Max Verstappen's gesture after being overtaken at Japanese Grand Prix sums up his season

Max Verstappen was able to see the funny side with a gesture to Pierre Gasly after the Alpine overtook him at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Kimi Antonelli became the youngest ever F1 championship leader in Japan, after he converted his second consecutive pole position to victory in Suzuka.

The teenager heads into the month long break before the Miami Grand Prix with a nine point lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell, who finished off the podium for the first time in 2026.

Russell was unable to get past Ferrari's Charles Leclerc who defended valiantly, with McLaren's Oscar Piastri finishing in second after leading the opening exchanges.

Lando Norris also pipped Lewis Hamilton to fifth, making it a successful weekend for the Papaya after an extremely difficult start to the season.

However, there was no change of fortune for Verstappen, who came home in eighth place after missing out on the top 10 in qualifying.

The Dutchman spent the majority of the race behind his former Red Bull teammate Gasly, who continued his run of scoring points in every grand prix this season.

Verstappen did manage to get past the Frenchman at the final chicane, however, immediately lost the position down the home straight after using up his battery.

As Gasly roared past, fans spotted Verstappen wave the Alpine by on his onboard as he was helpless to defend due to the huge speed differential.

Verstappen waved as he was passed by Gasly due to a depleted battery 🪫👋#JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/hq90PlbB41

— Autosport (@autosport) March 29, 2026

Following the race, Verstappen was asked if he was indeed waving, which he quickly replied: "Yes.

"My battery was dead and because of that I suddenly went fifty kilometers per hour slower," Verstappen added.

"You can't overtake" says Verstappen after Gasly battle

Verstappen has made no secret of his disdain for the current regulations, and admitted he was desperate for another miserable grand prix to come to an end.

"To be honest, I was counting down the laps, I was behind him in China as well, so I know exactly what his back looks like.

"You can't overtake properly with these cars, yes, you can, but then you have no battery left."

"I'm just trying to laugh about it, because I don't want to act frustrated all the time. But this is obviously not good."

Gasly was also quizzed about his battle with Verstappen, but was quick to heap praise on his machinery rather than his own personal performance.

"It's the best car I've had in my entire F1 career," he told the media.

"Max Verstappen put a lot of pressure on me; I tried to go as fast as possible, without worrying about the tires and without making mistakes.

"Verstappen looked a bit bigger in the rearview mirror"