Max Verstappen, the winner of the race, celebrates in the parc ferme. The boss of Red Bull, Christian Horner, has emphasized one of Verstappen’s most impressive qualities: his ability to handle a Formula 1 car with ease. Verstappen has been dominating the world of F1 since 2022, taking advantage of Red Bull’s return to the top when F1 reintroduced ground effect cars. In this current season, Verstappen has continued his winning streak, achieving three victories and securing pole position in all four rounds. After retiring in Australia, Verstappen bounced back and achieved a third consecutive victory in Japan, leading his teammate Sergio Perez in a Red Bull 1-2 finish.
According to Horner, Verstappen is performing at his peak, demonstrating his mental strength by being aware of the gap between him and the car behind him. Horner stated, “I think he’s in great shape. He’s changed his trainer to Rupert Manwaring, who used to train Carlos Sainz. Verstappen is fit and lean, and the car is performing exceptionally well. You can hear the ease with which he handles the car. He not only wants to know who is behind him but also their lap times. His capacity is truly impressive. His form from last year has continued seamlessly.”
When asked if Verstappen has a reserve of 20% to rely on when facing stronger challenges, Horner replied, “He has become very astute at managing the tires. His ability to extend the tire life is impressive, as we witnessed in the first and second stints. He has a wise head on his young shoulders.”
Despite Verstappen’s concerns about Red Bull’s race pace compared to Ferrari during practice, the team secured a front row lockout at Suzuka. Carlos Sainz, driving for Ferrari, finished 20 seconds behind Verstappen, while Charles Leclerc trailed by 6 seconds. Horner commented, “It’s normal, that’s racing. We’ve been discussing this in Formula 1 for the past 20 years. However, our engineering team has done an excellent job this weekend, and both Max and Checo have been outstanding. It’s the perfect way to bounce back after the disappointment in Australia.”
Red Bull’s strong performance has increased their lead over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship to 21 points, with McLaren trailing by 72 points. Verstappen, on the other hand, maintains a 13-point advantage over his teammate Perez in the Drivers’ Championship, with the Ferrari drivers closely behind the Mexican.