Anirban Aly Mandal

2 weeks ago | thesportsrush.com | Anirban Aly Mandal

Coming into the Japanese GP weekend, all the eyes were on Red Bull’s latest recruit, Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese racing ace was being touted as the answer to the Bulls’ second seat problem, but after the race on Sunday, Tsunoda realized that he has a long road ahead to improve. After a disappointing qualifying session on Saturday, the #22 driver lined up 14th on the grid.

2 weeks ago | thesportsrush.com | Anirban Aly Mandal

Although Max Verstappen’s all-around brilliance in Japan prevented McLaren from winning their third consecutive race in 2025, the Woking-based outfit have yet been the clear leaders of the field. With Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri securing a double finish for McLaren at Suzuka, they got the maximum points for a third consecutive race week. McLaren now have scored 111 points and lead second-placed Mercedes by a healthy margin of 36 points.

2 weeks ago | thesportsrush.com | Anirban Aly Mandal

A brilliant drive would be an understatement to describe Max Verstappen’s Japanese GP triumph in Suzuka, as he held off the faster McLarens to clinch his first race win of 2025. This has bolstered Verstappen’s chances for the drivers’ title this season, with only one point now separating him from championship leader Lando Norris. This is quite significant because of the pre-season perception around him and Red Bull.

2 weeks ago | thesportsrush.com | Anirban Aly Mandal

Ferrari’s championship ambitions for the 2025 season seem to be slipping further with each passing race. Performance issues continue to plague the team, and despite hopes of a turnaround in Japan, the SF-25 once again looked well off the pace. Even more concerning, however, was the visibly tense atmosphere within the team. It was clear after Saturday’s qualifying that Ferrari wouldn’t be in the fight for victory.

2 weeks ago | thesportsrush.com | Anirban Aly Mandal

Just when it seemed that McLaren would run away with this year’s championships, Max Verstappen had different ideas. After astonishing everyone with his pole position on Saturday at the Suzuka International Circuit, he brilliantly controlled the Japanese Grand Prix to bring up his 64th race victory. Although McLaren failed to win their third consecutive race in 2025, their drivers brought home a good number of points for the team.