Max Verstappen said winning on home ground for engine supplier Honda was an “insane” result for Red Bull.
Sporting a special white-and-red tribute livery to the team’s engine supplier, Verstappen claimed his fourth consecutive victory at the Suzuka track, despite being pursued all afternoon by McLaren’s two drivers.
Verstappen, who captured pole position by one hundredth of a second, said taking his first win of the season in Japan was the perfect way to mark the final season of the team’s partnership with its engine supplier.
“Already yesterday was a very beautiful day for us. And then of course to follow it up with a win is just fantastic.
“Honestly, the relationship that we’ve had with Honda has been amazing. I’ve really enjoyed my time with them – how they work, how professional they are and how dedicated they are. They’ve given me so much.
“Together we’ve won four drivers’ championships and two constructors’. It’s been unbelievable and also, of course, something you’ll never forget.”
Although he came under pressure from the McLaren drivers throughout the race, Verstappen said the thought of winning for Honda “did cross my mind while driving, as well.”
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“I said it would be insane to win here today, also for Honda on their track,” he added. “So maybe it gave that extra motivation to try to stay ahead. It’s a proper send-off, we couldn’t have wished for a better weekend to be honest.”
Having only narrowly beaten the McLaren drivers to pole position, Verstappen said his car’s performance in the race was better than expected.
“The whole race I saw two orange cars in my mirror and especially those last 20 laps we were pushing quite hard out there. You could just feel the tyres were degrading more and more but you had to keep on fighting it, basically being on the limit.
“It was better than expected, to be honest, my race pace. I do think that probably the cooler track helped us out a bit with less tyre overheating.”
Verstappen said he was “very proud of this result,” which is the 64th grand prix victory of his career.
“I think most of it was done yesterday, being able to start from pole, because around here I think it’s just very hard to follow. The cars are improving every single year, more downforce, and probably you’ll see it’s just a bit harder to follow. You only have one DRS zone as well here, so it’s very tough. Plus the degradation seemed quite low, so you do a one-stop, so I think that definitely helps.
“But still, we take it, we really maximised the weekend, and I’m very proud of everyone.”
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2025 Japanese Grand Prix
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