We expected a rainy race and serious excitement from Suzuka, we practically got a perfectly controlled victory from Max Verstappen, which was not disturbed by anything, not even the promised crashes.
Because it didn't come, just like the sparkling battles and fireworks. We won't remember the Japanese Grand Prix as the race of the year, which had essentially two main, cardinal moments: one was the start, which Verstappen smoothly managed in front of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastre, the McLarens had no chance to exchange positions. That was not possible on the track either with power or pace, so Norris and his team would like to manage it tactically, which they almost succeeded. Verstappen and Norris practically finished at the same time and came out of the pits, only thanks to the Dutch aggressiveness there was no exchange of places.
So, Verstappen, Norris, Piastri were racing in this order at the front, while Charles Leclerc circled in the empty space behind them. Even further away from them were the two Mercedes in the lineup of George Russell, Kimi Antonelli - the latter should certainly be praised for his balanced and great performance, although he is a newcomer to the top team. The only positive of the race - besides Verstappen's flawless performance - was the battle of the two McLarens and the performances of the newcomers. Because not only Antonelli excelled, Isaac Hadjar also sought to gain massive points and Oliver Bearman appeared among the scorers again. However, the situation at the front did not change, so in the end Max Verstappen, ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, won an extremely smooth, well-deserved victory at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Photo: Independent / Japan GP
