News of a first grandchild of Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher being born was among several stories that broke in the aftermath of Max Verstappen’s Japanese Grand Prix win
Round three of the Formula 1 season is in the books. It’s safe to say the Japanese Grand Prix won’t be one of the more memorable races held this year with overtaking at a premium at Suzuka creating a rather dull spectacle.
It did give us a third different winner of 2025, though, with Max Verstappen converting pole position into a first victory since the Qatar race last December. Low tyre degradation and only the one DRS zone helped the Dutchman to keep the McLarens behind him.
Lando Norris retains his lead at the top of the standings, though, having finished second ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri. Will he have to worry about beating Verstappen again in order to become champion this year? Only time will tell.
As is always the case after a Grand Prix, there was plenty of reaction going around in the hours after the end of the race. That included from George Russell who has made a rather grand claim about McLaren, and Lewis Hamilton who struggled again but has reason to be optimistic.
Plus, away from the action at Suzuka, there was a very nice piece of news from the family of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher. Mirror Sport has all the key headlines and stories:
READ MORE: George Russell demands F1 change as Japanese Grand Prix raises major issueREAD MORE: Max Verstappen and Lando Norris disagree as George Russell issues Bahrain Grand Prix warning
Schumacher a grandfather
Given all that the Schumacher family has gone through, it’s always nice to see them celebrating any good news. As it turns out, at the end of March they were blessed with a new arrival as the F1 legend’s daughter Gina-Maria gave birth to her first child with husband Iain Bethke.
It marks the first time Michael and wife Corinna have welcomed a grandchild. Announcing the news this weekend, Gina-Maria wrote on social media: Welcome to the world, Millie. Born on March 29, our hearts are fuller than ever. We are beyond blessed to have you in our lives.”
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Norris predicts Verstappen title challenge
Red Bull have looked off the pace this season but Verstappen’s win in Suzuka has reaffirmed Norris’ belief that he will be a title threat this year. He said: “I don’t need anyone to tell me what Max is capable of doing… I expect him to be challenging us every weekend.”
Verstappen isn’t so sure, though, and replied to the same question: “Today, we take it. It was very hard to pass around here. Bahrain – completely different track, very tough on tyres, tyres overheating as well. We still have work to do, but it does show that if we really nail everything, we can be up there.”
Hamilton upbeat as Ferrari find problem
It’s been a rocky start to the season for Hamilton and a seventh-placed finish in Japan was a continuation of that. However, speaking afterwards he offered some hope that Ferrari might be able to give him a quicker car soon after a part that was slowing him down was identified.
He said: “We’ve found something on the car that’s been underperforming for the last three races, so I’m really hoping when that’s fixed I’ll start getting a bit better results. I’m losing just over a tenth [of a second] a lap with this issue we have, so I’m hoping in the next race it’s fixed.”
Sainz fined despite illness
In their latest display of lacking any common sense, the FIA – represented by the stewards – handed out one of the more ridiculous fines you’ll see. Carlos Sainz must pay the governing body £17,000 for arriving late for the pre-race national anthem, despite the reason being that he was receiving medical treatment at the time.
The Spaniard reported experiencing stomach discomfort and he saw a doctor who gave him medication to relieve the pain. But he was fined anyway by the stewards who said: “All parties need to consider every eventuality in planning to be in position for the anthem by the required time.”
