After the Japanese Grand Prix, we analyze the main discussion points from the third race of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Verstappen Reasserts Dominance
Until the last moments of Saturday`s Q3 at Suzuka, most people in the paddock expected McLaren to achieve a one-two finish in both qualifying and the race.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri each secured a win and a pole position in the first two races, and it seemed this trend would continue after McLaren`s strong performance in practice sessions.
When Norris surpassed Piastri in the final Q3 runs, the front row seemed set. However, Verstappen was still on his last lap.
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In the media center overlooking the final corner, it became clear that Verstappen could cause an upset. A surprised reaction from the grandstand indicated that Verstappen had achieved an unexpected pole position.
Overtaking proved very difficult due to turbulent air on the fast track. Verstappen`s victory on Sunday was straightforward, becoming the first driver to win four consecutive times at Suzuka.
While Verstappen`s chances for a fifth consecutive world championship were never dismissed, his performance in Japan, reducing Norris`s lead to just one point, has temporarily quieted talks of an internal McLaren rivalry like Hamilton and Rosberg.
McLaren`s Strategy Questioned
Norris has consistently highlighted McLaren`s strong driver lineup as a major advantage.
He is right; their understanding of the MCL39 helps in optimizing setup and car development.
While a faster car improves their title chances, Japan showed how having two equally strong drivers can also be a challenge.
McLaren had a two-on-one situation against Verstappen before the pit stops but didn`t capitalize. They pitted Piastri first from third place instead of using Norris in second to pressure Verstappen with an undercut.
Verstappen and Norris pitted a lap later. Only a slow Red Bull pit stop briefly gave Norris a chance to get ahead, but Verstappen defended his position and maintained control for the rest of the race.
McLaren explained they pitted Piastri first to avoid him being undercut by rivals, but this choice might have sacrificed an opportunity for Norris to challenge Verstappen. Questions arise whether McLaren could have been more proactive.
There`s a suggestion McLaren wanted to avoid driver order changes, recalling Hungary 2024 where team orders might have been needed.
Their strategy made it easier for Red Bull and Verstappen to stay ahead, a point Norris questioned post-race. It will be interesting to see how his opinion on having a strong teammate evolves during the season.
Tsunoda Under Pressure at Home Race
While Verstappen was the main focus at the end, Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull`s new teammate, was under intense scrutiny at his home race in Suzuka.
Tsunoda`s recent promotion to Red Bull from Racing Bulls, with Liam Lawson moving to the junior team, happened quickly.
Early signs were positive, with Tsunoda appearing composed with the media and performing well in practice. However, a mistake in Q2 qualifying left him 14th, behind Lawson.
Due to overtaking difficulties, he finished 12th, missing his goal of scoring points. However, Red Bull expressed positivity about his overall impact.
Red Bull gave Tsunoda a more conservative car setup than Verstappen for qualifying, understandable for his first weekend with the team. Their approach as Tsunoda adapts to the RB21 will be interesting.
While Tsunoda will remain in the spotlight, the intense pressure from Japan will lessen, allowing him to focus on proving his place at the front.
Ferrari`s Struggles Continue
Besides Tsunoda, Frederic Vasseur, Ferrari`s team principal, might have been pleased with the Red Bull driver swap and its media attention.
News of Red Bull`s driver change broke on Sunday evening of the Chinese Grand Prix, around the same time Ferrari`s disqualification from the Shanghai race was announced.
Ferrari`s disappointing start to the season would have been more discussed if not for the Red Bull news.
After another poor weekend, with Charles Leclerc finishing fourth and Lewis Hamilton seventh, Vasseur`s only relief is the quick turnaround to the Bahrain race, limiting scrutiny of Ferrari`s issues.
Hamilton mentioned Ferrari couldn`t run the car as low as desired after his disqualification for plank wear. On Sunday, he noted an `underperforming` element on his car compared to Leclerc`s.
Radio snippets from Hamilton and Leclerc hinted at frustration within the team.
Despite expectations of challenging McLaren, Ferrari has been lacking, except for Hamilton`s Sprint victory in China.
The question is whether setup changes can fix these issues or if Ferrari will remain in this position until upgrades arrive.
Rookie Performance After Doohan`s Crash
The weekend began poorly for rookies when Jack Doohan crashed heavily at 185mph after failing to deactivate DRS at the end of the straight.
There`s a feeling Doohan was set up for failure. Alpine replaced him with Japanese reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa in first practice, limiting Doohan`s track time on a challenging circuit.
While this decision was questionable, possibly due to sponsorship, it doesn`t excuse Doohan`s `misjudgement`, as described by the team.
After a poor qualifying, Doohan raced respectably, but the crash fuels speculation about Franco Colapinto replacing him soon. Colapinto will drive in Bahrain practice this week.
On a positive note, Andrea Kimi Antonelli had his best performance, finishing sixth behind Mercedes teammate George Russell, and appeared faster.
While Antonelli has high expectations, Isack Hadjar is exceeding expectations at Racing Bulls.
Despite a painful seatbelt issue in qualifying, Hadjar qualified seventh and finished eighth, earning his first F1 points, deservedly.
Oliver Bearman continued his strong start, finishing 10th and outperforming Haas teammate Esteban Ocon, who was 18th.
Wesley Dunham 
Gilbert Pendleton