so far only) Japanese rider to win the Isle of Man TT
Bettering these pocket rockets was a matter of pride for Honda
a company whose growing industrial might sprung from its founder’s fascination with motorbikes
The 50cc two-stroke racing bikes of the 1960s weighed less than 60kg and were good for well over 100mph
but delivered all their power within a 500rpm band
requiring the rider to Riverdance on the gearshifter
stay tucked in behind the screen and preserve as much corner speed as possible
In the first race after Suzuka opened in 1962 it’s said that a random gust of wind blew Degner’s front wheel out from under him as he took the sweeping right-hander after the esses (now officially the 'S' Curves)
That corner was subsequently named after him and reprofiled into two discrete radii
But the story of how Degner came to be there as 50cc world champion
with a manufacturer which had been nowhere in racing up until that season
Degner was born in what is now Poland in 1931
with the typically mendacious nomenclature preferred by despotic regimes
He worked as a motorcycle mechanic before discovering he had an aptitude for racing them
By the mid-1950s he had attained a measure of fame and was co-opted into the MZ motorcycle company’s international racing programme – unlikely as such a thing may sound to modern readers
MZ sales outside East Germany were a lucrative source of foreign currency
But Degner earned a standard wage and was under regular surveillance by the East German secret police force
He began to hanker for the lifestyles enjoyed by the people he raced against
MZ was an unlikely standard-bearer for advanced technology but it was doing so in the unfashionable field of two-stroke engines
which most manufacturers had already abandoned for racing applications
In charge of the programme was Walter Kaaden
an engineer said to have worked at the Peenemuende Army Research Centre where the Nazi regime’s V1 and V2 rockets had been developed during World War 2
Johnny Herbert crashed his Benetton at Degner 2
but it’s also claimed that Wernher von Braun later invited him to leave for the US as part of ‘Operation Paperclip’
the secret op in which American intelligence services swooped for the cream of German engineering talent to join its military and space rocket programmes
Kaaden would deploy the harmonic analysis techniques once used to finesse the V1 and V2 boost ports and exhaust expansion chambers – and use them
along with other pre-war technologies in the MZ tool chest such as the rotary valve concept
to wrangle ridiculous quantities of power from 125cc motorcycle engines
By 1961 Kaaden was extracting 200bhp per litre from MZ’s 125cc engine and Degner was challenging Honda’s Tom Phillis for the world championship
Imagine the contrast between the screaming single-cylinder MZ and the thudding four-stroke parallel twin powering the RC143
1961 was Suzuki’s second year of competition in the 125cc class and it wasn’t going well
It is claimed that Degner cut his deal with the company’s representatives that summer
in a hotel the MZ team happened to be sharing with Suzuki’s – but the principal challenge was getting his family out of East Germany
where they were effectively hostages while he was racing abroad
An initial plan to spirit them out of East Berlin by train while Degner was competing in the Ulster Grand Prix fell through: 13 August
was the notorious ‘Barbed Wire Sunday’ when the East German government closed the border to West Berlin and began erecting barricades in the streets
Within days the Berlin Wall was under construction
Degner was on the cusp of winning the championship
He might have got it over the line that weekend had his engine not blown; that night he was smuggled into Denmark with technical documents and engine parts
a friend was smuggling Degner’s family out in a secret compartment in the boot of a car
That friend would later say he slept with a gun under his pillow for the next 30 years
Suzuki used the liberated technology to accelerate its own programme
resulting in the new RM62 race bike which Degner then rode to the inaugural 50cc world title in 1962 – before taking his spill at Suzuka
Whether this was scarier than spending the year looking over his shoulder for putative Stasi assassins was known only to him
Lance Stroll exits the Degners in his Williams days
sources working for the company at the time dispute this account
Degner earned a substantial cash bonus for his labours
which also led to the development of the RT62 125cc machine and its successors
including the RT67 on which a young Barry Sheene made his name
but the internal nuances (such as Mahle’s forged alloy pistons) would have been more difficult to copy without technical documentation than external features such as the exhaust pipes
An arms race developed as the likes of Honda and Yamaha raced to catch up
and two-stroke engines would remain the de facto formula of grand prix motorcycling until the turn of the millennium
Degner was long dead: hustling to make up ground after a poor start in a 250cc race at Suzuka in 1963
he dropped it at Turn 2 and the contents of the fuel tank caught fire as he tried to pick the bike up
Degner required 50 skin grafts and later developed an addiction to painkillers which brought his racing career to a premature end
He died of a heart attack in Tenerife in 1981 – although
as with anyone who has incurred the wrath of a totalitarian regime
unsubstantiated rumours circulated that he had been assassinated…
Degner contributed to the Suzuki on which Barry Sheene made his name
Max Verstappen won the Japanese Grand Prix from pole for the fourth straight year on Sunday but Red Bull team principal Christian Horner thought the Dutchman's 64th race victory was one of his best ever
McLaren have set the pace this season as Verstappen struggled with the RB21 but the four-time world champion got every inch of performance out of the car in qualifying on Saturday before racing it to victory on Sunday
and it needed Max to be inch perfect with two very fast McLarens right behind him
he made not a single mistake," Horner told reporters
"I think that's one of Max's best weekends
and he's worked very hard with the engineering team
we were able to give him a car that he could make use of in [qualifying] yesterday
and then convert that today in a straight fight
putting him one point behind in the drivers' championship."
Verstappen was delighted with the victory but was clear that the package he had at his disposal was not going to be good enough to compete for a fifth world title
but knowing these limitations you try to find out how much you can push it," he said
While Verstappen moved to within a point of Lando Norris in the drivers' standings
Red Bull are only third in the manufacturer's championship
50 points behind McLaren and 14 behind Mercedes
Horner made the call to bring in Japan's Yuki Tsunoda as the team's second driver last week
sending Liam Lawson back to the Racing Bulls feeder team
Tsunoda started 14th on the grid behind Lawson but overtook the New Zealander and undercut Pierre Gasly at the pit stops to finish 12th
"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," Tsunoda said
"I am learning and gaining confidence in the car
I am happy considering the amount of time I had in the car."
Horner thought Tsunoda would have finished higher had he had a better qualifying session on Saturday
and I think that he's finding his feet in the team," the Englishman said
"We'll see over the next few races that performance take a step forward."
Horner was particularly pleased to take the win at a circuit run by Red Bull's longstanding engine provider Honda in the final year of their partnership
He was also clear that the team still had plenty of work to do as they depart Japan for the next race in Bahrain
but said they would do so with a spring in their collective step
running the car in a Honda livery," he said
and so the injection and motivation provided to the whole team is fantastic."
as shown by his superb pole lap for Red Bull
The question now is will he be able to stay ahead of the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri when the lights go out in Japan
Or could the joker in the starting pack be Charles Leclerc
Between the scarlet cars sit the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli
and the Racing Bulls machine of rookie Isack Hadjar
REPORT: Verstappen clinches stunning pole position ahead of Norris and Piastri in Japanese GP Qualifying
Completing the top 10 are Williams’ Alex Albon and the Haas of Oliver Bearman. Albon’s team mate Carlos Sainz had been due to start 12th, but has been penalised three places for impeding Hamilton during Qualifying
And what of the home favourite Yuki Tsunoda you ask
The Japanese driver will start his first Grand Prix for Red Bull from P14 – one place behind the man he replaced at the team
The 2025 Japanese Grand Prix starts at 1400 local time. Be sure to join our live coverage from 1300 here
OFFICIAL GRID: Wet Miami race in prospect as Gasly starts from pit lane
The 2025 Japanese Grand Prix is approaching
taking place at the popular Suzuka Circuit
At this stage, there is a 50% chance of rain expected for the Grand Prix, according to Weather.com
The Japanese driver joins Red Bull after a four-year stint with the sister squad
Practice 1: 11:30 - 12:30 local timePractice 2: 15:00 - 16:00 local time
Friday is expected to be generally clear with a high of 16°C
giving the teams ideal conditions to complete decent practice laps in before qualifying on Saturday
Practice 3: 11:30 - 12:30 local timeQualifying: 15:00 - 16:00 local time
Saturday will see a small amount of cloud cover and the chance of rain increase to 10%
Temperatures will remain at a high of 16°C but the humidity is expected to rise to 56%.
the humidity is set to rise to a staggering 80% and there is currently a 50% chance of rain before Sunday
Showers are expected on the morning of race day
with a 50% chance of rain throughout the day
Temperatures are set to rise to 19°C with 59% humidity
Japan -- A familiar question was raised in the aftermath of Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix: Does Formula 1 have an overtaking problem
As brilliant as Max Verstappen's race-winning performance was
there was no sugar-coating the lack of passing moves up and down the field behind him
The race only featured 15 overtakes after the first lap -- down from 48 at the same venue in 2024 and 29 in 2023 -- and 11 of the 20 drivers finished the race in the same position they started it
the boredom wasn't just felt by those watching on TV
Even on a track as fast and thrilling as Suzuka
several of the drivers found the 53 laps to be a tedious experience
not much happening," was Nico Hulkenberg's summary of the race after he started and finished 16th for Sauber
"I spent a lot of the race in traffic and it's not much fun looking at someone's rear wing in the DRS
It's so difficult with these cars in the dirty air."
Williams driver Carlos Sainz
who managed to pull off two passes towards the end of the race but still finished where he started in 15th
compared the lack of overtaking to Monaco -- a venue that had so little passing in 2024
F1 felt the need to mandate two pit stops for this year's race in an attempt to spice up the show
"The midfield is so tight and around a track where you need to be 0.7 to 0.8 seconds quicker to pass it was impossible to expect a race where you could come back through the field," he said
become similar to Monaco in how difficult it is to pass."
