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Former F1 world champion Damon Hill gave his reaction to Max Verstappen winning the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday. The Red Bull driver started the race from pole position ahead of the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
The Dutch driver made a clean gateway and thwarted any challenge from the cars behind him to lead from the front. Despite having an inferior car, the four-time F1 world champion was not troubled by the two McLarens behind him and was able to hold his own against the duo whenever he faced additional pressure.
The Austrian team and Verstappen showcased their dominant self at the Suzuka International Circuit and never let the gap drop below one second. Via his official social media platform, X, the 1996 world champion gave a four-word reaction to Max Verstappen's win in Japan and wrote:
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"Maxster Class 4 x 4 👏🏼👌🏻🤷🏻♂️"
It was Verstappen's fourth pole-to-victory finish in Japan in as many years, having previously dominated the last three editions of the race.
Max Verstappen reflects on thwarting the pressure from the McLarens
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen said he was "calm" throughout the 53-lap race and was able to rely on his experience of facing similar situations previously in his career. Speaking with F1.com after the race, the Dutchman spoke about dealing with the disadvantage of having pressure from the two McLarens, saying:
“I was quite calm. I’ve been in this position before, but I just tried to focus on my own laps, trying to not make any mistakes, making sure that the balance was driveable, because of course throughout the stint the tire life, it definitely changes the balance a bit front to rear. But we managed everything really well, and just very happy with this result. And then of course with that pit lane thing, yeah, it was tight.”
The four-time champion also reflected on his achievement of becoming the first driver to win four consecutive races at the iconic Suzuka International Circuit, adding:
“Four in a row of course is great, but very different scenarios compared to I would say the last few years here. Today it was key to start first – they were trying to get into my DRS but it’s very hard to follow around here. I think also the track temp today helped us, less overheating from the tires actually when the track is cooler and, yeah, just incredibly happy with this result.”
The victory in Japan was Max Verstappen's first win of the 2025 season and his 64th overall in the sport since making his debut in 2015. With the race win, the 27-year-old also closed the gap to Lando Norris in the driver's standings to one point after three races and one Sprint this year.
