Max Verstappen won his first race of the season after again tussling with Lando Norris at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Norris has been well clear of the four-time world champion so far this season as McLaren won the opening two races – one each for the Briton and Oscar Piastri. But Verstappen upset the form book on Saturday by producing a scintillating qualifying lap to claim a shock pole and the pair reignited their rivalry at Suzuka.
The drama arrived at the pit stop as they came together on the exit – Norris driving over the grass on Verstappen’s inside as the accusations flew. The stewards did not agree with Norris’ claim that he was pushed off and no action was taken as Verstappen retained his advantage and kept the championship leader at arm’s length to cut the gap to one point.
It was an otherwise uneventful race at Suzuka, with Lewis Hamilton passing Isack Hadjar to finish seventh the only change to the starting order in the top 10.
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F1 driver standings after Japan GP
1. Lando Norris – 62 points
2. Max Verstappen – 61 points
3. Oscar Piastri – 49 points
4. George Russell –45 points
5. Kimi Antonelli – 30 points
6. Charles Leclerc – 20 points
7. Alex Albon – 18 points
8. Lewis Hamilton – 15 points
9. Esteban Ocon – 10 points
10. Lance Stroll – 10 points
11. Nico Hulkenberg – 6 points
13. Isack Hadjar – 4 points
12. Ollie Bearman – 5 points
14. Yuki Tsunoda – 3 points
15. Carlos Sainz – 1 point
16. Pierre Gasly – 0 points
17. Liam Lawson – 0 points
18. Jack Doohan – 0 points
19. Gabriel Bortoleto – 0 points
20. Fernando Alonso – 0 points
F1 constructor standings after Japan GP
1. McLaren - 111 points
2. Mercedes - 75 points
3. Red Bull - 61 points
4. Ferrari - 35 points
5. Williams - 19 points
6. Haas - 15 points
7. Aston Martin - 10 points
8. Racing Bulls - 7 points
9. Sauber - 6 points
10. Alpine - 0 points
2025 F1 CALENDAR IN FULL:
ROUND 4 —BAHRAIN
Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir - 11-13 April
ROUND 5 - SAUDI ARABIA
Jeddah Corniche Circuit - 18-20 April
ROUND 6 - MIAMI (sprint weekend)
Miami International Autodrome, Hard Rock Stadium - 2-4 May
ROUND 7 - EMILIA ROMAGNA
Imola Circuit - 16-18 May
ROUND 8 - MONACO
Circuit de Monaco - 23-25 May
ROUND 9 - SPAIN
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya - 30 May-1 June
ROUND 10 - CANADA
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal - 13-15 June
ROUND 11 - AUSTRIA
Red Bull Ring, Spielberg - 27-29 June
ROUND 12 - GREAT BRITAIN
Silverstone Circuit - 4-6 July
ROUND 13 - BELGIUM (sprint weekend)
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps - 25-27 July
ROUND 14 - HUNGARY
Hungaroring, Budapest - 1-3 August
ROUND 15 - NETHERLANDS
Circuit Zandvoort - 29-31 August
ROUND 16 - ITALY
Monza Circuit - 5-7 September
ROUND 17 - AZERBAIJAN
Baku City Circuit - 19-21 September
ROUND 18 - SINGAPORE
Marina Bay Street Circuit - 3-5 October
ROUND 19 - UNITED STATES (sprint weekend)
Circuit of the Americas, Austin - 17-19 October
ROUND 20 - MEXICO
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City - 24-26 October
ROUND 21 - BRAZIL (sprint weekend)
Interlagos Circuit, Sao Paulo - 7-9 November
ROUND 22 - LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas Street Circuit - 20-22 November
ROUND 23 - QATAR (sprint weekend)
Lusail International Circuit, Lusail - 28-30 November
ROUND 24 - ABU DHABI
Yas Marina Circuit - 5-7 December
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