Even for rookie Gabriel Bortoleto
who was racing at the high-speed Suzuka circuit for the first time
"It was not so difficult just a bit boring to stay behind [the car in front]," the Brazilian said
which was my case towards the end of the race
it was not enough to have that really big pace advantage
"I tried two times [to overtake] but I wasn't able to be side by side at the end of the straight
Following on from a Chinese Grand Prix that also had a distinct lack of wheel-to-wheel action
the dearth of overtaking in Japan has raised familiar concerns within the sport
F1 has long shown neurotic levels of concern about its "show," and since 2009 has been making regular tweaks to the regulations to encourage overtaking and combat the issue of "dirty air."
A car's aerodynamic performance remains the biggest performance differentiator in F1
and every one of the aerodynamic surfaces is designed to maximise lap time with a clean and steady airflow in mind
Some consideration is given to making cars less sensitive to changes in wind direction
but it is incredibly difficult to simulate the turbulent air felt in the wake of another car and much more advantageous to develop a car for pure lap time in clean air
which put added emphasis on underfloor aerodynamics
was introduced in 2022 to improve overtaking opportunities and close the gaps in performance between cars
The idea was to make the aerodynamic surfaces of the car less sensitive to the dirty air pouring off the car in front
and by all accounts there was an improvement between the end of 2021 and the start of 2022
The Japanese Grand prix saw only 15 overtakes after the first lap. GettyBut after four seasons of intense development
the aerodynamic sensitivity of the cars has only heightened and drivers are once again bumping into an invisible wall of dirty air when they close in on the car in front
"It just seemed very tricky to get close," Alpine driver Pierre Gasly said on Sunday evening
"As soon as you get within 0.6 or 0.7 seconds it was really tough to close down that last gap -- it's extremely difficult
"Then you are not doing much [tyre] management
so when all the cars are very similar in performance it's very difficult to make that pass
The reduction of downforce felt in the wake of a rival car comes with the added negative of putting extra strain on the tyres
A few laps spent within a second of the car in front can overheat the tyres as they struggle to compensate for the lack of aerodynamic performance
It is not uncommon to see a car close to within a second
and then fall back to cool its tyres before starting the process again
It also means the driver leading the race holds a built-in advantage of enjoying clean airflow while those behind are at an inherent disadvantage managing their overheating tyres
we keep adding aerodynamic downforce [to the cars]
which means that the losses are even bigger [behind a rival]
so I think the dirty air is a problem," McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said
"We have seen this even in China in terms of Hamilton
when he was in the lead of the sprint he could do pretty much whatever he wanted
"Even if this generation of car was conceived to actually improve following
that was what we were talking about in 2022
there's been so much aerodynamic development now that again they have become so much of an aerodynamic machine that as soon as you follow you lose the performance."
But dirty air is by no means a new problem in F1
and the last 12 months of aerodynamic development does not account for the corresponding 68% drop in overtakes at Suzuka from the 2024 to 2025
A key factor in this particular year-to-year drop was the resurfacing of the track ahead of the 2025 event that resulted in a smoother asphalt and very little degradation in tyre performance as the race wore on
It meant that the likes of Lando Norris
who had Verstappen's Red Bull in sight throughout Sunday afternoon
never had the performance advantage required to pull off an overtaking move
One of the McLaren's strengths this year is the way it treats its tyres
which on a different track surface may have given him an advantage over the Red Bull
"It was flat-out from start to finish but the pace was too similar to do anything," Norris said
and it ultimately came down to qualifying positions."
Stella added: "Lando was trying to get close to Verstappen with maximum momentum
It was something we knew right from the start that on this track you need 0.7 to 0.8 seconds of performance advantage in order to be able to overtake
this sort of lap time difference may be generated because there is degradation in the tyres
Suzuka has changed the feature of being a high degradation circuit
It was a very easy one-stop and not many strategic options
"Normally the tyres add to the mix because there are some circuits in which you degrade almost 0.1 seconds per lap and then if you have a better degradation -- if you degrade 50% less in 10 laps
for example -- you are half a second faster
just because you degrade less for the tyres
This year this variable was not working because there was no tyre degradation."
By pure coincidence, the track surface in Shanghai was also resurfaced ahead of this year's race, contributing to a similar phenomenon just two weeks earlier at the second round of the season. Far from ideal, but as the sport's most experienced driver, Fernando Alonso
F1 drivers will always find a reason to complain
"Maybe one stop was not maybe the fun race that we were hoping for
when we don't have grip we complain that there is no grip
and when we have too many stops we complain the tyres don't last
so instead of seeing the negative part of the weekend
I try to enjoy what we experienced this weekend
play0:56Max Verstappen wins fourth consecutive Japanese GPTake a look at the incredible numbers behind Verstappen's fourth consecutive Japanese GP victory
While dirty air issues have resurfaced towards the end of this regulation cycle
the 2022 rule change has succeeded in its goal of closing the performance gaps between teams
The gap between the fastest car in the first session of qualifying at Suzuka -- Oscar Piastri's McLaren -- and the car in 16th -- Hulkenberg -- was less than a second on Saturday
underlining how tight the competition has become
it's no surprise so little overtaking happens
especially when the performance advantage required to make a move at Suzuka was as big as 0.8 seconds
In that sense the 2025 edition of the Japanese Grand Prix
despite its lack of overtaking opportunities
which was also considered a dull affair due to the 20-second margin race winner Verstappen had over the next non-Red Bull driver in third place
But if the overtaking problem persists over the season with the field as tight as it is
there's a concern that this year's championship will be decided by qualifying performances rather than wheel-to-wheel action in the races
qualifying is always crucial in the performance," Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur said on Sunday in Japan
"It's not that you are just one fighting with the guy in front of you
it will probably be a 'quali' championship."
The next round in Bahrain will be a fairer test of how big F1's problem is
Sakhir's track surface is one of the most abrasive on the calendar and the layout offers multiple overtaking opportunities per lap
providing more tyre degradation and more potential for action
There will always be some races that have less action that others
it's worth appreciating each circuit for its unique qualities
I don't remember a race even in the past that we see too many overtakings here without the weather changing," he said
"It seems like we repeat always on Thursday [F1's pre-race media day] how great Suzuka is
first because Saturday is incredibly high adrenaline
Max Verstappen found the lap time when it really mattered to secure pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix
beating both McLaren drivers and blowing the Suzuka fastest lap record out of the water
Here’s a round-up of all the best facts and stats from the exhilarating Qualifying session…
Verstappen became this year’s fourth different polesitter from four Qualifying sessions
The Dutchman’s pole lap of 1m 26.983s is the fastest lap in Suzuka history and will see him start on the front row for the first time this season
He has not been beaten in either Qualifying or the Grand Prix at this circuit since 2019
His record of four pole positions in Japan is only surpassed by Sebastian Vettel with five
Honda took pole at their home track in their final season working with Red Bull
Verstappen will face the challenge of keeping the McLaren pair at bay
McLaren topped every practice session as well as Q1 and Q2 this weekend
but Norris’ P2 effort will be the first time he has started on the front row at Suzuka
he qualified off the front row for the first time in 2025
Charles Leclerc has not started in the top four since Las Vegas last year
George Russell qualified in his lowest position of the season
but it will simultaneously be his best-ever start at this track
his team mate Kimi Antonelli claimed his best start of the year
putting both Mercedes in the top six at Suzuka for the first time since 2019
Isack Hadjar will start from P7 for the second race in a row
which is also RB’s best performance in Japan since 2018
P8 will be Lewis Hamilton’s lowest start here since 2012
It was another promising performance from Williams as Alex Albon took P9
which will be the team’s first top 10 start here since Felipe Massa started in P8 in 2017
Ollie Bearman made Haas’ first Q3 performance of the season
The drivers were separated by remarkably small margins
Down in P11, Pierre Gasly missed out on Q3 by just 0.039s, with Carlos Sainz - who was later hit with a three-place grid penalty - a further 0.014s further back
his worst starting position at Suzuka since he qualified 18th back in 2018
In Liam Lawson’s first weekend back at Racing Bulls
he secured his highest start and first Q2 appearance of the season
His Red Bull replacement Yuki Tsunoda was outqualified by both of the sister team’s cars as he failed to reach Q3 for the first time this season
it was the first Q2 appearance by the second Red Bull car in 2025
Nico Hulkenberg was eliminated in Q1 for the second time in three races
with his Kick Sauber team mate Gabriel Bortoleto qualifying 0.052s behind him in P17
Haas’ Esteban Ocon was outqualified by his rookie team mate for the first time this year
taking an early exit in Q1 – the last time he didn’t progress to Q2 was 2016
Jack Doohan was knocked out in Q1 for the second consecutive race
claiming Alpine’s worst starting position in Japan since 2014
Lance Stroll failed to reach Q2 at Suzuka for the fourth consecutive year
Don't miss your chance to experience the picturesque Imola circuit..
