Winner: Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen was the biggest winner of this year’s Japanese Grand Prix. His Red Bull wasn’t the best car on the grid. In fact, it looked difficult to drive all weekend, just like we saw with Yuki Tsunoda in the team’s second RB21. But Verstappen made the difference with his skill and focus.

On Saturday, he pulled off a surprise by taking pole position with a brilliant lap in qualifying, even though the McLarens were quicker. It was his fourth pole in a row at Suzuka, and his emotional reaction showed how much it meant to him.

In the race, Verstappen stayed in control from start to finish. He knew it’s hard to overtake at Suzuka and made sure to hold track position. Lando Norris tried to put him under pressure, especially during the pit stops, but Verstappen stayed calm. He avoided any mistakes, including a moment in the pit lane where crossing the white line could have cost him the win.

This was his first victory of the 2025 season and the 64th of his career. Even though McLaren may now have the faster car, Verstappen proved that he’s still the one to beat when it comes to race craft, focus, and making the most of every chance.

Loser: McLaren

McLaren leave Suzuka with strong points but also with a clear sense of a missed opportunity. Their car was the fastest over the weekend, and any time you fail to win with the best car, it has to be seen as a loss, especially when the difference came down to just 0.012 seconds in qualifying.

That tiny gap, caused by Verstappen’s stunning final Q3 lap compared to Lando Norris’ slightly cautious approach in the final chicane, effectively decided the race. Verstappen started from the front, and on a track like Suzuka where overtaking is tough and tyre strategies are limited, that was all he needed to control the race. McLaren had both cars in the fight yet couldn’t turn that advantage into a win.

Strategically, McLaren played it safe. They didn’t take risks with tyre calls or try to swap their drivers to give Piastri a chance to attack Verstappen. While it made sense in some ways, it also meant they gave Verstappen too easy a ride once he was in the lead.

A small gamble could have created more pressure or at least opened the door for something different. Instead, they locked in second and third, which is a great result for the Constructors’ standings, but not what a title-challenging team should settle for when a win is on the table.

Winner: Kimi Antonelli

Kimi Antonelli had a solid weekend in Japan and showed why Mercedes chose to bring him into Formula 1 at just 18 years old. After struggling in practice and saying he felt “very lost” on the track, he improved when it mattered. In qualifying, he managed a clean lap and started sixth, right behind his teammate George Russell.

During the race, Antonelli ran a long first stint on medium tyres, which helped him take the lead for a short time before making his pit stop. Thanks to that, he became the youngest driver in F1 history to lead a race, beating Max Verstappen’s record from 2016. Later in the race, with fresher tyres, he also set the fastest lap, making him the youngest driver ever to do so.

Even though both records came from strategy, it was still a well-managed drive. He stayed ahead of Lewis Hamilton after the pit stops and brought the car home in sixth place. It wasn’t a perfect weekend, but it was a good step forward and a sign that Antonelli is learning quickly.

Loser: Ferrari

Ferrari was one of the clear losers of the Japanese Grand Prix. On paper, fourth and seventh place for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton might not look terrible, but it was another weekend where the team simply didn’t have the pace to challenge the front-runners. Red Bull, McLaren, and Mercedes all looked stronger, and Ferrari found themselves stuck behind...again.

Leclerc managed to qualify well and hold on to fourth, but admitted the race was “very boring” and that there was no way to fight the cars ahead. Hamilton, on the other hand, had a quiet and lonely race in seventh. He struggled early on with tyre performance after starting on the hard compound and later revealed that a car issue that’s been present since the start of the season is still slowing him down.

Ferrari also suffered from setup compromises. After being disqualified in China, they were forced to raise the car’s ride height for Japan, which hurt their aerodynamic performance, especially at a fast and flowing track like Suzuka.

The team had hoped that a safety car or rain might shake things up, but with a clean and straightforward race, their limitations were exposed. Right now, Ferrari is clearly behind the top three teams, and unless they solve their technical problems soon, they may need to start looking ahead to 2026.

READ MORE: Where did things go wrong for Ferrari in Japan?

Winner: Isack Hadjar

Isack Hadjar was one of the quiet winners of the Japanese Grand Prix, scoring his first-ever points with a strong drive to eighth place. After a tough start to the season, including a crash in Australia and a missed opportunity in China due to strategy, the French rookie finally got the result his performances have deserved.

He had a difficult start to qualifying with seatbelt issues in Q1, but still managed to take seventh on the grid, even outpacing Lewis Hamilton. That showed not only his speed, but also how quickly he’s learning and adapting at the top level. In the race, he kept it clean and consistent, delivering Racing Bulls’ best result of the season so far.

While teammate Liam Lawson had a frustrating weekend due to a failed strategy, Hadjar took full advantage of the situation and proved to everyone who double him that he is definitely ready for F1.

Loser: Carlos Sainz

Carlos Sainz was one of the disappointments of the Japanese Grand Prix as his difficult start to life at Williams continued. The experienced Spaniard is still adjusting to the very different handling of the Williams after four years in Ferrari machinery, and that transition is proving slower than many expected.

In Japan, there were some signs of improvement as Sainz was closer to Alex Albon in qualifying pace but a grid penalty put him on the back foot before the race even began. From there, it was always going to be a tough afternoon. While he made a few decent overtakes and showed some fight, he couldn’t make much of an impact in the midfield and finished outside the points.

Williams had hoped Sainz would bring speed and experience to help push the team forward, and that still might happen later in the season. But for now, Albon continues to be the one delivering results, while Sainz’s campaign is yet to feature a standout moment. It’s a frustrating start, and both driver and team will be hoping that progress comes sooner rather than later.