Red Bull’s Max Verstappen fended off a race-long challenge from the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to win the Japanese Grand Prix.
The Dutchman’s fourth consecutive victory at Suzuka was his first of the year and moves him to within one point of Norris at the head of the drivers’ championship.
Verstappen’s drive was cool under intense pressure, with rarely more than two seconds between him and Norris, and founded on a quite brilliant pole position lap on Saturday.
McLaren had feared that the Red Bull would be difficult to pass if Verstappen held the lead at the start, and so it proved.
Rain overnight and on the morning of the race helped ensure there was no repeat of the grass fires that affected practice and qualifying on Friday and Saturday.