‘We made it count when it mattered’ – Russell satisfied with recovery to podium after troublesome Miami weekend
HIGHLIGHTS: Piastri leads McLaren 1-2 after thrilling race in Miami
A violent crash for Alpine rookie Jack Doohan brought out the red flags in Free Practice 2 for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka – with the team later revealing the cause of the accident
Having handed his Alpine A525 to reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa for FP1 on Friday morning
Doohan’s first push lap of the day in FP2 saw him crash heavily going into Turn 1 – with the Australian fortunately declaring himself “okay” after the incident
before being sent for checks in the circuit's Medical Centre
A quirk of the Suzuka track is that the Drag Reduction System on the rear wing needs to be flicked off manually by the drivers going into Turn 1
instead of shutting automatically as happens when the car is braked – and it seems that it was this that caught Doohan out
“We are all relieved to see Jack walk away from his incident in Free Practice 2 and glad to see he is okay after his precautionary checks,” said Alpine Team Principal Oli Oakes
“It was a misjudgement of not closing the DRS into Turn 1
2025 Japanese GP FP2: Heavy crash for Doohan brings out the red flags
Going on to discuss whether the heavy damage to Doohan’s car could be remedied in time for Saturday’s FP3 and Qualifying action
Oakes added: “I know Jack and the team will be ready for tomorrow
His crew will work hard to have the car prepared after the damage.”
“I know the team has a lot of work ahead to repair the car going into tomorrow
so thanks in advance to them for their efforts
My focus is on tomorrow where we will have Free Practice 3 to get ready for Qualifying.”
Doohan will now look to maximise his FP3 in order to gain a feel for a Formula 1 car around Suzuka ahead of the all-important Qualifying session on Saturday afternoon
Cadillac unveil their team logo and brand during dazzling Miami launch event ahead of 2026 entry
DRIVER OF THE DAY: Piastri's imperious Miami showing gets your vote
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© 2025, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. From a press release issued By Team Suzuki CN Challenge
Team Suzuki CN Challenge is returning to the FIM Endurance World Championship this summer when it contests the 46th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race – only this time it will do so with 100% sustainable fuel.
Team Suzuki Challenge is shifting to 100% sustainable fuel as it goes for back-to-back wins in the Experimental class
A Team Suzuki CN Challenge communication read: “Aiming to achieve both a higher level of environmental load reduction and improved competitiveness
will promote machine development for functioning various sustainable items
including 100% sustainable fuel shifted from last year’s 40% bio-sourced fuel
we will take on the challenge of exceeding the previous year’s result of eighth place overall
“To further accelerate the development of environmental performance technologies through competition under the demanding conditions of endurance racing
we will work with higher targets to aim for technical feedback for future products.”
said: “Although it was a whole new challenge for the company in the previous year’s participation
thanks to the support of partner companies including Yoshimura Japan
as well as enthusiastic cheers from our fans
we were able to achieve eighth place overall
We will continue to participate this year in the Suzuka 8 Hours as a part of the company’s technology development in the sustainability field
This not only means that we’re simply continuing our activity
but we’re also having the purpose of overcoming various issues by setting higher goals
and I believe that by making products as one team along with our partner companies
it would lead to realizing a better future
Team Suzuki CN Challenge completed the severe endurance of Suzuka 8 Hours while reducing environmental loads
we were able to take one significant step toward the future of internal combustion and motorsports
While overcoming the issues revealed from our previous activity
this year we will expand the use of sustainable items and make efforts for technology development toward taking on the challenge of further sustainability performance
We will challenge in this year’s 8 Hours by going beyond the field of CN (Carbon Neutrality) and holding a theme of broadly reducing environmental loads
we can only applaud Suzuki for this vital initiative and for all it is doing to promote sustainable motorsport
The debut of Team Suzuki CN Challenge at Suzuka last season was not only very impressive with eighth place overall
it also underlined Suzuki’s environmental credentials and commitment
including the switch to 100% sustainable fuel
Hopefully other motorcycle manufacturers will emulate Suzuki’s achievements in the near future.”
Team Suzuki CN Challenge essentials :
Fuel: TotalEnergies’ Excellium Racing 100 (100% certified* sustainable fuel)
Tyres: Bridgestone racing tyres with increased ratio of recycled and recyclable materials
Engine oil: Motul engine oil made using bio-sourced base oil
Fairings: JHI recycled carbon material (pre-preg material)
Bcomp® (Unbleached natural flax fibre composite material)
Front brake: Sunstar Engineering non-heat-treatment steel discs
Sunstar Engineering / Tokai Carbon low-dust pads
Battery: ELIIY Power LFP battery for motorcycle
Silencer: Yoshimura Japan silencer made of TranTixxii™ -Eco (Eco-friendly titanium)
Uniform: RS Taichi team polo shirt made of 100% recycled fabric
*Bcomp is a registered trademark of Switzerland Bcomp Ltd
Project leader/Team director: Shinichi Sahara
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Max Verstappen was left “incredibly happy” after taking victory at the Japanese Grand Prix
with the World Champion bouncing back from a tough start to the weekend – as well as facing a close call with Lando Norris at the pit exit during the race – to claim a fourth consecutive win at the Suzuka Circuit
Having caused a surprise by grabbing pole position in the dying moments of Saturday’s Qualifying session
Verstappen led away smoothly when the race got underway to hold off the challenge posed by the McLaren pair of Norris and Oscar Piastri
READ MORE: Verstappen surges to fourth consecutive Japanese GP victory ahead of Norris and Piastri
Norris also dived into the pits on the same lap – and
following a slightly slow stop from Red Bull
Verstappen was just heading to the pit exit when Norris appeared alongside him
resulting in a side-by-side moment that saw the Briton run onto the grass
Verstappen then stayed ahead for the remainder of the 53-lap encounter
clinching his first win of the campaign by 1.4s from Norris
2025 Japanese Grand Prix: Norris and Verstappen fight for the lead at the pit exit
[I was] just pushing very hard especially on the last set [of tyres],” the 27-year-old said after stepping out of the car
“The two McLarens were pushing me very hard and it was a lot of fun out there
It started off quite tough this weekend but we didn’t give up
we kept improving the car and today it was in its best form
Of course starting on pole really made it possible to win this race
“It’s very important to always try to maximise your performance
and I think we did that very well this weekend.”
Pushed on how much the Suzuka Circuit means to him as his run of success at the venue continues – with this win taking place during the final year of Red Bull’s partnership with Japanese manufacturer Honda – Verstappen responded: “It means a lot to me
“It was in the back of my mind as well in those last few laps – I was like I need to try and stay ahead
it would be a great story for our final farewell race together with Honda here in Japan
I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved over all those years together
Reflecting further on his back-to-back victories in Japan
Verstappen acknowledged that his triumph this time took place in slightly different circumstances compared to his more dominant campaigns in recent years
2025 Japanese Grand Prix: Verstappen crosses the line to take his first victory of the season
but very different scenarios compared to I would say the last few years here,” he explained
“Today it was key to start first – they were trying to get into my DRS but it’s very hard to follow around here
“I think also the track temp today helped us
less overheating from the tyres actually when the track is cooler and
AS IT HAPPENED: Follow the action from Japan as Verstappen takes commanding victory
In terms of how much pressure he felt from the chasing McLarens
Verstappen insisted that this was not affecting him much as he also gave his take on the pit exit incident with Norris
making sure that the balance was driveable
because of course throughout the stint the tyre life
it definitely changes the balance a bit front to rear
And then of course with that pit lane thing
Verstappen is now just one point away from Norris at the top of the Drivers' standings, while Red Bull remain in third of the Teams' Championship
with Verstappen's new team mate Yuki Tsunoda having missed out on points at Suzuka
Stella ‘surprised’ by McLaren advantage after 1-2 in Miami as he hails particular area of engineering 'excellence'
Formula 1 heads to the Suzuka circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix
which will kick off the first triple-header of the 2025 season
Following on from Japan will be the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia Grands Prix.
Here is everything you need to know to catch all of the on-track action
Practice 1Local time: 11:30 - 12:30GMT: 03:30 - 04:30PST: 19:30 - 20:30 (Thursday
3 April)CET: 04:30 - 05:30CST: 10:30 - 11:30
Practice 2Local time: 15:00 - 16:00GMT: 07:00 - 08:00PST: 23:00 - 00:00 (Thursday
3 April)ET: 02:00 - 03:00CET: 08:00 - 09:00CST: 14:00 - 15:00
Practice 3Local time: 11:30 - 12:30GMT: 03:30 - 04:30PST: 19:30 - 20:30 (Friday
4 April)CET: 04:30 - 05:30CST: 10:30 - 11:30
QualifyingLocal time: 15:00 - 16:00GMT: 07:00 - 08:00PST: 23:00 - 00:00 (Friday
4 April)ET: 02:00 - 03:00CET: 08:00 - 09:00CST: 14:00 - 15:00
Grand Prix:Local time: 14:00GMT: 06:00PST: 22:00 (Saturday
Fans watching the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix from the UK can watch via Sky Sports F1 or streaming services such as NowTV. United States viewers can watch through ESPN as well as fuboTV and F1 TV
Japanese fans will be able to watch all of the on-track action through Fuji TV and DAZN
For a full list of F1 broadcasts for each country, visit here.
Michael Schumacher is the most successful driver at the Japanese Grand Prix, racking up six victories between 1995 and 2004. Lewis Hamilton closely follows with five wins at the Suzuka circuit between 2007 and 2018
4 wins:Sebastian Vettel - 2009
The first Japanese Grand Prix was held in 1987
Nigel Mansell suffered a crash during qualifying that put him out of the race at the Suzuka circuit
leading to his championship rival Nelson Piquet clinching the title that year
it was Gerhard Berger who celebrated on the top step of the podium in the first race
The Japanese Grand Prix lap record is currently held by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton with a time of 1:30.983
Max Verstappen won the 2024 race at Suzuka. He was joined on the podium by his team-mate at the time, Sergio Perez, who finished in second, and then-Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz in third
* Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson will swap teams from the Japanese Grand Prix onwards
A track marshal waters down the dried out grass along the side of the track
Photo by: Toshifumi Kitamura - AFP - Getty Images
Grass fires at the Suzuka Circuit are continuing to cause chaos during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend as qualifying faced similar delays to the second and third practice sessions.
