Red Bull Formula One driver Max Verstappen has described his Japanese Grand Prix victory at Suzuka as the “perfect send-off” to Honda. Verstappen’s pole position start gave him the much-needed advantage as he raced through clean air to secure his first victory in the 2025 season.

Red Bull celebrated its last race with engine supplier Honda at its home race with a striking white and red livery, and Verstappen’s victory was a much-needed light at the end of the tunnel, considering the team has been struggling with car problems for a while now.

The last leg of the 53-lap race saw a tight battle between Verstappen, runner-up Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri. The McLaren drivers mounted a significant charge, pushing Verstappen on several occasions. Norris maintained a gap below 1.5 seconds but failed to surpass the Dutchman.

When Verstappen was asked if the race was as nerve-wracking from the car as it looked from outside, he said:

“It was. It was tough just pushing very hard, especially on the last set. The two McLarens were pushing me very hard. It was a lot of fun out there, not easy, of course, to manage the tires, but I’m incredibly happy.

“It started off quite tough this weekend, but we didn’t give up. We kept improving the car, and today, it was in its best form. And of course, you know, starting on pole that really made it possible to win this race.”

Addressing the flawless performance of his team, he added:

“Yeah, it’s very important to always try to maximize your performance, and I think we did that very well this weekend.”

Red Bull’s Last Year with Honda

Red Bull is racing its last year with power unit supplier Honda. In 2026, it switches to its in-house power units from Red Bull Powertrains in collaboration with Ford. Honda will partner with Aston Martin next year for the new era of regulations in F1.

Addressing the last race with Honda at its home venue, Verstappen described his victory as a farewell race to the successful partnership. He said:

“It means a lot to me. It was in the back of my mind as well in those last few laps, I was like well, I need to try and stay ahead. It would be a great story, you know, our final like kind of farewell race together with Honda here in Japan and I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved over all those years together, and I think this is like a perfect send-off.”