Max Verstappen wins Japanese Grand Prix for fourth straight year

Suzuka, Japan: World champion Max Verstappen claimed a pole to flag victory for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, winning his first race of the Formula One season and an unprecedented fourth in a row at Suzuka.

Verstappen crossed the line for his 64th grand prix victory to a huge ovation from the 115,000 crowd some 1.4 seconds ahead of McLaren's championship leader Lando Norris in second place.

Norris's lead over Verstappen in the drivers' championship was slashed to one point, while his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri rounded out the podium in third place on his 24th birthday.

"What an uplifting weekend after a miserable start," said Verstappen. "Great, great weekend for us."

The top six finished as they had started on the grid and all 20 cars crossed the line after 53 laps with no rain, none of the trackside grass fires that disrupted practice, and not a single yellow flag.

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc was fourth, the Mercedes of George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished fifth and sixth with Lewis Hamilton seventh in the other Ferrari after moving up one place in the race.

Verstappen got away cleanly on a damp track in overcast conditions at the figure-of-eight circuit south of Nagoya and, although he informed his team of early issues changing gears, quickly opened up a two-second gap over Norris.

Seven-times world champion Hamilton gambled on hard tyres to start the race and slid past Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar on turn one.

Japan's Yuki Tsunoda, making his Red Bull debut after being bumped up from Racing Bulls in place of Liam Lawson last week, made a point by overtaking the New Zealander for 13th place in the early laps.

Tsunoda finished 12th with Lawson 17th for Racing Bulls.

Norris had cut the gap to Verstappen by half a second by the time they went in for new tyres on lap 22 but the Briton complained that his Dutch rival had forced him onto the grass as both exited the pit lane.

The stewards took no action, however, and Verstappen was back out in front once the pit stops had shaken out but only after 18-year-old Antonelli had briefly become the youngest driver to lead a grand prix.

Australian Piastri pressed his teammate hard over the last 10 laps and told the team he felt he had the pace to pip Verstappen at the post, but Norris held his position as his Dutch rival cruised to victory.