The first disruptions came on Friday when the second free practice session was red-flagged four times
with two of these caused by grass fires beside the track.
Free Practice Three had another two red flags for the same issue
Q2 was brought to a stop with eight minutes on the clock as another fire erupted.
Speaking ahead of qualifying, Williams team chief James Vowles urged the FIA to resolve the issue
we spoke to the FIA at the end of that one," he said
It's the best way I can put it—it's down to us to make sure that we don't get caught out
we can't change any of that [the skid plates]
But I think they have to look at other measures before we get into qualifying."
"While we continue to look into the fires that occurred during FP2
our focus before tomorrow will be on taking preemptive measures
"The grass has been cut as short as possible
dried grass has been removed from affected areas.
and specific response teams will be stationed around the track."
Commenting after the fires returned in FP3
the FIA claimed that "all available time and resources will be focused on further dampening the grass before the session."
The latest update has come with the qualifying fires
it’s been decided to red flag the session and resume once the fire has been put out and the area watered again."
Kimi Antonelli became the youngest driver to lead a race in Formula 1 history at the Japanese Grand Prix
rounding off a simultaneously rewarding and demanding weekend for the Mercedes rookie
Antontelli was somewhat taken aback after he qualified in sixth place for the 53-lap race
explaining that he was struggling to adapt to the circuit
which he had never competed at in his junior career
the Italian achieved an impressive result as he crossed the line in his Qualifying position
having led the race for a number of laps after the frontrunners pitted for fresh tyres
Antonelli proved that he can keep up with his more experienced team mate George Russell – he finished just over 1.3s behind the Briton
taking his total to 30 points for the season
Antonelli: P6 finish – and leading the race – ‘a good boost of confidence’
“It was a nice feeling," the Italian said on being the youngest driver to lead a race
"But what I’m most happy about is the fact that we had good pace
much better than China – especially on the hards
I felt really good out there and was able to put consistent laps in
FACTS AND STATS: Mercedes rookie Antonelli becomes youngest ever race leader and fastest lap holder
much happier with how I finished the weekend because it was a really difficult start
it was quite tough as well because when you start so far back
“I was also happy with how Qualifying went
and today I did another step in terms of driving so definitely a good boost of confidence ahead of next weekend.”
Russell was left frustrated that they were unable to take the fight to the frontrunners
Russell appeared slightly more downbeat as he took P5
insisting that he and the team had failed to maximise the performance of the car throughout the competitive sessions
“We definitely missed out yesterday,” he explained
“That was the first Qualifying in as long as I can remember where we did not get the potential from the car
I don’t know how much higher we could have gone
but I know that there was a good couple of tenths in it
and that ultimately paid a big price for today
The final stop on our early-season tour to the far side of the world also marked the first leg of the first triple-header of the season
with the Japanese Grand Prix leading onto races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia
Every corner is a masterpiece with names that trip off the tongue: Spoon; 130R; the Esses
It has the most enthusiastic fans and presents an opportunity for visitors to experience a culture quite unlike their own: Fernando in particular loves it
having a profound affinity with Japan's ancient Samurai warriors
Read on for all the key figures and stats from our Japanese Grand Prix weekend.
A legendary circuit with an incredible atmosphere
Get the debrief on the Japanese Grand Prix
Aston Martin Aramco Team Ambassador Pedro de la Rosa reveals the biggest challenges ultra-demanding Suzuka poses to the drivers and teams
Suzuka offers many excellent vantage points but for a first visit
definitely sit on the bleachers above the Esses – it's a little exposed when sub-tropical Suzuka turns into torrential rain Suzuka
but absolutely worth the risk to see F1 cars at their best
You're also in the middle of the cherry orchards on that side of the track
The Japanese Grand prix is a long-established cornerstone of the F1 calendar
but moving the race to April has added an extra dimension to the race – because with the cherry trees in blossom
The Japanese practice of Hanami inspires many flower viewing festivals and parties across the country at this time of year
even the hardened petrolheads of the F1 pitlane appreciate the tranquillity
But if even the thought of getting back to nature is bringing you out in a cold sweat
a fabulous exhibition of classic F1 cars – the Honda Racing Gallery – you have to see
One of the nicest things about this race is the opportunity to ignore international Japan
with the smaller towns and villages surrounding the circuit providing a quieter but more distinctly Japanese welcome
if you're attracted by the lure of the big city
It's about 90 minutes from Suzuka to Kyoto
for anyone searching for a day of contemplation in the many Shrines and Temples in the hills that ring the city
whizzing around the streets of Shibuya in a go-kart
dressed as Donkey Kong is more fun that you can possibly imagine
take a shopping trip to Osaka's many record stores in the America-mura district to find some rare – and
utterly immaculate – vinyl – check out Rare Groove Records and thank us later
Set sail: From ancient temples to all-night karaoke bars, click here to discover Japan with Regent Seven Seas Cruises
became a staple of the racing calendar on both two and four wheels
If ever there were a track to push F1 cars to their absolute limit
with the cars hammering down the hill on the start-finish straight
turning-in for T1 and scrubbing-off speed before braking for T2
then accelerating back up the hill again through the Esses and Dunlop
Rather like Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel at Silverstone
the fast changes of direction here show off F1 cars absolutely at their best
The wind direction plays a significant role here
Suzuka features switching onshore and offshore breezes
but the feeling in the cockpit can be very different
Degner I and Degner II thread the eye of a needle
with the cars leaping across the kerb at the first corner
with no margin for error with the run-off and the tyre barriers at Degner II waiting for anyone who strays off-line
it's a short run to the low-speed Hairpin
the double-apex Spoon and then the backstraight
Sector Three has the high-speed 130R corner
The presence of the latter presents a difficult choice for teams: The high-speed nature of the circuit demands a car running very stiff
but the car needs to be soft here to use the kerbs
there wouldn't be a justification for compromising around one corner – but the chicane leads onto the start-finish straight
which is the only DRS zone and only real overtaking opportunity on this narrow track
with a constant onslaught of high-energy corners and very little straight-line respite
Pirelli brings its three hardest compounds to this event to cope with those demands – but even with these
The real interest comes from predicting what sort of two-stop – because all options are on the table
nine of the 10 teams retained either two Hard or two Medium tyres in their allocation for the race
Red Bull and Ferrari went for two Mediums; Mercedes
Racing Bulls and Sauber went for two Hards
Lance and Fernando preferring to take the maximum five sets of Soft tyres into qualifying
A first-lap red flag skewed strategies a little
but most drivers ran a conventional two-stop race from the restart
ran a Soft-Medium-Hard race – but Soft tyres were popular even with drivers that didn't need to use them; nine drivers in total using a C3 on either the original start or the restart
Some drivers used the Soft for a very short opening stint of five or six laps
but Fernando kept his until Lap 13 – as long as some of the Medium-shod cars
and effectively ran a Medium-Hard strategy to come home P4
This provides plenty of food for thought coming into the 2025 event
1 | This will be the 39th Japanese Grand Prix
Fuji hosted World Championship rounds in 1976 and 1977
The race then disappeared off the calendar for a decade
2 | Two additional World Championship F1 races were held in Japan in 1994 and 1995
3 | Fernando shares with Lewis Hamilton the distinction of having won the Japanese Grand Prix at two different venues
following up a 2006 victory at Suzuka with a second in 2008 at Fuji
4 | Emphasising how difficult a place Suzuka is to overtake
29 of 34 races here have been won from the front row: 18 from pole
three have come from row three – but the real outlier is 2005
5 | Our best qualifying performance at Suzuka was fifth place for Fernando last year
It was the fifth time he's started fifth at this circuit
6 | The Drivers' Championship has been decided at the Japanese Grand Prix on 13 occasions
James Hunt did it at Fuji in the inaugural 1976 event followed by a dozen more at Suzuka
The Constructors' Championship was never settled at Fuji
we made our Suzuka debut the following season
We've scored points in Mie Prefecture each time we've visited
followed by an eighth place for Fernando in 2023 and sixth last year
after a hard-charging Qualifying performance that saw him start fifth – our best grid spot at this circuit
and he retired in 2023 with a rear wing issue while running 12th
Discover what it takes to drive on the limit at the infamous Suzuka Circuit
Shop our 2025 replica collection on the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team store
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From exclusive collabs to once-in-a-lifetime prizes
I / AM DROPS is a new series of unique and ultra-limited moments and fan experiences
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Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team is bringing new energy to F1 in its quest for world titles
the team's talented driver squad includes double World Champion Fernando Alonso and Canada's Lance Stroll
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Max Verstappen hailed the "incredibly rewarding" experience around Suzuka as he sealed his first pole position since last year's Austrian Grand Prix
The Dutchman will start Red Bull’s final Japanese Grand Prix with engine partner Honda from the front of the grid
marking his fourth consecutive Suzuka pole success
READ MORE: Verstappen clinches stunning pole position ahead of Norris and Piastri in Japanese GP Qualifying
The McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris had both looked like difficult targets to beat – with Piastri topping Q1 and Norris Q2 – before the former took provisional pole in Q3 after the first round of laps
While Norris had seemingly pipped his team mate in the closing moments, Verstappen’s stunning 1m 26.983s lap – dubbed "insane" by his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase – was better still and proved enough to secure pole by 0.012s to the Briton
Verstappen was just 0.012s faster than Norris with a low downforce set up
Asked if he was surprised to find himself at the front of the pack
“We tried the best we could to get the best possible balance with the car
we just kept on making little improvements
and I think that’s where we made the difference
READ MORE: Tsunoda’s former boss hails ‘360 degree’ improvement from Japanese driver as he reveals the quality that will help him succeed at Red Bull
being on the limit or maybe a bit over in places is incredibly rewarding.”
