F1 | Race | Japanese GP | Verstappen wins under big McLaren pressure - Motorsport

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After a qualifying that saw Max Verstappen take an unlikely pole and a early-morning rain shower that dampened the track, all signs were green for the F1 Japanese GP to be an exciting one. How that turned out can be read in the full report and results below.

Damp start

Both Max Verstappen and Lando Norris aimed towards eachother on the grid, aiming for the best get-away. At lights out Verstappen got the jump on both McLarens. Further back there was a little battle between Fernando Alonso and Pierre Gasly.

Despite the damp track and tricky first corner no incidents happened, and within the top 10 no positions were traded. Gabriel Bortoleto dropped to the last place courtesy of him starting on the hard tyres.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli goes straight in the chicane, while Verstappen complains about his upshifts. Despite that he pulls a little gap to Norris.

In the lap 1 kerfuffles Yuki Tsunoda has passed Liam Lawson. Further back Carlos Sainz makes a beautiful pass on Nico Hülkenberg into the hairpin.

Started on the hard tyre, Lewis Hamilton’s car began to come alive and into turn 1 he manages to overtake Isack Hadjar for seventh.

Oscar Piastri starts to appear in Norris’ his mirrors as he stays in DRS range. The rest of the field seems to settle a bit at the moment.

Oscar Piastri following Lando Norris during the F1 Japanese GP — Photo credit: McLaren Racing

Verstappen and Norris battle in pit exit

After nine laps Lance Stroll is the first to make a pitstop, leaving his soft tyres behind. Max Verstappen in the meantime concedes the fastest lap to Lando Norris, but the gap remains around 2 seconds.

The McLaren team informs its driver that a small drizzle is expected around lap 20. However, the intensity is not expected to have an impact on the Japanese GP.

The field seems settled in lap 15 as the pit stop window approaches for the drivers on the medium tyres. Piastri takes offence to that and starts decreasing the gap to his team mate. A pitstop right now however would mean they drop right back into traffic. This means the front-runners are tentative to switch their medium tyres.

Jack Doohan makes his first and probably only stop switching from soft to hard, covering off Lance Stroll. Sainz decides to mimic Antonelli by going straight into the chicane.

Lando Norris is called into the pits in an attempt to trick Red Bull into an early stop, but they stay out eventually. He is starting to close the gap to Max Verstappen however.

George Russell does pit and he drops back to 13^th, showing the risk of an early stop. Verstappen replies to Norris’ pressure as Piastry does go to the pits, dropping him into ninth.

The top 3 stop the next and Norris and Verstappen come out of their boxes side by side. The young Briton however goes through the grass, making him lose some time. The McLaren driver is on the radio, but at the moment Verstappen is having the upper hand.

Antonelli youngest race leader in history

Antonelli in the meantime has taken the lead of the race in what will be his final possibility of breaking Max Verstappen’s record as the youngest race winner. He does break the record for being the youngest race leader in the history of F1.

His predecessor at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, is currently in second and is on a different strategy. The current number three, Isack Hadjar, stops in lap 26 and comes back in tenth place. Sainz again goes straight in the chicane, but he keeps the position.

Yuki Tsunoda also takes the detour in the Casio Triangle, as he chases Fernando Alonso for 15^th at the moment.

A rare overtake happens as Albon overtakes Esteban Ocon around the outside of turn 1. Further up the road Hadjar copies the Thai’s action by overtaking the other Williams.

Max Verstappen approaches Lewis Hamilton in the chicane and the seven-time world champion locks up before going into the pits. This costs Verstappen some time to Lando Norris, closing the gap between the tow rivals a bit. Antonelli stops the next lap to cover up Hamilton, which means the order at the front of the Japanese GP is reinstated.

Kimi Antonelli stopping during the F1 Japanese GP — Photo credit: Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team

McLaren intra-team struggles

Alex Albon is let by by Sainz and a few moments later he overtakes Liam Lawson into the chicane. Driver swaps are also taking place at Haas and Alpine.

The final stops are being made, with both Lawson and Sainz switching to the soft tyres. The Spaniard overtakes the Kiwi into turn 1 a few laps later.

Up front Max Verstappen’s lead over Lando Norris varies a bit, with Oscar Piastri closing up to his team mate. A few places back the communication worries for Lewis Hamilton have not been fully resolved, as the Ferrari driver tries to hunt down Antonelli.

Charles Leclerc seems to have a similar issue as he decides to ignore an instruction by his engineer.

Lando Norris seems to be unable to close the gap to Max Verstappen at the front of the Japanese GP, giving Oscar Piastri the chance to close up. Again McLaren is put into position to make a decision regarding team orders. Norris seems to be able to extract some additional pace, but not enough to really put on the pressure for the lead at the moment.

Oscar Piastrig again closes the gap to Norris, as Verstappen keeps Norris at the edge of the DRS range. Time is running out for McLaren to make a decision however.

Verstappen wins final Honda home race

Antonelli dips a wheel in the grass, making him go straight in the chicane, but he is currently holding the fastest lap.

In the back Carlos Sainz overtakes Nico Hülkenberg for 15^th, again. Next in line would be Jack Doohan, as Lawson also is close to Hülkenberg.

With three laps to go Max Verstappen is still a little over a second ahead of Lando Norris, as Oscar Piastri seems to back off a bit

Sainz opvertakes Doohan around the outside of turn 1, as the Ozzy is currently creating a little DRS train at the tail of the field.

At the front Verstappen is not giving Norris any chance for a DRS and crosses the line first to win the Japanese GP for the fourth time in succession. Close behind are both McLarens, from Leclerc and Russell. Kimi Antonelli comes home sixth, with two ‘youngest ever’ records in his pocket. Hamilton is seventh, from Hadjar with his first points, Albon and Bearman to round-up the top 10.