Grand Prix

Winners and Losers from Revealing Japanese Grand Prix

Nelson Espinal|
[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] March 16, 2025; Melbourne, AUSTRALIA; Max Verstappen during the F1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Mark Peterson/Reuters via Imagn Images
[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] March 16, 2025; Melbourne, AUSTRALIA; Max Verstappen during the F1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Mark Peterson/Reuters via Imagn Images | Mark Peterson/Reuters via Imagn Images

The Japanese Grand Prix provided minimal action on track; however, as the third stop on the calendar, a much clearer picture of Formula 1's pecking order emerged.

The race weekend offered a substantial amount of dry running, the highest seen thus far during a race weekend.

Overtakes were few and far between during the race; however, it demonstrated that the field is as competitive as ever, and every victory this season will be fully deserved.

Let's start with the clear winner of the weekend.

More News: Red Bull RB21 Receives Three Upgrades for Japanese Grand Prix

Winner: Max Verstappen

This one is easy: Max delivered a truly impressive display of what makes him an all-time great talent. Heading into the weekend, the discussion focused on which McLaren car would win or whether George Russell could pull off an upset victory.

Although Red Bull performs well at Suzuka, few expected Verstappen to win, and even fewer believed he could achieve victory based on pure pace in a dry race.

Max delivered an outstanding lap to secure pole position, pushing the car to its limits and hoping for an optimal response. The RB21 performed well enough for Max to claim pole, and his racecraft proved too strong for either McLaren car.

If anybody was writing off Verstappen because of the Red Bull car's struggles, think again.

Loser: McLaren

It is difficult to label the Woking team as losers, given that they achieved a double podium, increased their Constructors' Championship lead, and maintained their Drivers' Championship advantage. However, while the car was fast enough for either driver to secure the win, they fell short.

Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri struggled to put together clean laps during qualifying, which ultimately allowed Verstappen to create some magic on the track.

The MCL39's operating window seems much smaller than last season, and Lando Norris is having difficulty adjusting throughout a race weekend.

Norris managed to stay within two seconds of Verstappen but failed to get into DRS range, while Piastri never had the chance to demonstrate his true pace during the race.

Perhaps swapping Oscar and Lando could have delivered a win, or having more running in clean air to create a larger tire delta might have helped them cross the finish line.

McLaren approached the race conservatively, prioritizing the Constructor's title and securing a solid points haul, but a win was achievable, and the team chose not to pursue it this weekend.

More News: Lando Norris says McLaren Are the Only Team with "Two Good Drivers"

Winner: Ollie Bearman

Scoring points in the 2025 Haas car has proven tricky, but Ollie Bearman managed to secure an impressive point for a team that seems to be struggling to find competitive pace as the field has tightened.

Bearman faced a nightmare at the Australian Grand Prix, but in Japan, he earned points for an underperforming team and out-qualified his more experienced teammate, Esteban Ocon.

Even with Fernando Alonso on his tail and Yuki Tsunoda close behind, Bearman remained composed and delivered an impressive result for Haas. It was the kind of performance as a rookie that demands attention.

Loser: George Russell

Russell had been quietly enjoying an impressive start to the season, achieving two podium finishes ahead of Verstappen and the Ferrari cars.

In Japan, Russell appeared quick during the practice sessions, possibly having an outside chance at pole, but ultimately, he did not qualify in the top four.

The Mercedes driver was breathing down the neck of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, but never managed to get past him.

Lewis Hamilton felt that the Mercedes was faster than the Ferrari, which means Russell, especially considering his rise in form, should have gotten past Leclerc.

Instead, Russell appeared to have overstrained his tires early in the race, causing him to quickly lose pace afterward.

Winner: Alex Albon

The performances of Albon so far in 2025 have been remarkable, easily outperforming Carlos Sainz up to this point. Sainz is a proven race winner, one of the most thoughtful racers on the grid, and someone who consistently manages to extract performance from whatever car he drives.

So far, Sainz has struggled, and he did so again in Japan, qualifying lower than Albon and finishing behind his teammate as well. Given Sainz's track record, Albon's performances are even more noteworthy.

During the race in Japan, Albon battled through problems with the car to secure points for Williams. The car appears to be better this season, and Albon is extracting significant performance from it, which the Thai driver demonstrated once again.

More News: James Vowles Predicts Sainz will be "On The Money" Soon

Loser: Lance Stroll

Opinions about Stroll have generally been low due to his inconsistent nature and high tendency to crash; however, he had an impressive start to the 2025 season with two strong races. He outqualified Alonso and scored points for the team, contributing all of Aston Martin's points.

In Japan, Stroll struggled in both qualifying and the race. During Q1, he was unable to produce a clean, strong lap, resulting in a P20 start, which is exactly where he finished.

He was the only driver to be lapped during the race and to make two pit stops. The performance was truly disappointing, and it could hinder his momentum if he doesn't shake it off and recover.

For more F1 news, head over to F1 on SI.

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Nelson Espinal
NELSON ESPINAL

Nelson Espinal lives and breathes sports. Avidly following of everything ranging from motorsports to Mixed Martial Arts to tennis, he is connected with most of the sports world at all times. His dream of writing about sports started at 16 years of age, writing for a Lakers fans blog, and his passions for sports writing has grown since. He has his Bachelor's degree in Political Science, and a minor in writing literature from the University of California, San Diego.

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