Max Verstappen enjoyed a dominant win at Suzuka but couldn’t resist poking fun at the competitive edge McLaren still holds, claiming he would have vanished into the distance had he been at the wheel of team papaya’s contender.
The Dutchman conquered last weekend his fourth consecutive Japanese Grand Prix triumph with a commanding performance, although he crossed the finish line with only a 1.4s margin over McLaren’s Lando Norris, with teammate Oscar Piastri just over 2.0s adrift.
It was a flawless performance by the four-time world champion, but one that he did not expect, as he admitted after the race.
"When I came here, I didn't expect to win here - and after Friday, not at all," Verstappen told Viaplay.
"Starting on pole was the most important thing this weekend. McLaren was faster I think, but they couldn't get into the DRS to make a move."
Indeed, Friday’s running had seen Red Bull trailing in performance as McLaren showed strong pace on their long runs.
However, a strong qualifying performance saw Verstappen secure pole position – something he called the key to the weekend’s outcome.
The McLaren Jab: 'You Wouldn’t Have Even Seen Me'
When pressed on whether his win was purely a driver’s triumph, Verstappen couldn’t resist a playful dig at McLaren’s pace.
"I'm very happy with what I'm doing. I don't even want to think about if I'd been in that other car [McLaren]. Then you wouldn't have seen me!" he said with a grin.
©RedBull
But ever the professional, Verstappen quickly shifted focus to his team’s efforts.
"In the end it's always a team that works well together, with GP [Gianpiero Lambiase] and this weekend I also had another performance engineer, Hugh Bird,” he noted.
“I worked with him until the end of 2020 as well and that actually went really well. We made the right choices before we went into qualifying.
“If you listen to the onboards, it runs very smoothly between me and GP. Those are things that are very important though."
The seamless collaboration paid dividends, turning a shaky start into a weekend masterclass.
Tactical Mastery: Unpacking the Win
Verstappen’s victory wasn’t just bravado – it was a tactical triumph. He pinpointed three key factors that tilted the scales: clean air, low tyre wear on Suzuka’s freshly resurfaced track, and cooler temperatures.
"You could see that at the end of a stint they were getting closer again and trying to attack, because my tyres were getting a bit too hot then,” he explained.
“I think it helped us that it was a bit colder today, so we had less overheating of the tyres - which is still always a problem for us."
©RedBull
He elaborated on the challenges of Suzuka’s high-speed layout: "[There are] a lot of fast corners and that makes it very hard to follow. The tyres get very hot when you get close to someone.
“The cars get better every year as well, with a lot of dirty air, so it just gets harder and harder. When the lap times are quite close together without a lot of tyre degradation, then it becomes very difficult.”
Red Bull’s RB21 thrived in these conditions, but Verstappen’s pole position ensured he controlled the race from the front.
Eyes on Bahrain: Tempering the Hype
Despite his breakthrough win – his first of the 2025 season – Verstappen remained grounded as he looked ahead to Bahrain, where he trails Lando Norris by just one point in F1’s Drivers’ standings.
"This was a great result, but it was difficult to overtake and qualifying was very important here," he cautioned.
"This does not mean that everything is now suddenly hosanna and that we are going to win all the races, but we can be very happy with this."
The Dutchman’s blend of humility and humor underscored a weekend where he flexed his skill and Red Bull’s newfound pace.
He may have laughed off what he could’ve done in a McLaren, but Verstappen’s focus is firmly on maximizing the potential of his Red Bull.
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