Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen bid adieu to Honda with a victory at home. [Credits: X/ Formula 1]

‘McLaren Has the Best Car, Red Bull Have the Best Driver’ – F1 Commentators Hail Max Verstappen at Japanese Grand Prix

Red Bull's competitors have a fast car, but Max Verstappen is faster than all of them!

Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen bid adieu to Honda with a victory at home. [Credits: X/ Formula 1]

Max Verstappen was driving in white and red colors today for Red Bull Racing. It was as an ode to Red Bull’s long standings partnership with Honda in Formula 1. The team gave Honda their dream ending by winning their home race. When the season started for 2025, Verstappen was nowhere near the front. The defending champion was now defending for points in his slow and unstable Red Bull.

However, Verstappen seems to like Japan quite a lot. He is a four-time world champion for Red Bull. And, like their former four-time champion, Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen produced a masterclass of racing at Suzuka. He won the race by a comfortable margin against the Papayas behind him.

Max is the man in Japan 🏆

💪💪💪#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/up7NhfWzhT
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2025

Max Verstappen spent the previous seasons fighting alone at the front of the grid. He had no help from his new teammate at Suzuka. But the Dutch Lion is the king of his territory. He can hunt alone and savour the prize for himself.

In a race, where McLarens could not find solution to Red Bull’s straight-line pace, Max Verstappen imbued perfection in his race craft. He was picture perfect through every sector in every lap. As Christian Horner rightly said on the radio, this might be one of his “finest” weekends in Formula 1.

Max Verstappen and Japan- A Pairing That Knows No Bounds

The Suzuka International Circuit is not easy to tame. It is ridiculously fast, unimaginably unpredictable and dangerous. The track has never failed to introduce key moments in the race. No wonder Suzuka has seen so many champions getting crowned after the race. But the track decided to take a step back for 2025, it let every driver finish the race. The drivers found it easier to maintain their tyres- after the lack of tyre degradation and cooler temperatures assisted them throughout the race.

What did this mean for Max Verstappen? Well, the four-time champion has never been the one to fumble in race starts. He found himself at the front of the grid on Saturday. Max Verstappen took his fourth consecutive pole at Suzuka in 2025. He had one other advantage; he was on the dry side of the track with a much better racing line.

Our setting for race day 👀

There's a spot of rain here and there to spice up the action ☔️#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/RrNUJtLYvq
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2025

Obstacles at Every Turn, but Verstappen Was Faster Than All of Them

Verstappen had everything to fear today. He was in an inferior car. He faced issues throughout the weekend. The McLarens were surrounding him in a pincer with the fastest machinery on track. Verstappen did not have his teammate to support him at the front. He was lagging behind in the world championship compared to his other contenders. Additionally, Verstappen had difficulty with upshifts during the first laps of the race.

"What an unbelievable weekend" 👏

Celebrations and congratulations for Max Verstappen over the radio! 📻#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/HeUd6kEWDl
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 6, 2025

The mob of 19 drivers could not stop the King from taking his beloved track’s victory crown. Max Verstappen has displayed that he doesn’t need a rocket ship. He only needs a fast car and only needs some good laps in Qualifying to keep himself ahead of competition. The Dutchman made sure than he never gave Lando Norris enough gap to activate his DRS. Verstappen effectively shut down Norris’s overtaking opportunities. Besides Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing deserves the credits for not messing up Verstappen’s race when he pitted on lap-22 alongside his rival, Lando Norris.

Max Verstappen is now the first and only driver to win four races consecutively at Suzuka. Will he become the second driver to win five championships in consecution in Formula 1? Follow The Playoffs to stay up do date about the latest Formula 1 races.

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Formula 1 2025 Season

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I work as a Writer at The Playoffs specialising in NHL, Formula 1 and Motorsports. I got into online journalism a couple of years ago. I used to be an intern for a website managing their Formula 1 content and then I served an entire year as a contractual writer.