SUZUKA, Japan Max Verstappen scored his first victory of the season with a masterful drive in Sundays Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit.

The four-time Formula 1 world champion kept his Red Bull ahead of McLaren challengers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to win the Japanese Grand Prix for the fourth consecutive season.

Verstappen also became the third different winner in three races this season.

After making a strong start from pole position, Verstappen held a decent lead over the McLarens throughout the early stages. Drama then ensued during the pit stop phase when the Dutchmans slightly slow stop saw Norris who had pitted on the same lap try to go side-by-side at the pit exit, resulting in the McLaren man having to take to the grass while Verstappen remained ahead.

While both drivers voiced their unhappiness about the incident over the team radio, the stewards opted not to investigate and Verstappen remained ahead of Norris as the race progressed, building a gap back to the Briton.

However, the battle ramped up in the final 10 laps as Piastri closed in on Norris leading the latter to up his pace and begin to cut into Verstappens advantage. It was ultimately not enough, though, with Verstappen crossing the line ahead of Norris to claim his 64th Grand Prix victory.

It was tough, just pushing very hard especially on the last set, the two McLarens were pushing very hard, Verstappen said. It was a lot of fun out there, not easy to manage the tyres. This place means a lot to me and it was in the back of mind in the last few laps to try and stay ahead because it would be a great story and a kind of final farewell with Honda here in Japan. Im incredibly proud of what we have achieved across all those years together and this is a perfect send-off.

Norris held off Piastri for second as McLaren grabbed its second consecutive double podium.

Charles Leclerc claimed fourth for Ferrari, ahead of the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.

Lewis Hamilton added to the Scuderias tally in seventh, while rookie Isack Hadjar clinched his first points of the season with a solid drive for Racing Bulls in eighth.