He added: “It’s insane in a Formula 1 car around here
The new Tarmac as well just gives you even more grip so to commit is even harder.”
2025 Japanese GP Qualifying: Max Verstappen crosses the line to seal pole position at Suzuka
While the weekend in Japan has been dry so far
there is a threat of rain during Sunday’s Grand Prix
which could add extra drama to proceedings
With that in mind the weather could make it more difficult for Verstappen to keep the McLaren pair behind even on a layout where overtaking is often at a premium
This is a proper highlight for us to be back on pole here
There might be some rain around but we’ll do our very best.”
HIGHLIGHTS: Relive Verstappen's surprise pole in Japanese GP Qualifying
RACE START: Verstappen narrowly holds onto the lead in thrilling start to Miami GP
As drivers spoke following the Japanese Grand Prix
one theme arose: The race felt boring at times
Race winner Max Verstappen might have been brilliant
with a qualifying and race performance described by his team principal Christian Horner as “inspirational”
Williams driver Carlos Sainz went as far as likening it to the Monaco Grand Prix – an iconic date in the calendar that last year was so dull that this time around the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) approved a rule to make Monaco a minimum two-stop race to improve the quality of racing
“I was very quick,” the Spaniard said to reporters after finishing 14th
“but the grid position in our track has become similar to Monaco with how difficult it is to pass.”
The Monaco GP has been widely criticized given how it can become a procession. The street circuit’s tight confines and the size and weight of modern cars mean that overtaking is rare. With Suzuka, there’s only one DRS zone, which is on the main straight
and it can be difficult for the cars to follow each other closely
particularly during the faster portion early in the lap
The figure-eight track is fairly narrow with little runoff areas
“I heard a lot of times that it was a difficult track to overtake,” said Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto
competing in the race for the first time. “It surprised me
because even with (a) four-tenths pace advantage
There are other factors beyond just the track layout that can limit overtaking opportunities
which means any pace advantage might not lead to an overtake when combined with the limited spots at Suzuka to make a dive past a rival
and the dirty air was worse than in previous years because this season’s cars are more aerodynamically complex
Dirty air — which is what gets kicked off the rear of the car ahead — reduces downforce and grip
not much happening,” Nico Hülkenberg told reporters when describing his race after finishing 16th
“It’s very hard to do anything,” the German added
referring to the new track surface on some sections
Bortoleto echoed the sentiment, relaying how it was “a bit boring to stay behind”. He felt like he had more pace, particularly during the last bit of the grand prix, but the rookie failed to overtake
but not enough to have that really big pace advantage
but I wasn’t able to be side-by-side at the end of the straight,” he said
How the Japanese GP unfolded starkly contrasted the usual comments about Suzuka Circuit, which is regarded as a favorite among the drivers. The opening lap was static, aside from some movement further down the grid when Yuki Tsunoda passed Liam Lawson
One of the more thrilling moments came from Verstappen and Lando Norris racing out of the pit lane
But the top six finished how they started the grand prix
That’s not to say battles didn’t happen on track
mistakes can be costly and little overtaking is common at this grand prix
“This is Suzuka,” Fernando Alonso told reporters
“I don’t remember a race when we saw too many overtakings here without the weather changing
It seems like we repeat always on Thursday
What we can do to the track?’ ‘Suzuka is boring.’ This is Formula One
A one-stop race without any disruption can quickly feel slow and boring
especially when there are limited overtaking opportunities
But the track can still be among the greats
The Monaco Grand Prix will require two pit stops
which will potentially bring variety to the strategies
But does Suzuka or other circuits on the calendar need a mandate to liven up the sporting side
The 2025 Japanese Grand Prix might not have been an edge-of-your-seat thriller
as Verstappen converted his pole position to a victory after staying ahead of the McLarens
But it did remind us about F1’s fickle nature: just look at how easily the comments surrounding the grand prix weekend swung from praise to critiques
we complain the tires don’t last,” Alonso said
when asked about whether the new surface made the problem worse
“So instead of seeing the negative part of the weekend
I tried to enjoy what we experienced this weekend
(Top photo: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP via Getty Images)
Formula 1 returns to action this weekend with the Japanese Grand Prix
Ahead of the event getting underway at the Suzuka Circuit
Need to Know is your all-in-one guide with statistics
Free Practice 1 and 2 will take place on Friday
followed by Free Practice 3 and Qualifying on Saturday
April 5 and the Grand Prix itself on Sunday
IT'S RACE WEEK: 5 storylines we're excited about ahead of the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix
former Renault F1 driver: Suzuka is another drivers’ favourite and another one that’s a lot about flow
Across the first sector in particular there’s no real reference points after you ping it into Turn 1
just gauging the grip and balancing the car right on the edge through all the ‘S’ bends which culminate at Turn 7
PALMER: Why has Lawson struggled at Red Bull?
If you carry too much speed into Degner 1 you will struggle to stop for Degner 2
The hairpin that follows is not so bad; you’re braking a bit for the right hander
so you’ve got to be careful on peak brake pressure
as you’re desperate to get on the throttle
and if you go too early it can draw you out onto the kerbing or beyond
but you have to round out the lap with a tight sequence
ONBOARD: Max Verstappen’s 2024 Pirelli Pole Position Award lap at the Japanese Grand Prix
F1 NATION: Tsunoda's Red Bull chance and the McLaren intra-team battle – it's our Japanese GP preview
Verstappen stormed to pole position and the race victory at the Japanese Grand Prix in 2024
joined as usual by the C2 and the C3,” reads Pirelli’s weekend preview
“That’s because Suzuka is one of the toughest tracks on the calendar when it comes to tyres and Pirelli has therefore always selected the hardest trio of compounds
“Something new for this year is the fact that a large part of the track has been resurfaced
as it features medium and high-speed corners
READ MORE: What tyres will the teams and drivers have for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix?
“That figure will be checked right from Friday during the first two hours of track activity
with the front coming down by a half psi from 25 to 24.5 and the rear increasing by the same amount from 23 to 23.5.”
In terms of which strategy may prove the most popular for the race
Pirelli add: “There was quite a difference in strategy choices [in 2024]
the C1 did the most laps (61% of the total) ahead of the medium (31%) and the soft only doing a short first or final stint
READ MORE: What is the weather forecast for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix?
starting on the medium and making only one change to hard
“This year with what is on paper a big performance differential between the compounds
as well as what the temperatures will be this weekend.”
How will the resurfacing of part of the Suzuka Circuit affect strategy choices during the 2025 race
Things have not gone entirely their way, however; Piastri’s off during treacherous conditions in Melbourne has left him with points to make up if he hopes to catch his championship leader team mate
while Lewis Hamilton’s Sprint victory in Shanghai hinted at untapped potential from Ferrari
READ MORE: Ex-Red Bull driver Webber assesses challenge facing team after ‘unacceptable’ lap time difference between Verstappen and Lawson
The Suzuka Circuit is one that McLaren have performed well at in the past
having taken a 2-3 finish at the event in 2023 – but so has Max Verstappen
the man who beat them to P1 that day and has a total of three wins under his belt at the track
Can the Red Bull driver keep his title defence alive with a strong result
On the other side of his team’s garage, Yuki Tsunoda will make his debut for the squad following the decision to demote Liam Lawson back to Racing Bulls following a tough opening two races for the New Zealander
With Red Bull aiming to reclaim the Teams’ crown that they lost last year
can Tsunoda help them to boost their points tally going forwards
Over at Ferrari, the high that came from Hamilton’s Sprint win last time out in China was followed by a nightmare end to Sunday, with both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc being disqualified for separate technical breaches
Losing those points has seen them drop down to fifth in the standings
meaning that a good result will be much needed in Japan
Elsewhere there is plenty to keep an eye on; Mercedes will be hoping to build on their promising performances from the first two races
while the midfield battle looks to be incredibly close
with only Alpine yet to get off the mark at the bottom of the Teams’ standings
F1’s visit to Japan in 1989 yielded one of the most dramatic moments the sport has ever seen
with title rivals and McLaren team mates Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna banging wheels as they fought over the lead
Reigning world champion Senna entered the weekend knowing he needed to win at Suzuka and the season finale at Adelaide to have any chance of retaining his world title
READ MORE: From infamous title deciders to home race heartbreaks – 7 of the most dramatic disqualifications in F1 history
Senna fell behind Prost as the lights went out and spent the early exchanges trailing by several seconds
but the balance of power shifted as the race developed and a tense battle brewed
Senna eventually got close enough to attempt a move on Prost
hugging the sister McLaren through the high-speed 130R left-hander and lunging down the inside into the chicane
pit for a new front wing and regain the lead
the stewards disqualified him for missing the chicane as he rejoined the track
and the fallout from the infamous incident
Prost vs Senna: How the infamous Suzuka 89 clash unfolded
FACTS AND STATS: Piastri secures McLaren’s first victory hat trick in over 25 years
While the sport marvelled at Max Verstappen's performance, no one was denying that the makers of the highlight reel struggled to compile the most exciting moments.
That's all that happened? Oscar Piastri said in the 'cool down' room when watching the immediate highlights.
Some think the main issue was the new asphalt surface - which although producing record-breaking laptimes also meant there was minimal tyre degradation.
Long, boring, Nico Hulkenberg said when asked to sum up his day in Japan. "It's not particularly entertaining to look at the rear wing and DRS of the car in front.
It's just so difficult with these cars. The effect of the turbulent air gets a little worse every year.
