Il-GP tal-Ġappun: Verstappen rebaħ b'rebħa mill-bidu sal-aħħar!

Stenna rain and serious excitement were expected from Suzuka, but we practically got a perfectly controlled classic victory from Max Verstappen, which was not disturbed by anything, not even the promised rainfall.

Because it was missed, just like the sparkling battles and the fireworks. We will not remember the Japanese Grand Prix as the race of the year, which actually had two main, cardinal moments: the first was the start, which Verstappen easily brought home ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, the McLarens had no chance for a position change. This then did not work on the track either in terms of strength and pace, so Norris and his team wanted to achieve this tactically, which almost succeeded. Verstappen and Norris practically finished at the same time and rolled out of the pit lane, only thanks to the Dutchman's aggressiveness did no position change occur.

Thus, the order was Verstappen, Norris, Piastri at the front, while behind them, in a vacuum, Charles Leclerc was circling. Following them, even further behind, came the two Mercedes in the formation of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli - the latter definitely deserves praise for his balanced and excellent performance at a top team as a rookie. The only positive aspect of the race - alongside Verstappen's flawless performance - was the battle between the two McLarens and the performance of the rookies. Because not only did Antonelli excel, but Isaac Hadjar also aimed for massive points, and Oliver Bearman was again visible among the point scorers. However, the situation at the front did not change, so finally Max Verstappen, ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, achieved a tremendously smooth, worthy classic victory at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Photo: Independent / Japan GP