F1 Japanese Grand Prix results: Verstappen strikes back
07 April 2025The 2025 Japanese Grand Prix may have been a little light on track action, but it still delivered plenty of F1 storylines for the British drivers and for the championship battle.
Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari troubles were brought to the fore once again as he struggled to extract the maximum from the car while George Russell continued to deliver for Mercedes.
Meanwhile, Lando Norris and Max Verstappen came to blows on pit exit and Oliver Bearman scored points for the second race in a row.
Here’s all the key moments and results from the legendary Suzuka Circuit.
2025 Japanese Grand Prix results
Pos | Driver | Team | Time/Retired | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:22:06.983 | 25 |
2 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +1.423s | 18 |
3 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +2.129s | 15 |
4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +16.097s | 12 |
5 | George Russell | Mercedes | +17.362s | 10 |
6 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +18.671s | 8 |
7 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +29.182s | 6 |
8 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +37.134s | 4 |
9 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +40.367s | 2 |
10 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +54.529s | 1 |
11 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +57.333s | 0 |
12 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | +58.401s | 0 |
13 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault | +62.122s | 0 |
14 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +74.129s | 0 |
15 | Jack Doohan | Alpine Renault | +81.314s | 0 |
16 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | +81.957s | 0 |
17 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +82.734s | 0 |
18 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +83.438s | 0 |
19 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | +83.897s | 0 |
20 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1 lap | 0 |
Back down to earth for Hamilton
After his first victory with the Scuderia in the Chinese Sprint, it appeared the Lewis Hamilton-Ferrari teething troubles of Melbourne were a thing of the past, but the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka showed that wasn’t the case.
After struggling in qualifying, the seven-time champion lined up eighth on the grid and after starting on Hard tyres, made progress at Isack Hadjar’s expense to move into seventh on Lap 6.
Unfortunately, he’d make no further overtakes and crossed the line seventh ending another challenging weekend with his new team.
Russell ever-present
There was yet more consistency from George Russell in Japan, despite not finishing on the Grand Prix podium for the first time this season.
The Brit qualified fifth ahead of rookie team-mate Kimi Antonelli and held position until the chequered flag, resisting late pressure from the charging Italian in the closing stages.
Norris’ challenge fizzles out
Having qualified on the front row – a solitary hundredth of a second behind pole sitter Verstappen – Lando aimed his car at the Dutchman before lights out with the hope of cutting him off before Turn 1. Unfortunately, he couldn’t capitalise and slotted into second after Turn 1.
On Lap 22, both Max and Lando came into the pits. A quicker stop for the McLaren crew got Lando out alongside the Red Bull, but his challenge ended in the grassy run-off area.
Once again, Max’s uncompromising car placement got the better of Lando at Suzuka, with echoes of their 2024 wheel-to-wheel moments already filtering through into this campaign.
Ultimately, the McLaren driver continued to apply pressure to the Red Bull in the late stages, but couldn’t mount a serious challenge and crossed the line second.
Back-to-back points for Bearman
Oliver Bearman excelled on Suzuka’s unforgiving layout. A stellar Qualifying session saw him make it into Q3 for the first time and eventually he lined up 10th on the grid.
Like much of the field, Bearman held his position until the chequered flag, securing his second points score on the bounce.
Verstappen: A fly in the ointment for McLaren
Verstappen’s sensational pole lap reminded everyone why he’s a four-time champion and set the tone for the race itself.
The Dutchman controlled the Japanese Grand Prix for the duration, resisting pressure from both McLarens and keeping them at arm’s length for 53 laps.
Like he did for much of 2024, he outperformed his machinery at Suzuka and has firmly thrust himself into title contention this season. If he can continue to pull results like that out of the bag, he’s a very real threat to the two McLaren drivers.
