McLaren made an “operational error” in their defeat to Red Bull’s 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Max Verstappen at the F1 Japanese Grand Prix, it has beꩲen claime🅰d.

Verstappen fended off a challenge from the McLarens of 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lando Norris and168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Oscar Piastri to claim his first victor🐼y of the 2025 season in Sunday’s ra💙ce at Suzuka.

Despite having what is regarded as being only the fourth-fastest car, Verstappen produced a truly astonishing lap to take pole position, which he masterfully conver🐽ted into the win despite race-long pressure from the quicker McLarens behind.

McLaren’s strategy came under fire, as did their decision not to swap their drivers and enable Piastri - who appeared faster in the closing stages - to try and put pressure o🐟n Verstappen.

"This is what happens when you are dealing with the Dutch lion that is Verstappen.🌠 If you get outqualified by him, you lose the race,” Sky Sports F1 pitlane reporter Ted Kravitz said.

"This has got to✱ be the first operational error by McLaren this year - but what a drive by Max.”

1997 F1 world champioဣn Jacques Villeneuve said: “McLaren don’t seem overly disappointed which is strange as they shouꦜld have been first and second.

"They were not slow but beaten by a ❀team and driver who were better than them and that should hurt.”

The result strengthened McLaren’s position at the top of the co🐈nsꩲtructors’ world championship.

McLaren are 36 points clear of Mercedes and 50 ahead🎐 of Red 𒁃Bull.

Ho♓wever, Verstappen’s first win of 2025 has moved him to within a point of e🥂arly championship leader Norris.

Piastri has moved up to third in the drivers’ standings, 13 points behind his McLaren tea🉐mmate.

McLaren explain strategy

“Certainly the race was mostly decided yesterday when Verstappen managed to score the pole positio💙n,” team principal Andrea Stella told Sky Sports.

“There wasn't much action going on in the race. I think the pit stop timing was pretty much set by the other people pitting, not too much to play with, and we ended up with the same result ♏as qualifying.

“A good result still for us. We got a lot of points and so it was encouraging again fo♈r our car but we see the others are not far behind and sometimes ahead.

"We saw that staying out would not have been faster than pitting. We saw that from [Mercedes'] George Russe🍎ll, who was fast on the hard tyres aft🐻er pitting.

“Clearly there wasn’t the possibility like there is sometimꦑes to go for 🌃the overcut. You stay out and you try to go faster than the car that pitted. But today it was not possible.”

Asked why McLaren did not let Piastri have a go at attackin🅰g Verstappen, Stella replied: "It takes about eight tenths of a secon💎d to attack the car ahead.

“As soon as you get within one second you have dirty air and performanc💧e drops. It’s fair that Oscar makes the comment but I think that today it was not possible to overtake.”