As F1 enters the second part of its famed triple header, the Bahrain Grand Prix of 2025, which happens to be the fourth round of a brand new season, it’s important to reflect on just what has happened as on date before Sakhir unfurls what one hopes will be a cracker of a contest.
The first night race of the season compels us to reminisce racing action to have happened as on date, which probably made the living daylights of Formula 1 glow only more brighter.
So here we go then:
Max Verstappen, the man who broke all records of maximum number of wins in a season back in 2023, by winning 19 out of the 23 races, was plagued by a slow car and couldn’t manage to find himself on pole in the first two races of 2025, has finally qualified on Pole and won the Japanese GP.
Where is the Japanese GP held?
The Japanese GP is held at the Suzuka circuit, a track which is one of the very few remaining tracks where the drivers skill matters more than the car.
The only figure 8 track in F1!
The Suzuka circuit starts of with a fast speed Turn 1 where drivers have to manually close the DRS because the car doesn’t slow down enough for the DRS flap to shut on its own. Then come the famous S curves of Suzuka which humble all drivers. If you can carry speed through these S curves you are already on your way to Pole.
Right after these come the Degner Turns, and then the slowest part of the track, the Hairpin, where each driver intentionally misses the apex to get a better exit out of the turn.
Then comes the Spoon curve which if done right can give you the speed you need to blast down the back straight and turn sharply left at the 130R without slowing down.
After the drivers conquer the 130R at breakneck speed, the final turns of the circuit awaits. The Chicane of Suzuka or the Casino Triangle, is the last turn which provides a last minute opportunity to overtake, which could very well mean victory for the driver in 2nd place.
A legendary qualifying lap led to Max finally getting Pole in 2025
Max Verstappen, on the Saturday before the Japanese GP, was not particularly enjoying the slow pace of his RB21. But when it came time to qualify Max put his car in the top 10 in Q1 and Q2, while his teammate Yuki Tsunoda could only manage a qualifying position of 14th on the grid and was knocked out in Q2.
As the final qualifying session began, the top 10 drivers went out and Max put down the fastest lap time first. But his Lap time would soon be broken by the McLaren of Oscar Piastri, Charles Leclerc and George Russell.
The Flying Dutchman – Max Verstappen breaking records
Source- Max Verstappen official X / Twitter handle
With time left for only one final flying lap, Max Verstappen delivered a lap of laps, a true flying lap if you will, and he broke the long standing record of Sebastian Vettel set back in 2019 of 1.27.074, with a time of 1.26.983.
With this lap Max placed himself on Pole to the surprise of everyone. No one had thought that the RedBull car had enough pace but Max Verstappen is not one to be deterred, and he beat the fastest cars on the grid, the McLarens.
From qualifying on Pole to standing at the top step of the podium
Source- Max Verstappen official X/ Twitter handle
As the lights went out, Max got a better start than Norris and maintained his lead of the race from the very first lap. All the eyes were on the two McLarens hunting down the 4x World Champion, but the combined skill of both the McLaren drivers with their very fast car, was not enough to catch up to the Dutch Lion.
A masterclass by Max Verstappen
Lando Norris could only ever get as close as 1.080 seconds of Max but he never did manage to get in DRS range of the Dutchman. With the SuzukaCurcuit being a track where the driver’s skill holds the key to victory, Max Verstappen has shown the world his skill.
Another record broken by Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen has broken another record by winning at Suzuka 4 consecutive times at the Suzukacircuit. This record was previously held by Michael Schumacher, who had won in Suzuka from 2000 to 2002.
This victory of Max Verstappen has given the fans hope that F1 is still a driver’s sport rather than a Constructors’.
McLaren couldn’t beat the Champion even with the fastest car
McLaren has the current fastest car on the grid, they have had that going for them since last year after the Miami GP.
Has McLaren placed too much trust in their car’s pace?
Source- Instagram profile (Kymillman)
For them to lock out the front row at Suzuka was a given, and it was mostly assumed that Sunday would bring another double podium for McLaren. It did, but not as McLaren had hoped.
