Verstappen addresses near miss after Red Bull scare

Max Verstappen has reflected on a dicey Red Bull pit stop during the Japanese Grand Prix which pushed the Dutchman perilously close to missing out on victory at Suzuka.

After qualifying on pole, the four-time F1 drivers' champion managed the first phase of the race with relative comfort, enjoying an advantage of around two seconds over Lando Norris.

However, the second McLaren of Oscar Piastri pitted at the end of lap 20, forcing Red Bull to respond, knowing Norris would likely come in the following lap.

The Milton Keynes squad's stop was a second slower than that for Norris, leaving the pair side-by-side at pit exit.

The British driver found himself on the grass, and complained Verstappen had pushed him off, but the stewards opted not to investigate the tussle after a quick look at the incident.

Looking back at the touch-and-go moment, Verstappen also highlighted a small problem that came close to plaguing his second stint.

"We had a bad pit stop, although I don't know exactly what went wrong," Verstappen told Viaplay after the race.

"Then it got a bit tight on exit and I think something went wrong with the wing adjustment at the front as well. That didn't help with the balance, but in the end I was able to make some adjustments to get the balance reasonably right."

Verstappen highlights persistent Red Bull issue

Correcting that issue allowed Verstappen to hold on for victory, the 64th of his career, with McLaren rounding out the podium positions.

It was a surprising result, given how the weekend was shaping up through the three free practice sessions, but the Dutchman's sublime qualifying effort made the difference.

It allowed him to keep both Norris and Piastri at bay, despite having a quicker package and being easier on their tyres.

"Before the weekend I didn't expect I could win," Verstappen said. "Especially not after Friday, but the most important thing was that we started from pole position.

"McLaren is just faster, only they couldn't get into the DRS to take action. They were trying to manage their tyres because you couldn't really overtake anyone on lap two either.

"You just kind of create a gap, then at the end of the stint you saw that they were getting closer again. Then they tried to attack because my tyres were getting a little too hot.

"It helped that it was a bit colder. Your tyres overheat a little less then. That remains a problem for us."