Japanese GP Recap:

Mini George and Suzuka History for Kimi

Age is just a Number

Kimi had already joined some exclusive age-related company with his weekend in Australia, but there were a couple more milestones the 18-year-old Italian took home with him from Japan.

By leading the Grand Prix for 10 laps on Sunday, Kimi became the youngest driver ever to lead an F1 race, breaking the record previously held by Max Verstappen from the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix by just four days.

Furthermore, Kimi’s fastest lap – which under F1 rules for 2025 no longer receives a World Championship point – also saw him become the youngest driver to record an F1 fastest lap in the sport’s history.

And all this achieved at a circuit he had never even raced at before the weekend. Bravissimo, Kimi!

Momentum Maintained

After two podiums to start the season in Melbourne and Shanghai, George’s weekend was a little less eventful this time around. Started P5, finished P5.

That result did extend his run of top-five finishes to seven Grands Prix going back to last season and makes 2025 his best start to a campaign after three races – 45 points vs 37 in 2022.

Fifth did mark his best result at Suzuka in five attempts, however, and his run of consecutive Q3 appearances now stands at 14 – the longest active streak of any drive currently on the grid.

There was even time for a new ‘Russellism’ to be added to the dictionary too!

George and Mini George

Rewind a year, and our star of the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix was undoubtedly Sogo, the George superfan who made himself known on the fan stage at last year’s race.

While the youngster got his chance to meet George briefly last year, this time around we made sure ‘Mini George’ got a whole day with his hero.

From a surprise meet-and-greet, to a chance to sit in George’s car, to practising the T-Pose together, and some dedicated lego time, George and the team made sure Sogo went home from Suzuka smiling.

Thank you for your continued incredible support, Sogo and family, same time next year?!

Kimi Gets by (With a Little Help from His Friends)

Kimi revealed last week that in between getting to grips with a rookie season in Formula One, he’s also been revising for his school exams!

But away from the algebra and science, there have been new circuits to study for as well.

Step forward, Professor Valtteri Bottas.

The Finn, who triumphed at Suzuka in 2019 for the team, was on hand to provide support to Kimi between Friday and Saturday, helping the 18-year-old to extract the most from his W16 when it mattered most on Saturday afternoon.

“I didn’t have a lot of confidence going into Quali, but we kept working hard at it,” said Kimi post-session on Saturday night.

“Bono and George have been a great support, and Valtteri has been giving me plenty of advice.”

The Pointed-Stars in Three-Pointed Stripes

The fans in Japan are always decked out in some incredible special looks, but our drivers also made sure they arrived at Suzuka in style over the course of the weekend.

Both George and Kimi turned up to the paddock in some of the new adidas fanwear on Thursday at Suzuka, the first race-specific fit of the new season since the adidas and the team joined forces at the beginning of the year.