Verstappen wins first battle of the day against Norris but reports issues after the start

Off the line, Verstappen managed to cut across Norris immediately and keep the lead of the Japanese Grand Prix, starting from pole position.

The Briton also had a good start, and remained in P2 and ahead of Oscar Piastri starting from the right, worse side of the grid.

However, after the first laps, the defending world champion reported an issue over the team radio. "My upshifts are again really bad," he first said. He then added: "The upshits are worse in the final sector."

Afterwards, his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase responded to him, saying that it should get better during the upcoming laps.

On Lap 7, Verstappen confirmed that the shifts are "better."

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