Former Sauber team manager Beat Zehnder wasn't solely blaming the asphalt.
We also had the hardest tyre compounds available here, he is quoted as saying by Auto Motor und Sport.
I can imagine Pirelli will perhaps bring the softer compounds to Japan next year. And when you then see how close the field is, overtaking becomes almost impossible.
Mercedes strategists reportedly calculated that a 1.2 second pace difference was required for a successful overtake.
It was very fast, but it was as difficult to overtake as Monaco is, said Williams' Carlos Sainz. It's like the new Monaco but with fast corners.
F1 veteran Alonso, however, has heard it all before.
This is Suzuka, he said. "I can't remember a race where there were too many overtaking manoeuvres here without the weather changing.
"It seems as if we always say on Thursday how great Suzuka is, how great Monaco is, the glamour, the spectacular weekend. And then we wake up on Monday and say Monaco is boring. What can we do about the track. Suzuka is boring.
That's Formula 1, the two-time champion added.
Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Clarence Fernandez
A 52-car provisional entry list has been released ahead of Sunday’s Super Taikyu Suzuka 5 Hour Race
The ST-X (GT3) class grows by one entry as Craft-Bamboo Racing has declared its return to the Eneos Super Taikyu Series Empowered by Bridgestone
The #33 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO will already have Jeffrey Lee as its ‘A’ Driver for the Suzuka race
It has since been confirmed that Jayden Ojeda and Kakunoshin Ohta will return to the team for at least this race
though Craft-Bamboo has said it will shuffle its line-up throughout the year
Craft-Bamboo will join the other five returning ST-X entries from Motegi
led by Round 1 winner seven x seven Racing and the #666 Porsche 911 GT3 R
and Taichi Watarai took a commanding win in their first race together
will not have Naoya Gamou available to drive their #31 Lexus RC F GT3 – it’ll be up to Hiroaki Nagai
and Koki Saga to fight for a second consecutive Suzuka win
With the support of Toyota Gazoo Racing China
Prime Racing’s #315 GR Supra GT4 EVO2 features an all-Chinese driver line-up of Han Lichao
All four drivers have had recent exposure to international competition: Shi is coming off her recent F1 Academy wildcard appearance at the Chinese Grand Prix
Han won Race 2 of the inaugural SRO GT Cup round at Shanghai
and has won back-to-back China Endurance GT4 Championships with co-driver Wang
Deng was last year’s Thailand Super Series GT3 runner-up and recently made his GT World Challenge Asia debut at Sepang
there is a significant driver change to note as SUPER GT and Ligier Endurance Series veteran Yuki Tanaka has stepped into the #25 Team ZeroOne Nissan Z NISMO GT4
Tanaka replaces Tadao Uematsu – who wrote on social media that he would not return to the team due to safety concerns around the Z NISMO GT4 platform
will make his series debut for Progress Racing in the #111 Mercedes-AMG GT4
Saitama Green Brave and its #52 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 once again lead the ST-Z standings following its win in the second race of the Motegi double-header weekend
The other race was won by the #26 Team ZeroOne Nissan which has an unchanged line-up
Mazda Spirit Racing and Team SDA Engineering make their long-awaited season debuts
bringing back the #12 Mazda Spirit Racing Roadster Future Concept (Hiroshi Kawata/Yuui Tsutsumi/Yutaka Seki/Ikuo Maeda) and the biodiesel-fuelled #55 Mazda Spirit Racing Mazda3 Future Concept (Kazuhiro Terakawa/Kaoru Ijiri/Ryohei Sakaguchi)
this is the start of year two for the Subaru WRX S4-based #61 HighPerformanceX Future Concept (Kazuhiro Ito/Hideki Yamauchi/Takuto Iguchi/Masafumi Hanazawa)
They’ll join the #104 GR Team SPiRIT Toyota GR Yaris DAT Racing Concept in the four-car exhibition class
Completing the field of 52 cars are two entries in ST-1
and fifteen across the ST-5F and ST-5R categories
PROVISIONAL ENTRY LIST >> (thanks to Jesse Young)
The Suzuka 5 Hour Race will stream live and free in Japanese on the official Super Taikyu Series YouTube channel
with the green flag set to wave at 11:00 AM JST (local time)
Author: RJ O'Connell
© 2023 dailysportscar.com. All Rights Reserved. Link Digital
5 Winners and 5 Losers from Miami – Who excelled in the Sunshine State?
Max Verstappen delivered one of the best weekend performances of his career to convert pole into victory at the Japanese Grand Prix – but while the reigning world champion left Japan in fine spirits, a fair few of his rivals were left scratching their heads about their lacklustre form. Lawrence Barretto picks out his winners and losers from Suzuka...
Verstappen labels Miami Grand Prix ‘a struggle’ after slipping back to P4 as he reflects on gap to McLaren
Albon delighted with fifth in Miami as Sainz admits frustrations over inability to score 'bigger' points for Williams
Ryo Hirakawa will drive Jack Doohan’s Alpine in opening practice for this weekend’s 2025 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka
The Toyota World Endurance Championship champion has joined Alpine as a reserve driver for the season after fulfilling the same role at McLaren last year
Hirakawa made his F1 weekend debut at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP, replacing Oscar Piastri in a McLaren MCL38
I can’t wait to drive the A525 in Free Practice 1 this weekend,” the Japanese driver said in an Alpine team statement
as he fulfills the first of four mandatory rookie outings in grands prix per team this year – two in each car
the first time I went to watch the Japanese Grand Prix
but it was Formula 1 in Japan. Since then
I started my racing career and now to drive during the weekend is going to be a dream come true
we did simulator work in Enstone a few days ago and I’m going to enjoy the moment
but I will enjoy it and do my best for the team to hopefully input some direction on set-up
I just want to add my appreciation to everyone at the team for the opportunity and support.”
Doohan, who has started his rookie season under considerable pressure due to Alpine stockpiling reserve drivers, including ex-Williams racer Franco Colapinto
acknowledged that Hirakawa “has a lot of experience here so it will be good to take some of that knowledge for the weekend”
Hirakawa raced in Japan’s Super Formula between 2013 and 2023 – the national single-seater championship that hits F1 speeds and races multiple times a year at Suzuka
Motorsport.com understands that Hirakawa left McLaren’s reserve driver fold to join Alpine because he was offered a better shot at one day making an F1 bow as Piastri and Lando Norris are locked up at McLaren for several years
Hirakawa is a double WEC champion with Toyota
with which he won the 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours at the very start of the championship’s Hypercar era
His Toyota deal also means he is an unofficial reserve driver for Haas
which has a technical partnership with the Japanese manufacturer
and has completed F1 end-of-season and Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) running for the American squad in recent months
Become part of the largest racing community in the United Kingdom
The Japanese Grand Prix is fast approaching
but this year significant changes have been made to the Suzuka track
This weekend sees the Japanese Grand Prix host the third round of the F1 season
with the Suzuka Circuit welcoming the F1 paddock
The historic Japanese track is a fan favourite of drivers and fans alike due to the challenge it presents while also inviting close racing
Suzuka has traditionally been a tricky circuit for tyres and so Pirelli has opted to bring the hardest compounds in its range for the weekend
an additional factor the drivers and teams will have to look out for is a track resurfacing that has been carried out
New asphalt has been laid from the exit of the last chicane to the end of the first sector
This is significant as the impacted section of the track features the famous Esses which requires strong downforce and grip to navigate successfully
At the Chinese Grand Prix over one week ago
the effect of track resurfacing was evident
The drivers were offered a substantial grip boost across the entire lap
making lap times significantly faster than the previous year
it's important to note the second and third sectors have remained untouched
changes have been made to some of the kerbs and grass run-off areas
where a single kerb has been replaced by a 'double-kerb' which is higher than the previous version
Gravel traps have also been placed on the outside of Turns 2
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes and Nick Golding
as they look ahead to this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix
Yuki Tsunoda's promotion is a major talking point
as is Max Verstappen being unhappy at the driver change
Ferrari's bizarre start to 2025 is also discussed amongst several other topics
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
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Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso thinks Formula 1 observers should calm down a little after last weekend's Suzuka race left media looking answers on how to improve the racing
the remaining drivers in the top 10 finished in the same position they started from
But according to Alonso the clamor around F1's lack of overtaking is being overplayed as this year's F1 cars are still "very far away" from the 2021 generation
which he labelled the worst cars of his career in terms of dirty air
"Formula 1 has been always like that," said two-time world champion Alonso, who managed to keep the faster Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda at bay for most of the Suzuka race for 11th
"Sometimes you watch a race from '86 and there is one stop
And maybe the first two cars are 45 seconds away from the third car
"Now we are in constant search for more overtaking
And there are other beautiful categories to search and to watch that
This is Formula 1 and we have to love it as it is."
