Five winners and five losers from the F1 Japanese Grand Prix

It is safe to say the 2025 F1 Japanese Grand Prix will not live long in the memory.

The usually-epic event around Suzuka’s high-speed rollercoaster of a track failed to live up to the hype following an exciting and incredibly competitive qualifying session.

Here are our winners and losers from Sunday’s 53-lap snooze fest.

Winner - Max Verstappen

We are starting to run out of superlatives to describe Max Verstappen’s performances.

Having claimed a shock pole position with a stunning lap in qualifying, Verstappen turned in a masterclass drive on Sunday to secure his first victory of the 2025 season.

The four-time world champion had to defy a race-long challenge from the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, but didn’t put a foot wrong as he dragged his RB21 to a hugely impressive win.

Loser - F1 fans

It was hardly a classic at Suzuka and arguably the biggest losers were the fans.

It looked as though a great race could be on the cards based on how the grid lined up, but Sunday’s grand prix ended up being a processional and dull affair. Drivers only needed to make a single pit stop in a race in which qualifying position ultimately proved king, with running in clean air proving a massive advantage.

With just one position change in the top 10, courtesy of Lewis Hamilton’s fairly routine, DRS-assisted overtake on Isack Hadjar into Turn 1 on Lap 6, there was barely any on-track action for the fans to savour.

What’s more, some poor TV direction meant that the main talking point of the race was partly missed as Norris went lawn mowing on the grass after a squabble with Verstappen for position as they exited the pits.

Winner - Kimi Antonelli

Mercedes may have not had the best day as they lacked the pace to fight for a third successive podium, but Kimi Antonelli was the shining light for the team.

Antonelli ran impressively long in the opening stint and managed to make his medium tyres last longer than any other driver, including Hamilton on hards. This saw him set a new record for becoming F1’s youngest-ever race leader.

The 18-year-old Italian emerged on track just a second ahead of Hamilton’s Ferrari after making his one and only stop but kept a cool head to stay ahead, before easing clear of his replacement and hunting down teammate George Russell.

Loser - McLaren

A missed opportunity for McLaren, who will be rueing a magic qualifying lap from Verstappen which prevented a front-row lockout. McLaren would have been favourites for another 1-2 had they not been pipped by Verstappen - based on how Sunday’s race played out.

Their safe strategy decisions, and refusal to swap their drivers to let Piastri put Verstappen under some pressure, meant they settled with a 2-3 finish. A great points haul which strengthens their grip at the top of the constructors’ championship, but this is race McLaren really should have won.

If they want to win both titles this year, they can’t afford to open the door to Verstappen like they did at Suzuka.

Winner - Isack Hadjar

All the talk heading to Japan centred around Red Bull’s latest driver swap and their decision to promote Yuki Tsunoda from Racing Bulls.

But while Tsunoda somewhat faltered on his Red Bull debut, Hadjar continued his fine start to his rookie F1 season by bagging more points with a strong P8 on his first visit to Suzuka.

Hadjar battled through pain and discomfort to outpace his hero Hamilton in qualifying, before turning in a brilliant performance in Sunday’s grand prix. Aside from Verstappen, Hadjar was the star Red Bull driver this weekend.

Loser - Ferrari

Just what is going on with Ferrari? For the third consecutive race, the Italian team looked all at sea and were well adrift of the likes of McLaren, Mercedes and Verstappen’s Red Bull.

Charles Leclerc at least salvaged a solid P4, largely thanks to a great qualifying lap, but he and teammate Hamilton both struggled in a car that is underperforming and not being run to its full potential.

Post-race, Hamilton confirmed the team is working to fix an underlying issue with the car. 

If they cannot get on top of their problems soon, Ferrari may well have to cut their losses in 2025 and start thinking about next year.

Winner - Alex Albon

It was a tale of contrasting fortunes for Williams, but thanks to Alex Albon’s superb qualifying effort and a well-executed race, they come away from Japan with yet more points.

Despite some intense radio messages with his team during Sunday’s grand prix amid frustration with how his car was shifting through its gearbox, Albon added two more points to Williams’ early 2025 tally in ninth.

Albon once again got the better of new teammate Carlos Sainz, who could only finish 14th.

Loser - Yuki Tsunoda

Tsunoda’s Red Bull debut didn’t go to plan despite making an encouragingly fast start to the weekend on Friday.

A poor qualifying and Q2 exit was ultimately to blame for Tsunoda’s failure to score points as he had to settle with a disappointing 12th on home soil, while Verstappen took his Red Bull to the top step of the podium.

Red Bull still haven’t scored a point with their second car in 2025 but Tsunoda did at least show some flashes of promise that he may be better suited to the RB21 than his predecessor.

Winner - Ollie Bearman

F1 rookie Ollie Bearman backed up his starring display in qualifying to bring home a point for Haas, who gambled on introducing a fast-tracked upgrade in Japan.

Bearman comprehensively outperformed his more experienced teammate Esteban Ocon all weekend as the Frenchman struggled to a lowly 18th.

Loser - Liam Lawson

Even if Tsunoda didn’t have the best of weekends, Red Bull’s brutal decision to axe Liam Lawson looks somewhat justified.

Lawson was dumped out in the second part of qualifying (though he did beat Tsunoda’s Red Bull in the process) and ultimately slumped to 17th in the race after a strategy gamble failed to pay off.

The 23-year-old Kiwi was in the shadow of his younger, inexperienced Racing Bulls teammate despite being at the first F1 circuit this year he has previously driven.