It is the fourth victory in a row on the track for the four-time World Champion.
Wow, thanks guys. What an incredible weekend and what a turnaround after a tough start. We never give up, but continue to push together, says the Dutchman over the radio after crossing the finish line.
Few had believed before the weekend that he would finish at the top of the podium. But Verstappen surprised in qualifying and thereby secured a starting position in Sunday's race – something that proved to be crucial.
The other places on the podium were taken by British Lando Norris and Australian Oscar Piastri, both McLaren, who never really could challenge for victory.
The speed was good today, very good. I was pleased with that, but track position is so important here. I think the victory was basically decided yesterday, and there I didn't do a good enough job, says Australian Piastri, who turned 24 years old to celebrate, according to F1's website.
The racing weekend was a relatively chaotic story, where Friday's practice had to be interrupted as the grass outside the dry track caught fire. The forecast also indicated a risk of rain before Sunday's race. But despite rain before the race, the track was largely dry, and it became an undramatic story where all 20 drivers finished.
The Japanese Grand Prix is the third of 24 in this year's F1 calendar. Lando Norris still leads the drivers' championship on 62 points, but the lead is now only a single point ahead of reigning champion Verstappen. Piastri is third on 49 points.
