Max Verstappen clinched his third victory in four races this season as he triumphed at the Japanese Grand Prix. In the aftermath of his win, Verstappen reflected on two pivotal moments that fueled his success on the Suzuka circuit.
Having already secured two consecutive wins at Suzuka, Verstappen maintained his dominance with another commanding performance, marking his 57th career victory in Formula 1. His triumph also marked his 20th win in the last 22 Grand Prix races, solidifying his status as a formidable force in the sport.
Despite concerns about his car’s race pace following qualifying, Verstappen’s apprehensions proved unfounded as he flawlessly led a Red Bull one-two finish.
This achievement not only secured his position at the top of the drivers’ standings but also widened the gap between him and his teammate Sergio Perez by 13 points.
Verstappen emphasized the significance of adjustments made to his car before qualifying, stating, “It was a very good win. It took a few laps to settle in a bit with the car but we did make some good changes to it before going into qualifying, which then helped.
“After the first stint, some tiny adjustments were made to the car, and that helped me then to feel even more comfortable, and whenever I needed to go faster I could, and whenever I needed to look after my tyres, I could.
“So that’s always a very nice feeling to have once you’re driving. Medium tyres, hard tyres, possibly the hard felt a bit better but on both sides, we were very competitive.”
The adjustments made to the car before qualifying significantly improved its handling, with Verstappen describing it as “a lot nicer to drive and more under control.”
Verstappen also highlighted the impact of “tiny adjustments” made after the first stint, which contributed to another crucial aspect of his victory. During the Grand Prix, he engaged in a typical exchange with his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, who jokingly mentioned, “I don’t want to say I told you so.”
When questioned about the meaning behind Lambiase’s remark, Verstappen explained, “We had, not an argument, but he was like, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m pretty sure’. It turned out to be wrong, so he was right but in a way, it also fires me up because I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m not entirely happy with the balance now’.
“I’ll still try to be as consistent as I can be without shouting back at him. You know, we have a great relationship, and it works well like that.”
Verstappen secured victory at the Japanese Grand Prix, crossing the finish line with a comfortable lead of 12.5 seconds ahead of Perez. This triumph allowed him to put behind the disappointment of the previous race in Australia, where a brake issue led to his first mechanical retirement in two years.
While acknowledging the significance of the win, Verstappen downplayed it as merely a relief, stating, “It’s just nice to win, and it’s nice, of course, to win here in Japan. It’s always an important race for us.
“We have a lot of support here, and it’s great to win here in front of Honda, and basically have three cars in the points as well [RB’s Yuki Tsunoda was 10th].
“Of course, Melbourne felt like a bit of a hiccup but what we did [with the win in Japan], that’s what we want to do, and that’s what we aim to do every single weekend.”
