Lando Norris, McLaren (P2): 8/10
We had to give both McLaren drivers the same rating, as although Norris put in a better Qualifying performance he looked slightly slower than Piastri in the race itself. Whether this was due to the dirty air behind Verstappen’s Red Bull is a bit of an unknown, but it was a little confusing why the British driver could never get within DRS range of Verstappen even once during the Grand Prix. He may have had a chance after the pitstops, but a trigger-happy trip through the grass on pit-exit, side-by-side with Verstappen, meant he lost any time he might have gained thanks to his pit crew.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull (P1): 10/10
It looked like Verstappen would have to resign himself to another race off the podium after practice, as he was complaining about a snappy, difficult-to-drive RB21 for much of Friday and Saturday. Nevertheless, the Dutchman turned up the wick in Qualifying with a blistering final chicane to claim an unlikely pole position. He managed to stay ahead of both McLarens on the opening lap, and despite complaining of subpar upshifts from his RB21 kept his cool to cross the finish line in first, adorned in a Honda-inspired livery at Honda’s own race course. If you had forgotten just how strong Verstappen could be, the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix was an evident reminder.
