Sawt Falasteen - Max power, Tsunoda's mixed debut, quick Kimi: Japan GP talking points

AFP Sport looks at three talking points from the third race weekend on the 24-leg 2025 Formula One calendar:

- Never rule out Max -

Verstappen had endured a difficult start to the season by his stellar standards but the four-time world champion gave another reminder of his timeless talent at Suzuka.

After an unremarkable practice performance, the Dutchman reeled off a last-gasp lap for the ages in qualifying to snatch pole position from Norris.

Verstappen then went about his business in typically ruthless fashion in Sunday's race, establishing his dominance early on and never looking like giving up his lead.

Norris took a peck at him as the pair emerged from the pits together but Verstappen bit straight back, forcing the McLaren driver to back off into the grass.

From then on Norris and Piastri were left hoping Verstappen would make a mistake -- something the Red Bull driver is not in the business of doing.

Team principal Christian Horner called Verstappen "Mr Motivator" and Norris said no one should be surprised at his rival's defiant performance.

"I know how good he is, I know what he's capable of doing," said Norris.

"Nothing is a surprise anymore."

- Tsunoda's mixed start -

Verstappen ended up hogging the headlines at Suzuka but it was his new Red Bull teammate Tsunoda who was the centre of attention heading into the weekend.

The Japanese driver said he was relishing the pressure after replacing the underperforming Liam Lawson just two races into the season.

Tsunoda showed early promise in practice but fluffed his lines in qualifying, leaving him with too much work to do in the race on the way to a 12th-placed finish.

Horner called it a "solid performance" and backed Tsunoda to improve at this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix.

But only Verstappen has scored points for the team in three race weekends this season, and the Dutchman made it clear this week that he was not happy with the way the driver switch was handled.

Verstappen also pointed out that his race win does not paper over the cracks at a Red Bull team with issues still to resolve.

"From our side, we want to be better than just sometimes," said the Dutchman, whose happiness with the team remains under constant scrutiny.

- Antonelli impresses -

Kimi Antonelli couldn't have had bigger shoes to fill when he replaced seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes this season but the Italian rookie is already showing why the German team put their faith in him.

At 18 years and 224 days, Antonelli became the youngest driver to lead an F1 race when he briefly moved into first place at Suzuka with Verstappen and the chasing pack in the pits.

Antonelli went on to finish sixth, one place behind teammate George Russell, to add another feather to his cap in an impressive start to the campaign.

The youngster was also fourth in Australia and sixth in China, and his early form has impressed Mercedes bosses.

"He has built his confidence over the weekend at a demanding track and achieved a solid result," said team official Bradley Lord.

"His development is encouraging to see and it's a third consecutive strong race performance from him."

The previous youngest driver to lead a grand prix was Verstappen, who went on to win the race in Spain in 2016.

M.Qasim--SF-PST