Alonso thinks the huge media attention around the series hasn't helped either
"I think less media will be my [solution]," he added
It's just the amount of press conferences we do; fan forums
our team's own social media debriefs and then qualifying and the race
When you multiply that for 20 drivers plus team principals
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia prepares to drive his car during the second practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steers his car near the cherry blossom during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka
McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain steers his car during the second practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia steers his car during the second practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda of Japan prepares to get out of his car’s cockpit as he was checking it at the pits at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka
ahead Sunday’s Japanese Formula One Grand Prix race
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia arrives at the Suzuka Circuit for the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix in Suzuka
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain steers his car during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain sits in his car during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka
and McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain
steer their cars during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco arrives at the Suzuka Circuit for the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix in Suzuka
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda of Japan steers his car during the second practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda of Japan prepares to drive his car during the second practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka
Mercedes driver George Russell of Britain arrives at the Suzuka Circuit for the practice sessions for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix in Suzuka
Williams driver Alexander Albon of Thailand
and Carlos Sainz of Spain arrive at the Suzuka Circuit for the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix in Suzuka
Team RB driver Liam Lawson of New Zealand arrives at the Suzuka Circuit for the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix in Suzuka
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain arrives at the Suzuka Circuit for the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix in Suzuka
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia steers his car during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda of Japan steers his car during the first practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka
The car of Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso of Spain is lift up after a crash during the second practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco steers his car during the second practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka
Alpine driver Pierre Gasly of France steers his car during the second practice session for the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka
Japan (AP) — The Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday is only the third Formula 1 race of the season
and several plots are developing that promise a few twists
But the fresh storylines could be as fleeting as the cherry blossoms seen all over Japan at this time of the year
A Japanese driver has never won an F1 race
for a Japanese driver to drive for one of the top teams — it’s never happened before,” said Japanese Ayao Komatsu
McLaren has been much better than everyone else in the first two races
Norris won in Australia and Piastri in China
Norris has 44 points to lead the driver standings followed Verstappen with 36
“We know realistically the McLarens are exceptionally strong
and I think it’s going to be challenging for anybody else to compete with them,” Russell said
we saw last year how dominant Red Bull were
and suddenly they weren’t at the end of the season.”
“Our performance compared to McLaren is just not good enough,” Leclerc said
Seven-time world champion Hamilton has won five times in Japan
Foremost on Ferrari’s mind is having Hamilton and Leclerc disqualified in China for those technical infringements
“It’s been a very difficult first part of the season,” Hamilton’s teammate Leclerc said on Thursday
the pace was not where we expected it to be
and to lose even more points than we already did with that
‘I’m confident because whenever you make mistakes
especially when they cost that much,” he added
He was 10th in Australia after his win in the Shanghai sprint
roughly translated from Japanese into English
Expect almost all of the 115,000 sellout crowd on Sunday to be wildly supporting Tsunoda
Having Tsunoda promoted from Racing Bulls to Red Bull — the feeder team to the No
Almost 20 Japanese drivers have participated in F1 and none has won a race
Three have reached the podium with third-place finishes — Aguri Suzuki in 1990 and Kamui Kobayahi in 2012
and Takuma Sato in 2004 in the United States GP
Tsunoda may have the best chance of a victory of any Japanese driver
“I think he (Tsunoda) always had the raw speed,” said Pierre Gasly
the Frenchman who drives for Alpine and is a former Red Bull driver
“He was a little bit too hectic behind the wheel at times
I think in that sense he’s matured enough in minimizing the mistakes.”
The wild card on Sunday could be Verstappen — the Dutchman has won the last three races in Japan
and Verstappen is F1’s best driver in the rain
McLaren produced the top times in Friday’s two practice sessions
Both were run under clear skies and sunshine ahead of the forecast rain for race day Sunday
Teammate Piastri was fastest in the second in 1:28.114 with Norris just 0.049 behind
Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar had the third quickest time in the second session
with the sixth best time — just one-tenth of a second slower than his teammate Verstappen
The second session was stopped several times with cars going off the track
The frequent disruptions made it difficult to draw conclusions from the session — except that McLaren still appears to be the team to beat
Australian driver Jack Doohan spun off the track just seven minutes into the second practice
The car shattered into pieces after hitting a tire wall
He walked away from the crash and told his Alpine team by radio: “I’m OK.”
The last time we saw Yamaha compete in the iconic Suzuka 8 Hours race
Japan's round of the FIM Endurance World Championship
Yamaha's about to turn that frown upside down
The factory team is preparing to contest the event
as part of the company's 70th anniversary celebrations
and it raced in the Mount Fuji Ascent Race just 10 days later
Yamaha has decorated the team's YZF-R1 with significant features from the brand's past
The iconic red and white paint scheme that once came as standard on the limited-edition YZF-R7
This might seem like a somewhat random bike to pay tribute to until you realize that the team manager is Wataru Yoshikawa
who raced the YZF-R7 at the 1999 Suzuka 8 Hours
The team's logo won't be the current Yamaha one
but will instead be an updated version of the one used in the late 90s
Everything from the rider and team clothing to the pit garage will channel Yamaha's 1999 identity
quadruple Suzuka 8 Hours winner Katsuyuki Nakasuga is the Yamaha Factory team's first signing
Nakasuga was part of the line-up that gave Yamaha its most recent Suzuka 8 Hours victory in 2018
and has a total of 89 race victories and 12 titles in the All Japan Road Race Championship’s JSB1000 category
The rest of the three-strong team will be filled by riders competing in MotoGP and World Superbike
The eagle-eyed amongst you will have already noticed the number 21 on the fairing
This is a hat tip that dates back to 1985 when the team was sponsored by the Shiseido skincare brand through its TECH 21 range
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which brilliant drive won for him the F1 drivers’ world championship; or perhaps one of the many fine grands prix that have graced the Land of the Rising Sun in this century
let’s delete the question-mark and the word ‘perhaps’ from the last phrase of the paragraph above
the best Japanese Grand Prix took place 20 years ago
Rain caught Räikkönen out in qualifying
the 2005 F1 constructors’ world championship was still delicately poised: McLaren led with 164 points
although I would have been surprised if you had told me that in just a couple of years’ time I would agree terms with Ron Dennis to become McLaren’s comms/PR chief
or as chummy as the McLaren boss ever allowed himself to be with pressmen
Dennis was on edge from the outset at Suzuka that weekend
was not only one of the most beautiful F1 cars of the noughties decade but also
the 2005 Renault R25 was also a handsome and rapid machine
had the McLaren’s Mercedes V10 been more reliable
both drivers’ and constructors’
McLaren won more grands prix in 2005 than Renault did
and Ron was consequently furious on a more or less permanent basis about what he saw as Mercedes’ contumacious underperformance
“Ralf and I were both very lucky,” Jenson readily admitted afterwards
because I’ve had a lot of understeer so far this weekend
so I certainly wasn’t expecting to qualify on the front row today.”
“The weather never usually seems to work to my advantage,” said Ralf
I think we’ll have a good chance tomorrow because some of the really strong drivers and cars are at the back.”
and was therefore the only driver in a competitive car who would start the next day’s race from anywhere near the front of the grid
“I was lucky and unlucky,” said Fisichella on Saturday afternoon
“It started to rain on the last part of my lap
and that made the track surface too wet for the intermediates [tyres] that I had on at the time
it’s going to be an interesting race.” Then
with an eye on the battle for the F1 constructors’ world championship
“From where they’ll be starting
it’ll be difficult for the McLarens to get on the podium.”
Toyota’s Ralf Schumacher leads from pole
Villeneuve pushed him wide into a gravel trap
Juan Pablo lost control and shunted heavily
His first lap had been almost as impressive as Alonso’s
until he misjudged his braking at the Turn 17 chicane
and he lost many of the places he had gained over the previous minute-and-a-bit
One of the drivers whom Räikkönen had overtaken during that 10-lap golden spell was Schumacher Sr
bravely and spectacularly: he had placed his McLaren squarely in the Ferrari’s slipstream along the start-finish straight; he had jinked it to the left as they had approached the braking point for Turn 1
a quickish right-hander; then he had braked super late; then
he had driven around the outside of the most difficult-to-overtake driver of the era with a degree of aplomb that had made us all sit up and take notice
“Kimi could win this,” I said to my friend and colleague Peter Windsor
next to whom I was sitting in the media centre
Finn hunts down Schumacher before incredible overtake
Fisichella made his second and final stop on lap 38
but Räikkönen stayed out seven laps longer
the Renault led the McLaren by the whole length of the pit straight
All Giancarlo had to do to win was hang on for seven more laps
In those days most pundits regarded the three best drivers in F1 as being Alonso and Räikkönen, and of course Schumi, whose status in the sport was then akin to Lewis Hamilton‘s now: primus inter pares; first among equals; the most successful; the most famous; the richest; still stunningly good but perhaps
when it came to delivering a red-blooded banzai charge with no margin left anywhere
just a smidgen less coruscatingly quick than the young Finn and the young Spaniard
than whom he was respectively 10 and 12 years older
Then, as now, I rated Fernando incredibly highly. How can one not? But between 2003 and 2005 Kimi was as fast as anyone I have ever seen. Old boys who had seen Jim Clark dominate F1 between 1963 and 1965 used to tell me that
Räikkönen sometimes reminded them of the great Scot
and there can be no higher praise for a racing driver than that
Fisichella was the driver whom I knew best
not only if we bumped into each other in the paddock but also over coffees in the motorhomes of the teams for which he was racing and
I once visited him at his lovely house in Castel Dei Ceveri
cooked in his own pizza oven by his own fair hand
exhilarating stage where Formula 1 greats shone brightly — but not the first to host a Malaysian Grand Prix
Matt Bishop explores the rich history of the race
and why it deserves a spot on the F1 calendar — despite the perils of the odd king cobra
as they hurtled together towards the end of lap 52 (of 53)
Kimi was just a car length behind Giancarlo
I don’t know whether to congratulate you for predicting that Kimi could win this race 20 laps ago
but there’s no way Fisi is going to be able to hold Kimi back now.”
