After a tough outing in Australia, Red Bull Racing were back to their very best at the Japanese Grand Prix.
After starting in pole position, Max Verstappen claimed his third Grand Prix victory of the season, the 57th of his career, maintaining his place atop the Drivers' Standings after four races.
The Dutchman recorded a race time of 1:54:23.566 and also claimed the fastest lap of the race in the penultimate lap of the race with a 1:33.706 time, securing the maximum 26 points available.
Meanwhile, teammate Sergio Pérez finished in P2 after another strong race, 12.535 seconds behind the reigning World Champion, putting him back in second place in the overall standings.
Both drivers had started the race P1 and P2 respectively, and had a clean getaway at lights out. However, they were forced into another standing start after RB's Daniel Ricciardo and Williams' Alex Albon, both former Red Bull drivers, crashed in Sector 1.
Fortunately, it was another perfect start for the pair, who maintained their positions at the restart. Pitting strategies worked throughout the race, allowing the pair to make up the ground they lost before they ultimately reached the chequered flag in the same positions they began the race.
The result gives Red Bull their third one-two finish in a Grand Prix this season, solidifying their position at the top of the Constructors' Championship with 141 points, while Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finishing in P3 and P4 keeps the competition alive early this season.
Speaking after the race, Verstappen commented: "It was very nice, the critical bit was the start - to stay ahead. And after that, the car got better and better for me throughout the race. Pit stops went well, strategy went well, couldn't really have gone better."
He added: "The last race was a little hiccup but happy to be back here and back on top. It's fantastic to win here!"
After claiming another P2, Pérez also said: "It was a good weekend for the team, especially with the start and restart. My second start was better but not enough to get Max."
"We were undercut by Lando, so I had to push too much on the medium stint, but on the hards I was able to push and come back."
He concluded: "I think we are in a good momentum, here last year was probably my worst weekend so if we are strong in places like this, I think we can be strong everywhere."
