Max Verstappen led home the two McLarens at Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, securing his first victory of the season. While this keeps my early bold predictions alive, the race itself was far from thrilling. Reminiscent of Monaco last year, there was very little action, as summed up by Oscar Piastri in the post-race debrief. The highlights were sparse, with only one change in the top 10 from grid to finish: Lewis Hamilton overtook Isaac Hadjar early on to claim seventh. Beyond that, there was minimal movement, making for a rather uneventful race.
The sweeping turns of Suzuka made it difficult for drivers to follow closely, and the lack of overtaking opportunities contributed to a race that was, frankly, a bit boring. One notable performance came from Kimi Antonelli, who led the race for the first time and became the youngest driver to do so. This was his last chance to beat Max Verstappen’s record as the youngest F1 winner, but he fell short.
Now, let’s dive into the driver ratings
Max Verstappen
Max won the race in qualifying, securing pole with a lap that edged out the McLarens by less than a tenth of a second. The damp conditions on race day helped mitigate overheating issues, a particular strength of the McLarens. Verstappen took a strong start, held off Lando Norris into the first corner, and maintained a measured pace throughout, keeping the McLarens in his dirty air. A slightly slower pit stop didn’t cost him, as he emerged just ahead of Norris and controlled the race to the finish. A consistent, mature drive.
8.5/10
Lando Norris
It was a case of “so close, yet so far” for Lando. The McLaren looked the fastest car all weekend, but Max got the better of them when it mattered. He got a great start, matching Verstappen, but couldn’t get alongside into the first corner. From there, he was stuck behind Max, unable to get close enough for DRS. McLaren’s decision to pit him on the same lap as Verstappen was questionable, and a faster stop might have changed the outcome. Still, a solid performance.
7.3/10
Oscar Piastri
Oscar’s fate was sealed in qualifying, where he couldn’t quite challenge for pole. Starting third, he was unable to make progress up the field. He looked quicker than Norris at times, threatening with DRS, but couldn’t capitalize. Pitting one lap earlier than the leaders didn’t help, and he came home third. A strong drive, but overshadowed slightly by his teammate.
7.2/10
Charles Leclerc
A lonely race for Charles, who qualified fourth and finished fourth. He outperformed the car slightly in qualifying, which set him up for a solid race. He finished 16 seconds behind Verstappen and 1.5 seconds ahead of George Russell. A decent drive, especially with his teammate down in seventh.
7.6/10
George Russell
The leading Mercedes driver all weekend, George qualified fifth and finished fifth. He was slightly disappointed not to be on the second row, as the Mercedes seems to be the second-fastest car at the moment. He followed Leclerc home, finishing 2.5 seconds behind. A solid but unspectacular performance.
6.9/10
Kimi Antonelli
Another strong weekend for Kimi, who qualified sixth and finished sixth. He led the race for the first time, becoming the youngest driver to do so, and finished just 1.3 seconds behind Russell. His consistent performances are proving Mercedes right for promoting him.
7.9/10
Lewis Hamilton
Another off weekend for Lewis. He started eighth on hards, hoping for a safety car, and overtook Hadjar early on as one of few on track overtakes. However, he struggled on fresher tyres after pitting out of sequence, finishing nearly 20 seconds behind Antonelli. Something isn’t quite clicking for Lewis this season.
6.5/10
Isack Hadjar
Hadjar scored his first F1 points after qualifying seventh and finishing eighth, solidifying his position as the best of the rest. He’s been consistently quick and easily outperformed his new teammate. A really strong start to his F1 career.
7.8/10
Alex Albon
Albon has been the standout performer for Williams this year. He qualified ninth and finished ninth, continuing his run of Q3 appearances. A solid, consistent drive, despite some angry radio messages.
Rating: 7.8/10
Ollie Bearman
Bearman continues to impress in his rookie season. He qualified tenth and finished tenth, outperforming his teammate Ocon, who finished eighteenth. A great performance to leave his Australian nightmare in the past.
8.1/10
Fernando Alonso
Alonso started thirteenth and finished eleventh, gaining two positions. He had a nice duel with Pierre Gasly on the opening lap but otherwise had a quiet race.
Rating: 7.3/10
Yuki Tsunoda
Tsunoda didn’t have his dream Red Bull debut, starting fourteenth and finished twelfth, at least he outperformed Liam Lawson in the Racing Bull. A decent performance at his home race, but not enough to challenge for points.
Rating: 6.9/10
Pierre Gasly
Gasly started eleventh and finished thirteenth. He’s been consistently around the points but hasn’t been able to break into the top ten. A solid drive, but the Alpine lacks pace.
Rating: 7.2/10
Carlos Sainz
A tricky weekend for Sainz. He qualified twelfth but received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Hamilton in Quali. He finished fourteenth, struggling with braking issues, especially into the final chicane.
6.2/10
Jack Doohan
Doohan had a tough weekend, qualifying nineteenth after a big crash in FP2. He made some progress in the race but finished fifteenth, 20 seconds behind his teammate.
Rating: 6.3/10
Nico Hülkenberg
Hülkenberg qualified sixteenth and finished sixteenth in the slowest car on the grid. A solid but unremarkable performance.
Rating: 6.8/10
Liam Lawson
Lawson was demoted back to Racing Bulls after just two races and struggled in Japan. He started thirteenth and finished seventeenth, going backwards throughout the race. He was thoroughly outperformed by his teammate, which can’t keep happening anymore.
5.5/10
Esteban Ocon
A poor weekend for Ocon, who qualified nineteenth and finished eighteenth. He was thoroughly outperformed by his rookie teammate Bearman.
Rating: 4.5/10
Lance Stroll
Stroll started last after a gust of wind ruined his qualifying lap and made little progress in the race, finishing nineteenth.
Rating: 4.5/10
Gabriel Bortoleto
Bortoleto had a tough weekend, qualifying seventeenth and finishing twentieth. He struggled with the slow Sauber and couldn’t recover after a poor start.
Rating: 5.1/10
Final Thoughts
The Japanese Grand Prix was a largely uneventful race, with minimal overtaking and little drama. The weather conditions didn’t help, making the race more predictable rather than spicing things up. While there were some standout performances, the lack of action left fans wanting more. Perhaps a two-tire rule, requiring drivers to use all three dry compounds, could inject some excitement into future races. Until then, we’ll have to hope for more thrilling weekends ahead.
The Perfect Formula 