F1Weekly Podcast # 1089

Play Podcast: 04-07-25f1weekly1089.mp3

Max goes above and beyond the call of duty with pole and victory in the Japanese Grand Prix holding back the faster McLarens of Norris and Piastri. And of course our Classic Nasir Hameed segment with an interview with Patrick Tambay.

Verstappen Holds Off McLaren Duo For Fourth Consecutive Japanese GP Victory!

Max Verstappen got off to a strong start from pole position at Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix and held off the two McLaren drivers to bank his first 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship victory and fourth consecutive win around the Suzuka track.

The Dutchman survived a racing incident with Lando Norris coming out of their pit stops, then held his nerve to record his 64th Grand Prix victory as new Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate Yuki Tsunoda finished 12th in his home race.

Verstappen, 27, said: “It was tough, just pushing very hard especially on the last set, the two McLarens were pushing very hard. It was a lot of fun out there,

Not easy to manage the tyres. This place means a lot to me and it was in the back of mind in the last few laps to try and stay ahead because it would be a great story and a kind of final farewell with Honda here in Japan. I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved across all those years together and this is a perfect send-off.”

Tsunoda, 24, said: “I’m happy with the race in terms of my performance, but in terms of results it’s quite tough especially for my home grand prix. I was definitely expecting more.”

Visa Cash App Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar continued his impressive weekend with a points finish in eighth as New Zealand’s Liam Lawson ended the day in 17th.

MAX:

“We couldn’t have wished for a better result today in our final race with Honda here together. It’s been amazing and I’m really proud of what we have done this weekend. We made all of the right calls during the race, were constantly pushing and our tyres weren’t overheating so much due to the colder tyre temperature which helped us. Yesterday was a beautiful day for us and the key to the win was to start from pole. We maximised everything we could and to follow this up with the win is fantastic. We know our limitations and still have work to do.

We are just finding where we can push the car to the limit and need to maximise everything that we can to get the best out of the car and make it more balanced. Finally, this is a perfect send off for Honda and our relationship is something I will never forget. I’ve enjoyed my time with them and how they work: they are so professional and dedicated and they have given me so much. Together to win four Drivers’ Championships and two Constructors’ Championships is unbelievable. It did cross my mind whilst driving that it would be insane to win here today and at a home track for Honda, so that gave me a bit of motivation as well. It’s a proper send off and we couldn’t have wished for a better weekend.”

YUKI:

“It’s tough today because I wanted to at least finish in the points. I am happy with the race in terms of what I have learnt but not in terms of result, so it’s mixed feelings. I was feeling a lot of support from the crowd, every lap it felt more and I wanted to give something more back to them. At least I know I did the maximum I could in the race and these 53 laps gave me so much to learn about the car. I now know what kind of things I need to work on. I was stuck behind cars all day in traffic so it’s hard to know the full race pace of this car but, every lap of the 53, I was building up my confidence in the car. That confidence level is now completely different from the beginning of the weekend to now, I feel positive about that, but I am still disappointed because it is a home Grand Prix and it’s only once a year.

I need to reset before Bahrain and I am sure compared to what I was feeling, in terms of car and in terms of confidence it will naturally be better there. I will understand more about the car, and I am excited for the next one, I just need to do better in qualifying. A big congrats to Max, it is good to see one of the Honda engines win at our home Grand Prix, in their final year of collaborating with Red Bull. And finally, a special thanks to the Japanese fans, I feel like there were more than ever at the track and I feel very honoured to represent them. I am very happy to be able to drive in front of them as an Oracle Red Bull Racing driver, with a Honda engine.”