Verstappen's Suzuka miracle: 'Perfect farewell to Honda'

08:48, 06 Apr

byNorberto Mujica

Max Verstappen has won his fourth - and so far his last - race at Suzuka with a Honda engine powering his success on Japanese soild. An important win, as it's the perfect send off for the Japanese manufacturer.

Despite not having the fastest car, Verstappen pipped both McLaren drivers to the flag in Japan. "It was tough. [I was] just pushing very hard, especially on the last set. The two McLarens were pushing me very hard and it was a lot of fun out there. [It was] not easy, of course, to manage the tyres, but I'm incredibly happy."

It was not an easy weekend for Red Bull and Verstappen given the struggles they had on Friday, Verstappen notes.

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

Perfect farewell to Honda

After stressing the importance of maximising results whenever possible, Verstappen then had a few words for Honda.

"It [the win] means a lot to me. It was in the back of my mind as well. You know, in those last few laps, I was like, 'wow, I need to try and stay ahead. That would be a great story'."

"Our final like kind of farewell race together with Honda here in Japan and I'm incredibly proud of what we have achieved of course over all those years together and I think this is like a perfect sendoff."