Japanese Grand Prix 2025: F1 coverage from SB Nation

Yuki Tsunoda’s debut as a Red Bull driver got off to a tremendous start, as he finished right behind new teammate Max Verstappen in Friday’s first practice session at the Japanese Grand Prix. As Tsunoda stated during Thursday’s FIA Press Conference, his marching orders from Red Bull were to stay as close to Verstappen as possible, and finishing just 0.107 seconds behind him in FP1 was precisely what the team was looking for.

The Japanese Grand Prix itself, however, was a different story.

When you set a pair of records during an athletic event, you have accomplished something special.

That was exactly the case for young Kimi Antonelli during Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix.

During Sunday’s post-race press conference following Max Verstappen’s win in the Japanese Grand Prix, Lando Norris was asked about how McLaren handled the strategy behind the Red Bull driver. With Norris starting second and teammate Oscar Piastri third, McLaren had a few different strategy options available to try and bring pressure to Verstappen.

Ultimately, McLaren played it somewhat safe. With those three running in the same order as they started Piastri pitted first, on Lap 20, to cover off a pit stop made by Mercedes driver George Russell on Lap 19.

His race engineer Gianpiero “GP” Lambiase called it “perfection.” His team principal Christian Horner called it “inspirational.” One rival called it “magical,” while another said that “nothing is a surprise anymore.”

In a career running out of superlatives, Max Verstappen’s performance at the Japanese Grand Prix left those around him searching for the best way to describe what they just witnessed, as he first took pole position and then captured his first win of the season.

For the first time this Formula 1 season, a McLaren will not start on pole position for a Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen surprised the grid, and himself, by snatching pole position ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri for the Japanese Grand Prix. While Verstappen admitted earlier this week that he was lacking “confidence” in the RB21, Red Bull’s challenger for the 2025 season, the defending Drivers’ champion delivered one of his most impressive qualifying performances, taking P1 away from the blazing McLaren duo.

Qualifying is in the books, and now the teams are setting their strategies for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix.

What are the options available to them?

When the dust settled after qualifying at the Japanese Grand Prix, Lando Norris found himself in P2, just behind Max Verstappen.

Despite missing out on pole position, the McLaren driver noted he was rather “happy” with both his performance in qualifying, and the MCL39 itself.

Formula 1 fans witnessed a vintage performance from Max Verstappen Saturday at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Frustrated with his challenger, the RB21, to start the season Verstappen admitted that he lacked the “confidence and committment” after Friday’s dual practice sessions. But he found that confidence on Saturday, putting in a blazing lap to take pole position ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Friday at the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix was a frustrating affair for Max Verstappen. The defending Drivers’ champion finished off the pace of the leaders in both FP1 and FP2, and following Friday’s dual practice sessions he admitted that he lacked the “confidence and commitment” one needs to put in the quality lap to capture pole position in Suzuka.

When the dust settled on Saturday, Verstappen had done just that.

A frenetic Friday in Suzuka has set the stage for a fascinating qualifying session at the Japanese Grand Prix.

At the moment, McLaren remain the class of the field. Lando Norris topped the timing sheets in FP1 while his teammate Oscar Piastri was on top in FP2, with Norris right behind him.

Ahead of his Red Bull debut at his home race, Yuki Tsunoda opened up on his targets with his new team. “Basically, be as close to Max [Verstappen] as possible, which anyway gives good results for the team, also it allows the team to support other strategies in the race,” said Tsunoda during Thursday’s FIA Press Conference.

So far, so good.

Jack Doohan missed the first practice session at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, as Alpine used FP1 to give reserve driver Ryō Hirakawa a chance to drive in one of the team’s required young driver practice sessions.

Doohan returned to the car for FP2 but banked only four laps due to a “heavy” crash in Turn 1 that brought out the red flag and ended his day.

On paper, 2025 looked to be a transition year for Mercedes.

The Formula 1 team saw one of the greatest drivers in the history of the sport leave at the end of the 2024 campaign, with Lewis Hamilton departing for Ferrari. Toto Wolff and company tapped young Kimi Antonelli to drive alongside George Russell for the 2025 season, and with both drivers on contracts set to expire at the end of the current campaign, the specter of the driver transfer market is always looming.

One of the hottest teams down the closing stretch of the 2024 Formula 1 season? That was Alpine. After a slow start a year ago the Enstone-based operation rocketed up the standings in the closing weeks, climbing from the back of the grid to finish sixth in the 2024 Constructors’ Championship race.

However, that strong finish has yet to carry over to the 2025 campaign. As the grid arrives in Japan for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, Alpine is the only team yet to score a point this season.

The 2025 Formula 1 season is only two race weekends old, but the grid already has its first driver change. Red Bull demoted Liam Lawson after the Chinese Grand Prix, swapping him with Yuki Tsunoda. Lawson now returns to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls while Tsunoda gets to realize his dream of driving for Red Bull starting with his home race, this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Speaking before the weekend Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner opened up about the “horrible” decision the team faced after just two races.

While McLaren is off to a strong start to the 2025 Formula 1 season, with Lando Norris winning the Australian Grand Prix and Oscar Piastri taking the win at the Chinese Grand Prix, Mercedes might be the big surprise on the grid. George Russell finished on the podium in both Melbourne and Shanghai and with young rookie Kimi Antonelli finishing in the points in each race this season, the Silver Arrows head to Suzuka for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix sitting second in the Constructors’ Championship standings, 21 points behind McLaren.

Speaking in the team’s media preview of the Japanese Grand Prix, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff stated that the team hopes to build on their “solid start” to the season in Japan.

After just two races with Red Bull, Liam Lawson is making his return to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls at the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix.

In the team’s media preview, Lawson called the weekend a “big opportunity” as he looks to bounce back after a difficult start to the season.

Alpine confirmed on Tuesday that test and reserve driver Ryō Hirakawa will drive in the first practice session at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, taking the place of rookie driver Jack Doohan. Hirakawa, who drove for McLaren in the first practice session at last season’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, will make his Alpine reserve debut at his home race.

The team announced Hirakawa as a test and reserve driver for the 2025 season in January.

At the end of the 2025 Formula 1 season, one of the most productive partnerships in the sport’s history will come to a close. A relationship that began in 2018 between Honda and Red Bull that produced multiple Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships will come to a close before Honda begins a new power unit partnership with Aston Martin. Red Bull begins its own internal power unit program in conjunction with Ford for next season.

Red Bull will honor that eight-year partnership at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, using a bespoke white livery that is a tribute to the RA272, the car that gave Honda its first F1 victory back in 1965:

Formula 1 is back this week, with the Japanese Grand Prix.

For the team at Haas, there is energy in the air following a “successful” Chinese Grand Prix.

For years Yuki Tsunoda dreamed of a seat at Red Bull.

This week the driver gets his chance, and the timing could not be better. As the grid heads to Suzuka for the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix, Tsunoda is set to make his Red Bull debut at his home race.

The start of the 2025 Formula 1 season has not been what Red Bull was hoping for.

After two race weekends, the Bulls find themselves sitting third in the Constructors’ Championship standings, looking up at both Mercedes and McLaren. While McLaren has a pair of wins to begin their title defense, Red Bull has a second driver lineup, with the news that Liam Lawson has been demoted to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, in a driver swap with Yuki Tsunoda ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.