Max Verstappen jokingly remarked that if he were behind the wheel of McLaren’s F1 vehicle, "you wouldn't have seen me" after securing an impressive pole position and win at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The Red Bull racer secured his fourth successive victory at Suzuka. warding off both McLaren racers during the grand prix on Sunday Following a impressive pole position win on Saturday, which marked a significant recovery after appearing uncompetitive on Friday.
“When I arrived, winning wasn’t something I anticipated — particularly not after Friday,” Verstappen told Viaplay following the race. “Securing pole position was crucial for me this weekend. Although McLaren seemed quicker, they were unable to exploit the DRS effectively.”
When asked how he felt about the triumph and if the success was solely due to him as the driver, Verstappen replied playfully: "I’m extremely pleased with my current situation. I prefer not to imagine being in another vehicle [McLaren], because then you wouldn’t catch sight of me at all."
Verstappen promptly attributed their success to teamwork at Red Bull, noting that they had found additional speed within the RB21 car.
Ultimately, it’s all about having a cohesive team, like the one we have with GP [Gianpiero Lambiase]. This past weekend, I collaborated with another performance engineer named Hugh Bird," he stated. "We worked together up until the end of 2020, which was quite successful.
We made the correct decisions prior to entering qualifying. If you check out the onboard recordings, everything operates seamlessly between myself and GP. These aspects are indeed crucial.
Even with his significant victory in 2025, Verstappen moved swiftly to manage expectations as he approaches the upcoming race in Bahrain, where he trails Lando Norris by only one point in the driver rankings.
It was an excellent outcome, though passing others proved challenging and securing a good position during qualifying was crucial at this track," he stated. "However, this doesn’t imply that every race will now be filled with praise and victories for us; nonetheless, we have ample reason to celebrate this achievement.
Three elements that contributed to Red Bull's success are:
Verstappen outlined three key elements that helped Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday: the distinction between clean and dirty air, minimal tire wear due to the fresh track surface, and cooler temperatures—a significant shift since earlier Red Bull vehicles typically performed better compared to their competitors in warmer conditions.
He mentioned, 'You could tell that towards the end of their session, they started closing up and attempting to launch an assault since my tires were becoming quite warm.' He continued, ‘I believe having cooler temperatures today benefited us as it reduced tire overheating – something we consistently struggle with.’
There are many quick turns which make it extremely challenging to keep up with others. Approaching closely increases the heat in the tires significantly. Each year, the vehicles improve, adding to the difficulties caused by the considerable amount of turbulent airflow. With similar lap times and minimal tire wear, overtaking becomes increasingly complicated.