Max Verstappen fended off the attacks of Lando Norris to win the Japanese Grand Prix for the fourth year running. The Dutchman converted pole position into a trip to the top step of the podium with a faultless drive at the legendary Suzuka Circuit. Norris and Verstappen opted for aggressive angles for the race start, and when the green lights appeared, both drivers enjoyed strong launches.

The Dutchman’s grid spot advantage was the difference when the two cars arrived at Turn One, handing him the lead of the race. From there, the four-time world champion opened up a two-second lead over his championship rival, brushing off the DRS threat and denying Norris the chance to challenge him in the Suzuka Circuit’s solitary DRS zone on the start-finish straight.

With 20 laps in the bank, Norris started to turn up the heat, but not before the McLaren pit wall threw a dummy call for an undercut. Andrea Stella’s squad then made their first stop on lap 21 with Oscar Piastri, and the two leaders responded on the following lap. The chaos arrived when the two leaders reacted on the following lap.

A slow stop for Verstappen allowed Norris to get alongside the Red Bull driver on the pit exit, but with no room on the outside, the Brit was forced to run over the grass. An unhappy Norris fumed over the team radio, accusing Verstappen of ‘pushing him off’, but the stewards were not concerned with the Red Bull driver’s conduct and decided against an investigation. From there, the race settled down until Norris closed the gap with eight laps remaining.