Indeed I had come to terms with not only the fact that Räikkönen was going to pass Fisichella on that final lap
he was not a man who would be prepared to defend his position as stoutly as Michael routinely would
there had been something menacingly relentless about the manner in which Kimi had carved his way through the field over the past 90 minutes
he had never looked more relentlessly menacing
then braking later than he had braked on any lap before
But Räikkönen had already veered to the left
into the lead; Kimi put the hammer down; and 90 seconds later he was three car lengths to the good
he punched the air belligerently with both fists
I do not think I have ever seen Ron look happier
that he could not contain himself to wait until Kimi had removed his helmet before speaking to him
Dennis celebrates with Räikkönen – not a pair that got overexcited too often
it is possible that the last-lap overtaking manoeuvre that Räikkönen performed on Fisichella that day was not the best of the race but the second-best
Alonso had passed Schumacher Sr around the outside of 130R
Suzuka’s fastest and most daunting corner
His apex speed was later confirmed by the Renault engineers to have been 326km/h (203mph)
Schumi was still a fantastic driver in 2005
in other words on one of the circuits over whose formidable curves the best drivers always pride themselves on being able to shine more brightly than their near-peers
by a couple of fearless young guns whose pure
take-no-prisoners wheelmanship even he perhaps realised might have surpassed his own
whereas they were 25 (Räikkönen) and 24 (Alonso)
and there is no doubt that Räikkönen had served him with a beating that he had not seen coming
either beforehand or in the heat of the moment
Nor had there been anything that he could have done about it
“From where they’ll be starting
it’ll be difficult for the McLarens to get on the podium,” he had said the previous day
McLaren stole the show at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix with a dominant 1-2 finish that left rivals trembling
Here are the key takeaways from a pivotal weekend in Formula 1
The Miami Grand Prix weekend was action packed both on and off the track
Here's a look at what you may have missed from the event
McLaren crushed the opposition in the Miami Grand Prix
with Piastri taking his third straight win in a race that looked like Norris's to lose
Mark Hughes answers the main questions from the sixth round of the 2025 season
Piastri wins the Miami GP to take his third consecutive victory to consolidate his championship lead ahead of Norris
Fans enter the circuit next to a sign for Suzuka
The Japanese Grand Prix weekend is in full swing
and with just one more hour of practice to go
Here is everything you need to know to watch qualifying for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix
Fans watching the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix qualifying session from the UK can watch via Sky Sports F1 or streaming services such as NowTV. United States viewers can watch through ESPN as well as fuboTV and F1 TV
1. Lando Norris, McLaren - 44 points2
Red Bull - 36 points3. George Russell, Mercedes - 35 points4. Oscar Piastri
McLaren - 34 points5. Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes - 22 points6. Alex Albon, Williams - 16 points7. Esteban Ocon
Aston Martin - 10 points9. Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari - 9 points10. Charles Leclerc
Ferrari - 8 points11. Nico Hulkenberg, Sauber - 6 points12. Oliver Bearman
Haas - 4 points13. Yuki Tsunoda*, Racing Bulls - 3 points14. Carlos Sainz
Racing Bulls - 0 points16. Pierre Gasly, Alpine - 0 points17. Liam Lawson*
Red Bull - 0 points18. Jack Doohan
Alpine - 0 points19. Gabriel Bortoleto
Sauber - 0 points20/NC. Fernando Alonso
*Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson will swap teams from the Japanese Grand Prix onwards
Team’s fall from grace has been similar to Manchester City’s and rivals are circling around the world champion
A fifth this year already looks to be a tall order as the team swing from a period of undisputed dominance to being left impotent by a car they cannot tame and in no little disarray
so much so that Verstappen may be considering his options
In Japan, all eyes have been on the home hero Yuki Tsunoda, promoted to Red Bull from the sister team, Racing Bulls, with indecent haste, after Liam Lawson was sent packing the other way after two races
Even by F1 standards it was a brutal decision but indicative of the disorder that embroils Red Bull
The fans here could not be happier, with their man in one of the top cars engendering a febrile atmosphere. Those who had fashioned elaborately tailored Yuki tribute costumes in the Racing Bulls livery had barely a week to upgrade it all to match the Red Bull colours but they managed it
the heaving fan areas in the shadow of the ferris wheel bustling with celebratory Yuki attire
This was a positive at least after another week when Red Bull were left looking almost rudderless
The former driver Giedo van der Garde described the Lawson sacking as a “panic move” in an Instagram post that was pointedly liked by Verstappen and which the Dutchman confirmed in Suzuka included sentiments with which he concurred
View image in fullscreenChristian Horner has been embroiled in power struggles at Red Bull
Photograph: Mark Thompson/Getty ImagesChristian Horner
said his engineers had been concerned about Lawsons’s ability to cope
the team’s motorsport adviser responsible for their young drivers programme
came out last week to justify the decision
His arguments lacked cohesion and felt more like retroactively attempting to account for it
but one thing he said was impossible to ignore
“We have this huge motivation to achieve this fifth title,” he said
“We also know that if we don’t deliver for Max
all the top drivers have performances clauses in their contract.”
are more than aware of this and have been circling Verstappen for some time
The performance clause means Red Bull need to produce a strong car for Verstappen and they have not
From winning 21 of 22 races in 2023 a victory at this point would be very welcome and Verstappen’s remarkable securing of pole for Sunday’s Grand Prix serves only to further underline the Dutchman’s talent. Still, it is hard not to draw comparisons with the similarly perplexing decline at Manchester City
but rather the latest in what has been almost relentless tumult
Before the season began last year there was the furore around Horner being investigated for alleged inappropriate behaviour after a complaint made by a female employee of the team
Horner was exonerated by an independent inquiry but it exposed frailties at the heart of the organisation
There was an internal power struggle between Horner and the team’s parent company
and between Horner and Verstappen’s father
who was openly calling for him to be sacked
prompting Verstappen in turn to threaten to leave
It was a power struggle worthy of the machinations of the Roman senate but not quite as bloody
There was no quick fix and none in the longer term; the anticipated step up over the winter has not been produced. Meanwhile, McLaren and Mercedes have moved forward as Red Bull have made the car all but unmanageable.
Free weekly newsletterThe best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend’s action
The pursuit of extreme performance at the expense of driveability was based on Verstappen’s capability to manage a demanding ride. Now it has reached the point where even Verstappen is barely managing, despite his performance in qualifying at Suzuka.
Newey has said he had identified problems in the car toward the end of 2023 and that as 2024 went on they became more acute. “It’s something I was starting to become concerned about,” he says. “But not many other people in the organisation seemed to be very concerned about it.”
He was right but the team, now under the technical director, Pierre Waché, continued in the same developmental direction even as the car became harder to drive, to the point where Verstappen was publicly demanding changes.
All of which suggests a level of questionable decision-making, of which the Lawson-Tsunoda switch is only the public tip of the iceberg. That particular call is a no-win for Red Bull. If Tsunoda smashes it on Sunday it only demonstrates their decision to overlook him for Lawson was flawed; if he fails then not giving Lawson a better shout also looks like an error, that it is not the drivers at fault but simply that Verstappen’s talent has concealed a fundamental problem.
Red Bull are 20 years on from their debut and still a formidable force. Yet there are no guarantees in F1. In the 80s and 90s the idea that teams such as Williams and McLaren might find themselves languishing as also-rans would have seemed fanciful. Yet Williams know only too well how far the mighty can fall while McLaren have only just emerged from more than a decade in the doldrums.
Past success counts for nothing when the slate is swept clean every season; the challenge is perhaps not so much how Tsunoda comes through this but how Red Bull themselves fare.
This is the archive of The Observer up until 21/04/2025. The Observer is now owned and operated by Tortoise Media.
Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Gerry Doyle
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Red Bull says revisions made to the cooling exit of its engine cover for Formula 1's Japanese Grand Prix have delivered an added benefit in boosting the performance of its rear wing
The team is one of a small number to have brought upgrades to Japan for the start of the triple-header that also incorporates the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix
As it chases gains on the RB21 that it hopes can help it close the gap to pacesetter McLaren
its developments for Japan included improvements to its engine cover and cooling exit (above)
an enlarged rear exit duct on its brakes plus a revised rear wishbone shroud
While Red Bull has labelled the first two changes as being for "reliability" reasons
its chief engineer Paul Monaghan has offered some insight into how improvements here have also cleaned up airflow for the rear wing too
and they are supplemented with louvres at the sides if we want," he explained
"The flow that comes off the top body mixes with the flow coming through the top body [out of this exit]
"Obviously it's not as clean as you might want it to be
and just downstream of that is the rear wing
then the cooling exit that is of least impact to the rear wing performance
comes out under the main wing and on top of the beam wing
It goes through the gap and there's no bother to it
"So we're just trying to make a small refinement to enhance that a little bit
We've been able to do it with little expense
In terms of the rear suspension changes Red Bull has made
the shrouding around the rear lower wishbone has been tweaked to give a better airflow to the brake duct assembly
Sauber continued to roll out the latest step in its early season development plan
An all-new floor was initially run by Nico Hulkenberg in first practice
the rear wing and rear beam wing have also been developed in pursuit of greater combined aero efficiency
with the beam wing now featuring a second element
The ‘canoe’ central section of the floor has been reshaped as Haas tries to endow its car with better high-speed corner stability
It's tested two floor specifications in FP1 with no clear winner
so work will continue in FP2 between Esteban Ocon and Ollie Bearman
The halo shroud has been reshaped to give better airflow to the rear wing.
Williams is also running a revised front wing with a new endplate and a reshaped top element
The new element has been designed to produce greater load and therefore a bigger balance range between front and rear
Williams said: "The updated flap geometry produces more local load
which allows us to efficiently rebalance more load from the rear wing
"The interaction of the subsequent flow with the front suspension and brake duct furniture is different
which leads to improved control of the front wheel wake."
The endplate has also been re-optimised around the new element
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