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Suzuka might not have provided us with spine bending wheel-to-wheel racing action from start to finish but the 53-lap race at one of F1’s proper old school racing venues provided enough action to juggle F1’s pecking order a bit. The enterprising McLaren have been served a wake up call and the force, at least, at this point in time, rests with redoubtable warriors, Red Bull. That’s when Ferrari are still hoping for some soft spots to go through and are gathering themselves as some action packed racing fiesta lies in the days ahead.
Having said that let’s pause for a moment and reflect on some brilliant and standout key moments from the recently completed Japanese GP:
SportsTiger with the key insights:
Disappointing day for the Aston Martin cars
While Fernando Alonso had his own share of battles at Suzuka, never really being in strong or likely contention of scoring valuable points and finishing in the end on eleventh, the real surprise at Japan, if one could argue was the race result that his teammate Lance Stroll got.
In the form of P20, which is a position right at the rear end of the field, Canadian driver Lance Stroll, also among the polarising figures on the current grid, had a day to forget.
But how was Stroll’s performance so lagging in pace and competitiveness, is something one simply didn’t have a great deal of idea about. The young driver had a very strong start to the new season given his fighting sixth at Australia (a drive where he outperformed even Ferraris), which was followed by a P12 at China.
Aston Martin cars not finishing in points gives the otherwise noted stable much to think about as round one of F1’s first triple header is rendered complete.
Spare a thought for Alex Albon
He had scored a valiant fifth at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in 2025, an effort that was followed by a respectable ninth at China. But at Japan, Alex Albon, not a driver we get to read a lot of proper journalism about and really not one who’s hugely celebrated at all, mirrored his performance at the Shanghai international circuit.
In what became the Thai-British driver’s third consecutive points finish, Suzuka earning the Williams driver another P9, it could be argued Alex Albon scored yet another drive to remember here in Japan.
While a lot of focus still rests on Carlos Sainz, the star attraction at the Williams stable, it is not hard to see how Albon is ensuring the media and critics gravitate toward him by sheer weight of performances. From scoring the first points of the season for his British marquee to registering yet another fighting points finish, here’s a talent that is making James Vowels proud. Keep fighting, Alex!
Leclerc with a lukewarm drive
You feel disappointed for talented drivers who don’t finish a Formula 1 Grand Prix and you celebrate a winner with boundless glee. But just what do you do when a driver as fantastic and promising as Charles Leclerc scores a lukewarm position outside of the podium places?
Surely, he ought to have tried a lot better is how most of the die-hard Ferrari fans may have read Leclerc’s Japanese Grand Prix.
But truth be told, the Monegasque racing driver did about as well as he possibly could have in that SF-25, a car whose best days, one could argue, lie in the future. In a high speed old school track that is Suzuka, where tire management was the key, Leclerc pretty much drove the wheels of his Ferrari #16 to amass a fourth, which by the looks of it seems a letdown but when you think the effort outdrove the twin Mercedes, then you tend to relax a bit.
Just a bit. Enough to spare a thought for the phenomenal driver who just contested in his 150th F1 Grand Prix. However, there are a lot many zones of improvement for Hamilton, who only salvaged a sixth in the end.
Max Verstappen proving just why he’s a cut above the rest
An inspirational win in the end. A mega victory. A win for the ages. You run out of adjectives to define Verstappen’s latest triumph.
He came to Suzuka staring at the rear of the McLaren. But as he leaves the famed home of the celebrated engine makers Honda, four-time world champion Verstappen has conquered the Japanese Grand Prix for a fourth consecutive time. No other driver besides the famous Dutchman has ever converted a pole into a victory here at Suzuka on four consecutive occasions on the bounce.
But then there are great drivers and there’s Max Verstappen.
In winning the Japanese F1 contest by 1.4 seconds over second-place Lando Norris, not only did Verstappen ensure that Red Bull bounced back when they so desperately needed a win, he’s also reminded his critics a firm reminder against the theories about his dwindling form.
Red Bull are so back and his 64th Grand Prix victory reaffirms Verstappen’s status as one of the strongest men on the current F1 grid.
The win at Suzuka has also opened the current world championship fight just a touch giving McLaren some thinking to do ahead of the next Grand Prix at Bahrain in seven days’ time.
