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 Gran💮d Prix, i﷽t has been claimed.

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 victory of the 2025 season in Sunday’s race at Su🌠zuka.

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 converted ಞinto the win despite race-long pressure from the quicker McLarens behind.

McLaren’s strategy came under fire, as did their decision not to swapꦓ their drivers and enable Piastri - who appeared faster in the closing stages - to try and put pressure on 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 dr🌸ive by Ma🐓x.”

1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve said: “McLaren don’t 💖seꦦem overly disappointed which is strange as they should have been first and second.

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

The result strengthen💟e𒉰d McLaren’s position at the top of the constructors’ world championship.

McLaren are 36 points cle꧙ar of Mercedes꧟ and 50 ahead of Red Bull.

However, Verstappen’s first win of 2025 has🅠 moved him to within aℱ point of early championship leader Norris.

Piastri hasꦏ moved up to third in the drivers’ s✤tandings, 13 points behind his McLaren teammate.

McLaren explain strategy

“Certainly the rac🐻e was mostly decided yesterday when Verstappen managed to score the pole position,” 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 for our car but we see the others are not far behind and sometimes ahead🍷.

"We saw that staying out would no🦹t have been faster than pitting. We saw that from [Mercedes'] George Russell, who was fast on the hard tyres after pitting.

“Clearly there wasn’t the possibility like there is sometimes to go for the overcut. Youꦉ 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 P𓆉iastri have a go at attacking Verstappen, Stella replied: "It takes about eight teꦕnths of a second to attack the car ahead.

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