Max Verstappen wins Japanese Grand Prix after pit-lane tussle with Lando Norris

By Scott Hunt, PA F1 Reporter, Suzuka

Max Verstappen won his first race of the season after again tussling with Lando Norris at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The pair had a number of on-track scraps as Norris chased Verstappen for the title last season, colliding in Austria and then driving each other off the track in both Austin and Mexico City.

Norris has been well clear of the four-time world champion so far this season as McLaren won the opening two races – one each for the Briton and Oscar Piastri.

But Verstappen upset the form book on Saturday by producing a scintillating qualifying lap to claim a shock pole and the pair reignited their rivalry at Suzuka.

The drama arrived at the pit stop as they came together on the exit – Norris driving over the grass on Verstappen’s inside as the accusations flew.

The stewards did not agree with Norris’ claim that he was pushed off and no action was taken as Verstappen retained his advantage and kept the championship leader at arm’s length to cut the gap to one point.

It was an otherwise uneventful race at Suzuka, with Lewis Hamilton passing Isack Hadjar to finish seventh the only change to the starting order in the top 10.

Piastri finished third ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli unable to make progress for Mercedes.

Alex Albon and Ollie Bearman rounded out the top 10.

Morning rain in Suzuka faded in time for the race to start on dry tyres, with Hamilton in eighth the only one of the top 16 not on mediums.

Verstappen started well to fend off Norris and by the end of lap seven, the Dutchman had stretched his lead to two seconds and was looking comfortable in the clean air out front.

Only Hamilton was able to make a move, blasting past Hadjar to move seventh.

Russell was the first of the frontrunners to pit from fifth on lap 21 before third-placed Piastri came in to trigger the action.

Verstappen and Norris pitted a lap later and the Red Bull stop was a second slower than McLaren’s.

Norris was released fractions behind Verstappen and, as the pair exited the pit lane side-by-side, the McLaren man ran over the grass on the inside.

The British driver said “he forced me off”, while Verstappen told his team “he drove himself on to the grass”.

Replays appeared to show that Verstappen did not alter his line and the stewards were satisfied that there had been no wrongdoing.

Norris was urged to do his overtaking on track but every driver appeared to find following the car ahead difficult and he was unable to pressure Verstappen, who claimed a fourth successive Japanese Grand Prix win.

Norris was instead having to fend off Piastri behind, the Australian telling his team that he had the pace to challenge the race leader.

Hamilton again appeared to be having teething issues with Ferrari race engineer Riccardo Adami, wanting more information on where he could go faster as he made no impression back in seventh.

The overnight weather helped banish the issue of grass fires which had disrupted several sessions throughout the weekend, including red-flagging qualifying.