SUZUKA, Japan. — World champion Max Verstappen banished his early season misery with a fourth successive pole-to-flag victory at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, holding off the previously dominant McLarens with some ease for his first win of the year.
Verstappen crossed the line in his Red Bull for his 64th grand prix victory to a huge ovation from the 115,000 crowd some 1.4 seconds ahead of McLaren’s championship leader Lando Norris in second place.
“I am incredibly happy. This weekend started off quite tough but we didn’t give up, kept improving the car. Today it was on its best form,” said Verstappen, the first driver to win four times in a row at Suzuka.
Norris’s lead over Verstappen in the drivers’ standings was slashed to one point after an all but incident-free race effectively decided in Saturday’s qualifying.
“Max drove a good race today, no mistakes,” said Norris, who won the season-opening race in Melbourne.
“It was a flat-out race from start to finish, so tough, but just not enough today, nothing special that we had that we could get Max on.”
Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren, who won last time out in China, rounded out the podium in third place on his 24th birthday as the top six finished as they had started on the grid.
All 20 cars crossed the line after 53 laps with no rain, none of the trackside grass fires that disrupted practice, and not a single yellow flag.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was fourth, the Mercedes of George Russell and Andrea KimiAntonelli finished fifth and sixth with Lewis Hamilton seventh in the other Ferrari after moving up one place in the race.
Racing Bulls rookie IsackHadjar was eighth, Alex Albon of Williams ninth, while teenager Ollie Bearman took the last point in 10th for Haas.
Verstappen got away cleanly on a damp track in overcast conditions at the figure-of-eight circuit and, although he informed his team of early issues changing gears, quickly opened up a two-second gap over Norris.
