Max Verstappen has made history at the Japanese Grand Prix, becoming the first driver to win four consecutive races at the iconic Suzuka circuit.
The four-time world champion's victory on Sunday eclipsed Michael Schumacher's previous record of three straight wins at the track from 2000 to 2002.
Verstappen converted pole position into 25 points with what has been described as one of the greatest weekends of his already legendary career.
The Dutchman held off the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri despite Red Bull having what many consider the third or fourth fastest car on the grid.
Max Verstappen cruised to victory at the Japanese Grand Prix
Reuters
His achievement is particularly remarkable as neither Lewis Hamilton nor Sebastian Vettel managed more than two consecutive wins at Suzuka during their periods of dominance.
Verstappen's victory was described as "flawless" as he maintained his lead throughout the race despite constant pressure from the McLarens.
The win was set up by what many called a "magical" qualifying lap on Saturday, where he secured pole position by just 0.012 seconds ahead of Norris.
His race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase called the qualifying performance "insane", while two-time champion Fernando Alonso described it as "magical" and said "only he can do that".
Verstappen himself termed the lap as "very rare".
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With overtaking nearly impossible at Suzuka, Verstappen's perfect start proved crucial as he maintained position and controlled the race from the front.
On his cooldown lap, Verstappen was told by race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase: "That's perfection, just perfection Max, fantastic."
The Dutchman responded emotionally: "Wow! Thank you guys! Wow! What a great weekend, what an unbelievable turnaround after the difficult start, you see, we never give up, we just keep pushing together."
Max Verstappen beat McLaren pairing Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
Reuters
The victory came despite Red Bull's car disadvantage, with Verstappen showing remarkable skill to maintain his lead throughout.
McLaren's one chance to beat him was by stopping Norris for fresh tyres before Verstappen, but they didn't take that opportunity.
Once Verstappen won the race out of the pits, he simply needed to remain error-free - which he did impeccably.
Team principal and CEO Christian Horner added: "Max, that was one of your finest weekends ever. That was a truly inspirational performance, as you said we never give up, well done mate."
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Max Verstappen has now won three Japanese Grand Prix races in a row
Reuters
Verstappen was visibly emotional after the race, acknowledging the significance of the win.
"It means a lot to me, it was in the back of my mind the last few laps thinking 'wow I need to stay ahead, it would be a great story'," he said.
The victory held special meaning as a farewell to Honda, who will leave Red Bull in 2026.
"A final farewell race here with Honda in Japan and I'm incredibly proud of what we've achieved over all those years together and this is a perfect send off."