Max Verstappen, who started on Pole, managed to keep Lando Norris at bay throughout the GP. Lando tried his best, he even saved his tires after he and Max pitted for new tires to take a shot at Max later on, but sadly, Lando never found the pace needed to win.
During the one pit stop by Norris and Verstappen, Lando was released just as Max crossed his pit crew. Lando tried his best to overtake Max, but by being reckless, he lost his chance of overtaking completely.
Did McLaren lose an opportunity for a win?
Source: Lando Norris official X/ Twitter handle
Oscar Piastri, who may have had the pace to overtake Max, was not given the chance, because McLaren wanted their Golden Boy, the current Championship leader, Lando Norris to be the one to win. McLaren lost their opportunity at a win because of a strategy to promote Norris whenever possible.
Last year at the Hungarian GP, it was laid bare.
McLaren, the team who was best suited to win, was defeated by reigning champ.
Ferrari still haven’t got their act together
Ferrari have welcomed the 7x World Champion Lewis Hamilton as their second driver, with the hopes of Hamilton winning his 8th world title and Ferrari winning a championship with another 7x World Champion.
But so far, Ferrari have managed to give Lewis and his teammate Charles bad strategy, worse car setups, and even better, a double disqualification in China.
Chinese GP: Ferrari’s biggest failure yet
China saw Leclerc racing with a broken front wing, and still finishing 5th in the race. Lewis managed a 6thplace finish after a very successful Sprint Race result of 1st place. But due to miscalculations by the team, both Ferrari cars were disqualified. Leclerc for his being 1kg underweight, and Hamilton for his car’s plank wear being 0.5 mm more than the limit.
In Japan, Ferrari still did not put up much of a fight for McLaren or Max Verstappen.
Charles Leclerc who had started 4th finished 4th and Lewis Hamilton who had started 8th finished 7th. At least they finally managed to maintain what they had.
The double disqualification in China has left both the Ferrari drivers scared. Both Leclerc and Hamilton drove the cooldown lap on the grass to prevent any chance of being disqualified.
Although the Ferrari cars are slower than the RedBull of Max Verstappen and the McLarens, they still are faster than the Mercedes F1 car.
Can Ferrari give their drivers what they need to win?
Source: Lapbylap (Instagram)
Charles Leclerc is already an amazing driver, and so is Lewis Hamilton, so Ferrari can sit back and relax if they can give their drivers the opportunity to truly utilise their driving skill on track. Ferrari has to improve their race strategy and the rest will follow.
What to expect from the 2025 F1 season?
The FIA has already stated that the regulations for the flexing of wings will have increased strictness after the Spanish GP.
Will the new regulations for flexi wings change the game?
Currently, teams like McLaren, Ferrari, Haas, are using flexi wings. They utilise the flexible nature of the carbon fibre to create a mini-DRS effect.
This is done to either the front or back wings or both wings. McLaren’s flexi wing was very apparent in last year’s Azerbaijan GP. This year they have changed it up but they still are using the same principle to bypass the regulations along with other teams as well.
But even before the Spanish GP, teams like Ferrari, Mercedes and RedBull could still defeat McLaren. Haas and Sauber on the other hand have still not figured out their cars yet. Sometimes they are fighting in the top 10, and other times they have been dead last.
Williams have finally got their act together!
Source: this.isformula1 (Instagram)
Carlos Sainz has still not found his pace in the Williams, who have finally made a competitive car. Alex Albon has scored more points in the very first race of the season than he did in the entire of 2024.
This season is going to be an even wilder roller coaster ride than last year. There is no clear championship winner, and its anybody’s game.
Will Red Bull make a comeback with Yuki Tsunoda also scoring points?
Will McLaren lose their pace after the Spanish GP?
Can Lewis Hamilton win his 1st season with Ferrari?
Will Mercedes give their drivers the car they need to win?
All these questions and yet no clear answer. The battle between the drivers and the teams is ever so close. So, the biggest question of them all…
Who will be the F1 2025 World Champion?