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Japan holds a special place in the Max Verstappen story. He has won the Japanese Grand Prix four years running, and this weekend at Suzuka he has the chance to do something no driver in Formula 1 history has managed before.
A Circuit That Brings Out the Best in Him
After clearing his head at the Nurburgring last weekend, Verstappen now turns his attention to one of his favourite circuits on the calendar. Suzuka, designed by Hans Hugenholtz and shaped like a figure of eight, is widely loved by drivers and fans alike. Whether the 2026 regulations allow it to produce the kind of racing it has in previous years remains to be seen, but the circuit itself has never disappointed.
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Verstappen's record at Suzuka is remarkable. In 2022 he wrapped up his second world championship there in a chaotic rain-affected race. Last year he delivered one of the drives of the season, producing a stunning pole lap and then defending hard against McLaren to take the win. Suzuka has repeatedly been the circuit where Verstappen has found something extra when he needed it most.
The Record on the Table
A fifth consecutive win at Suzuka would be unprecedented. No driver in Formula 1 history has won the Japanese Grand Prix five times in a row. It would also bring Verstappen level with Lewis Hamilton on five Japanese Grand Prix victories overall, though Hamilton never managed them consecutively.
The task is enormous. Red Bull are realistically the fourth-fastest team right now, and Verstappen goes to Japan as anything but the favourite. But last year the situation looked equally bleak before he got to Suzuka, and he came away with pole and the win. Palmer and others have noted that Verstappen is one of the few drivers capable of performing above both his own expected level and the capability of the car beneath him.
He needs something close to a miracle this weekend. But as Verstappen himself would probably say, miracles have not completely disappeared from the world just yet.
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