Verstappen wins Japanese GP for fourth straight year

World champion Max Verstappen banished his early season misery with a fourth successive pole-to-flag victory at the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, holding off the previously dominant McLarens with some ease for his first win of the year.

Verstappen crossed the line in his Red Bull 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.

"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," said Verstappen, the first driver to win four times in a row at Suzuka.

Norris's lead over Verstappen in the drivers' standings was slashed to one point after an all but incident-free race effectively decided in Saturday's qualifying.

"Max drove a good race today, no mistakes," said Norris, who won the season-opening race in Melbourne.

"It was a flat-out race from start to finish, so tough, but just not enough today, nothing special that we had that we could get Max on."

IT'S MAX VERSTAPPEN IN JAPAN

P1. WHAT A DRIVE#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/q6wfq6f9qT
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Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren, who won last time out in China, rounded out the podium in third place on his 24th birthday as the top six finished as they had started on the grid.

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.

Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar was eighth, Alex Albon of Williams ninth, while teenager Ollie Bearman took the last point in 10th for Haas.

SQUEEZED OUT

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

Seven-time world champion Hamilton gambled on hard tyres to start the race and slid past Hadjar on turn one early in the race.

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 personal point by overtaking the New Zealander for 13th place in the early laps.

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It's Yuki Tsunoda who is @salesforce Driver of the Day at the Japanese Grand Prix 🇯🇵#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/vjjFCDeQb4
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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.

"He was still ahead, it kind of squeezes into one, and Max is the last guy I expect to give me any space," Norris said afterwards.

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.

"The track position around here is so important. Yesterday was the day you win the race and didn't do a good enough job," said Australian Piastri.

"I felt if I had the track position I could go and get Max but that is what happens when you qualify behind."