How Max Verstappen left McLaren with nowhere to go

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Max Verstapen smiles after his triumph at Suzuka - Getty Images/Bryn Lennon

There is no doubt that Max Verstappen’s individual brilliance was the critical factor in his first win of the season at Suzuka. It is a track where the man in the cockpit can make the difference and that is exactly what we saw over the weekend.

The McLaren had the fastest car in Japan, but Verstappen put in an astonishing lap in qualifying to sneak pole position and put McLaren on the back foot. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were within a few seconds of the Dutchman for the entire race, but it would have taken a Verstappen mistake for McLaren to win it. And, unsurprisingly, the Red Bull driver did not give them a sniff.

There were, however, several other factors in Red Bull’s first win of the season – and only their third in the last 17 races. Other than his talent and supreme confidence in controlling and taming the car beneath him, how did Verstappen defeat a McLaren that looked so comfortable in the previous two rounds?

McLaren’s strength in wrong part of track​

Firstly, overtaking is difficult at Suzuka. Beating Verstappen off the line would have been McLaren’s best bet, but that failed. The MCL39 may have had an advantage in the super-fast first sector but there is not a single overtaking opportunity within it. The run down to the hairpin in sector two is possible, but only really if a driver makes a mistake on the exit of the second Degner corner. In reality a move has to come at the final chicane or with DRS down the main straight.

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The two McLarens spent the afternoon in Verstappen’s slip stream - Getty Images/Clive Mason

Norris closed up to within DRS range of Verstappen a few times in the race but Verstappen’s exits from the final chicane meant he never got a look-in down the pit straight. Piastri, in third behind his team-mate, had a similar issue even though he believed he was – and appeared – faster than Norris at some points on Sunday.

Strategy shake-up would not have worked​

Given the scant overtaking opportunities and Verstappen’s lack of mistakes, the only possibility for McLaren to win the race was with strategy. McLaren’s approach seemed risk-averse at Suzuka. Piastri first pitted from third before Norris and then Verstappen stopped together on the next lap. Aside from an uncharacteristically slow stop for Red Bull and a skirmish at the pit exit, things stayed exactly as they were.

Yet winning the race strategically was a door that was essentially closed. It may seem like it was worth Norris at least trying to undercut Verstappen, or one of them staying out longer on a contrary strategy but it was not. McLaren could see the undercut would not work after Charles Leclerc stopped for fresh rubber and barely improved his lap times.

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Verstappen had an unusually slow pit stop for Red Bull - Getty Images/Mark Sutton

This was because tyre wear was unusually and unexpectedly low, mostly down to the resurfaced first sector. In short, the stable tyres nullified the option of both a driver pitting first and making inroads with fresher rubber on a driver ahead and any late-race tyre offset that might come with staying out longer and attacking towards the end. Another driver in the same car would have struggled to do what Verstappen did in the RB21.

Although Verstappen was the critical factor in his victory, his team and Yuki Tsunoda should take some credit. Christian Horner said they “turned the car upside down” after Friday practice. Some of the important feedback may have come from Tsunoda’s side of the garage. He has driven the Racing Bulls RB2 car, which is more benign, and could have offered some advice on getting the RB21 closer to those characteristics. Obviously Tsunoda was not able to exploit the car as much as Verstappen, who constantly and significantly improved his lap times as qualifying went on.

Norris vs Piastri a recurring headache​

There was also talk about McLaren swapping positions to give Piastri – who did appear faster at points – a better shot at overtaking Verstappen and McLaren winning the race. Yet had McLaren chosen to do that and their drivers complied, it would most likely have been the same situation in a different order as both cars ultimately had similar pace throughout the race. Given the unrest swapping drivers would have created it was simply not worth it.

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McLaren team-mates Lando Norris (left) and Oscar Piastri chat at the Japanese Grand Prix - Getty Images/Mohd Rasfan

I have aired my concerns about how McLaren go racing with their two drivers before. Having two talented men at a similar level is something that needs careful planning and management. Ideally some rules of engagement and which driver gets preference at which race need to be ironed out before the season starts, rather than reacting to each situation as it comes along. Norris vs Piastri will be a recurring headache for McLaren.

Ultimately, last weekend showed that inside the Red Bull there is a car quick enough for Verstappen to win races. He won the Japanese Grand Prix in the RB21 but would have triumphed in quite a few cars on the grid. Given everything we saw at Suzuka and the fact that he is Red Bull’s sole focus, McLaren should be at least a little concerned about ending his run of drivers’ titles.

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