Max eighth in Japanese GP: 'You just cannot overtake properly'

Published on 29 March 2026 by Kees-Jan Koster

Max Verstappen finished eighth in the Japanese Grand Prix. After gaining a few places in the opening phase, he spent the second half of the race stuck behind Pierre Gasly. Kimi Antonelli won his second Formula 1 race, taking the lead thanks to a pit stop during the safety car period. The young Italian is now the new leader in the world championship.

After the race, Max said with a laugh that he was counting down the laps: “I was definitely counting them off. Fifteen to go, ten to go, five to go. Come on, yes, it is over.” Max spent a large part of the race behind Gasly. He explained: “I was behind him in China as well, though in China I was behind a lot of cars, but with these cars you just cannot overtake properly. You can overtake, but then you have no battery left on the next straight. I try to laugh about it, because there is no point getting frustrated all the time. It is obviously not how it should be.”

Due to circumstances in the Middle East, the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have been cancelled. As a result, there will be no Formula 1 racing throughout April. Max hopes several issues with the RB22 can be resolved during the break: “Hopefully quite a lot, because we have got plenty of problems. Hopefully it all becomes a bit more driveable, because the race was the same as qualifying. I can move forward a bit, but that is about it.”

At the legendary Suzuka circuit, the third Grand Prix of the year got underway. Max, like the rest of the field, started on medium tyres, with only Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) opting for the hard compound. The start was difficult for both Mercedes drivers. From the front row, Kimi Antonelli (P6) and George Russell (P4) both dropped back. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) made a rocket start to take the lead. After several tricky starts recently, Max got away solidly this time, gaining a place to cross the line in tenth at the end of the opening lap.

In the laps that followed, Max managed to gain a few more positions. On lap two, the four-time world champion passed his Oracle Red Bull Racing team-mate Isack Hadjar, and a few laps later Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) also fell behind. Max moved up to eighth place. Russell also made progress, overtaking both Lando Norris (McLaren) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) to slot in behind Piastri. At the end of lap eight, Russell briefly took the lead, but Piastri, having cleverly recharged his battery, immediately retook the position. After fifteen laps, Piastri led from Russell, Leclerc and Antonelli. Max was running eighth, four seconds behind Pierre Gasly (Alpine) and nearly eight seconds ahead of Haas driver Esteban Ocon.

The pit stop phase began on lap seventeen with Norris, attempting an undercut on Leclerc. The Monegasque driver responded a lap later and stayed ahead. Piastri and Russell then pitted, leaving Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) as the only drivers in the top six yet to stop. Before they could do so, the safety car was deployed. Oliver Bearman (Haas) crashed heavily after having to avoid the slow-moving Franco Colapinto (Alpine), who was recharging his battery. The young Brit got out of the car himself but was visibly shaken. During the safety car, pit stops cost less time, and both Antonelli and Hamilton took advantage. After their stops, they rejoined in first and fourth, gaining positions. Max also pitted but rejoined in eighth due to the large gaps. When the safety car came in on lap 27, Antonelli led from Piastri and Russell, with Hamilton and Leclerc completing the top five.

Antonelli executed the restart perfectly, immediately pulling away from Piastri. Hamilton also got away well, overtaking Russell for third. Max was sharp too and tried to pass Gasly but just fell short. After the restart, Antonelli pulled clear of the field. His team-mate Russell, meanwhile, was involved in several battles, first losing a place to Leclerc, then later regaining fourth by overtaking Hamilton, who had earlier lost out to his Ferrari teammate.

From the safety car onwards, Max spent the entire second half of the race within a second of Gasly. The Alpine, powered by a Mercedes engine, was very quick on the straights, making it difficult to overtake. In the closing stages, Max briefly got past the Frenchman, but a few corners later Gasly retook seventh. At the chequered flag, Max finished just three-tenths behind him in eighth place. Antonelli won the race by nearly fourteen seconds from Piastri. The Italian is now the youngest driver ever to lead the Formula 1 world championship. Piastri and Leclerc completed the podium, ahead of Russell and Norris. The reigning world champion overtook Hamilton late on, with Hamilton finishing sixth.

Results Grand Prix Japan: