McLaren Had the Best Car. Verstappen Had the Guts. Welcome to the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing celebrates in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka Circuit on April 5, 2025 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Kym Illman/Getty Images)

Well, that was… something.

Suzuka gave us a Sunday stroll dressed up as a Grand Prix. One of the most iconic circuits on the calendar. Glorious S-curves. A fanbase that worships the sport. And what did we get?

A top 10 that could’ve been laminated after lap one. Not a single overtake in sight. And yet, somehow, McLaren still managed to make headlines — not by what they did, but by everything they didn’t.

McLaren Had a Shot. And They Just… Watched It Drift By.

Let’s set the scene. Max Verstappen on pole. McLaren locking out P2 and P3 with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. A front-row seat to challenge the reigning champ. The kind of opportunity you don’t just get in this era of F1 — you take it.

And what did McLaren do?

They pitted Lando and Oscar at the exact same time as Verstappen. Strategy 101: copy-paste and pray. No split strategy. No overcut attempt. No late stop heroics. Nothing.

It was like watching someone get dealt pocket aces… and then folding because they didn’t want to ruffle feathers.

And Lando? His radio summed it up best.