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Max Verstappen feels that a title run after winning the F1 Japanese GP is still a tough ask because the car still has a lot of limitations. The Red Bull driver stunned everyone this weekend as he ended McLaren's run of wins in 2025 by picking up his first of the season.
The 2025 F1 season has shown that McLaren does have an edge over the rest of the field in terms of pace. The car is quite clearly better than almost every competitor, and heading into the F1 Japanese GP, there was an expectation that either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri could clinch the win.
Max Verstappen, however, flipped the script on Saturday when he secured a shock pole position. The Red Bull driver beat the McLaren duo by less than a tenth and in turn, set himself up for the race on Sunday.
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On Sunday, once Max Verstappen held the lead going into the first lap, it became clear that after that point it was all about managing the pace. The Red Bull driver managed his pace well enough to hold off Lando Norris and pick up his first win of the season. With the win, Verstappen is now just one point shy of Norris, who is leading the standings.
The standings have also opened up the debate of Max Verstappen being a title contender, but talking to Sky Sports, the Dutch driver poured cold water on these suggestions. According to him, Red Bull still has quite a few limitations that need to be worked on before any such claim could be made. He said:
"We still have work to do, we still have limitations, but knowing these limitations you try to find out how much you can push it. To fight for the title, we need more."
Max Verstappen on his race
Once Max Verstappen got the jump at the start and was in the lead, it became quite easy for the driver to keep the McLaren duo behind as overtaking was very tricky around Suzuka.
Throughout the race, Lando Norris could not get within one second of the Red Bull driver, and hence, the reigning champion was able to keep them behind and win. Talking about the race, the Dutch driver credited the qualifying lap on Saturday, which gave him the track position to achieve the result. He said:
"It was tough. The McLarens were pushing me very hard. It was a lot of fun but not easy pushing the tyres. I am incredibly happy. This weekend started off quite tough but we didn't give up, kept improving the car. Today it was on its best form. Starting on pole made it possible to win."
The Dutch driver is now just one point behind Lando Norris in the championship as we head to Bahrain, a track where McLaren has struggled in the last few years but looked imperious during the pre-season test.
