McLaren remains the team to beat in Formula 1, but Max Verstappen’s victorious drive for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix Sunday proves only excellence is good enough. 2nd and 3rd placed Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri still have the fastest all-round car for McLaren on the F1 grid.

When Yuki Tsunoda takes to the track as a Red Bull F1 driver for the first time, he will do so in a very different-looking car to usual

So far, so good. Verstappen posted the fifth-fastest time during Friday’s first practice session, with a lap of 1:29.065. Tsunoda was just behind him in sixth, a little over a tenth off Verstappen’s time with a lap of 1:29.

Max Verstappen explained how he pointed out areas where improvements are needed to Red Bull in their emergency meeting.

That. Is. Insane. That is insane!” Max Verstappen’s engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, rarely sounds as impressed as he did on the radio when his driver’s pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix was confirmed.

Max Verstappen won the Japanese Grand Prix from pole for the fourth straight year on Sunday but Red Bull team principal Christian Horner thought the Dutchman's 64th race victory was one of his best ever.

Lewis Hamilton said Ferrari has found something on his car that has resulted in a performance deficit at the opening three races of the season and is optimistic he will make a step forward if it can be fixed at the next race in Bahrain.

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.

Max Verstappen won in Japan with a weekend of the sort of rare perfection that comes only from drivers of the very highest quality, says Andrew Benson.