Verstappen's stellar performance at Suzuka garners praises from Horner

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Red Bull dominates Japanese Grand Prix with precision

Max Verstappen clinched his fourth consecutive Japanese Grand Prix victory from pole position on Sunday, further solidifying his reputation as one of F1's elite drivers. Red Bull's team principal, Christian Horner, lauded the Dutchman's flawless performance, marking his 64th career win as one of his finest.

Despite McLaren setting the pace this season and Verstappen struggling with the RB21, the four-time world champion extracted maximum performance from the car during Saturday's qualifying and maintained that momentum to secure the win.

"We know that McLarens are very, very fast, and it needed Max to be inch-perfect with two very fast McLarens right behind him, and for 53 laps, he made not a single mistake," Horner told reporters. "I think that's one of Max's best weekends. We literally turned the car upside down, set-up wise, and he's worked very hard with the engineering team."

Verstappen's impressive qualifying lap and subsequent victory brought him within one point of Lando Norris in the drivers' championship. However, the Dutch driver remains realistic about his prospects for a fifth world title.

"We still have work to do, we still have limitations, but knowing these limitations you try to find out how much you can push it," Verstappen remarked. "To fight for the title, we need more."

Tsunoda shows promise in front of home crowd

Red Bull's recent lineup change saw Japan's Yuki Tsunoda brought in as the team's second driver. Tsunoda, who started 14th on the grid, finished 12th after a strong performance that included overtaking his predecessor Liam Lawson and outmaneuvering Pierre Gasly during the pit stops.

"I am happy with my performance but I wanted to finish in the points. I was expecting more in my home grand prix so it is a mixed feeling," Tsunoda said. "I am learning and gaining confidence in the car. I felt controlled. I am happy considering the amount of time I had in the car."

Horner acknowledged Tsunoda's potential and suggested that a better qualifying session would have likely resulted in a higher finish.

"I think he's given good feedback, and I think that he's finding his feet in the team," Horner noted. "We'll see over the next few races that performance take a step forward."

A tribute to Honda in their final year

Securing a victory at a circuit operated by their long-time engine supplier, Honda, added extra significance to Red Bull's success. This race marks the final year of their partnership, and Horner expressed satisfaction with the win.

"A huge win, particularly here in Japan, running the car in a Honda livery," Horner said. "There's no bigger motivator than winning, and so the injection and motivation provided to the whole team is fantastic."

As the team prepares to leave Japan for the upcoming race in Bahrain, there is a palpable sense of momentum and optimism within the Red Bull camp, buoyed by their stellar performance at Suzuka.

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