The victory at Suzuka was the Dutch driver's 13th in 16 races this season and left him on the brink of a third world title.
Nico Rosberg crossed the line a mammoth 37.7 seconds ahead of German compatriot Sebastian Vettel, who recovered after colliding with his Ferrari team mate Kimi Raikkonen at the first corner, to claim his third win from three races this season.
Lewis Hamilton tightened his grip on securing a fifth Formula One world title by coming from nowhere to claim a stunning pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix in his Mercedes on Saturday.
Verstappen suffered two retirements from the first three races but has otherwise finished all but two rounds in the top three.
Sebastian Vettel justified his favourite tag for the Singapore Grand Prix when he stormed clear of his rivals in Friday's second free practice, lapping more than half a second quicker than Red Bull team mate Mark Webber.
Formula One faces a risk: with Malaysia pulling out of a new deal, they could altogether lose their presence in Southeast Asia, one of the world's fastest-growing regions.
The German, Canadian and Brazilian grands prix were listed as subject to confirmation on a record-equalling 21-race provisional calendar for 2017 published by Formula One's governing body on Wednesday.
The South-East Asian country is a growing market for sponsors such as brewer Heineken and will give the region four races on the calendar again after the departure of Malaysia last year.
Germany's Nico Rosberg put Mercedes on pole position for Sunday's Japanese Formula One Grand Prix with championship-leading teammate Lewis Hamilton joining him on the front row.
Formula One will have a record 24 races next season with Las Vegas making its floodlit debut in November and Monaco signing a new deal to secure its place on the calendar until at least 2025.
Formula One's governing body is to investigate an incident that saw cars cleared to race while a marshal was still on track following a Singapore Grand Prix safety car period on Sunday.
'I find it ridiculous what happened, so why should I then give full answers?'
He will be hoping to maintain his push for a first championship with a maiden win in Singapore, a race that has only ever been won by world champions since the inaugural grand prix in 2008. "It may be time to change that then," said Rosberg, when reminded of the statistic.
'I watched Senna as a child and it would be an honour to match him. Now I'm just one win away but I hope to do even better'
Four-times world champion Sebastian Vettel won the Australian Grand Prix for Ferrari on Sunday to dash Mercedes' hopes of extending their dominance into a fourth successive season of Formula One.
'It's still a long way to go and I know I lost some points today but I was fast and on form and I will make sure I bring that out to Suzuka to fight back'
Fresh from a podium finish in Singapore, Timo Glock is uncertain which Formula One team he will represent next season but another good showing for Toyota in Suzuka on Sunday would certainly raise his profile.
Rediff.com gives you a glimpse of the best sporting action from the week gone by.
Singapore will be counting on its marquee Formula One race to help make up for a 30 percent drop in Chinese tourists this year.
The chief executive officer-cum-managing director of Jaypee Sports International Sameer Gaur is hopeful that the Indian Grand Prix Formula One race will make a grand comeback in 2015 after being pulled off in 2014.
Williams defended their young and inexperienced Formula One drivers
The pole, Vettel's 47th, ended a run of 18 in a row for world champions Mercedes who had Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton right behind the two red cars in third and fourth places.
Formula One's first foray into night-time racing got under way on Friday with Italian Giancarlo Fisichella steering his Force India car onto the streets of Singapore to start free practice.
The first 17-year-old to race in Formula One became the sport's first 18-year-old driver on Wednesday and Toro Rosso's Max Verstappen is happy to reach the milestone.
Lewis Hamilton believes Charles Leclerc has usurped four times world champion team mate Sebastian Vettel as Ferrari's favourite.
'As soon as I leave the races I'm able to switch off. I've got, obviously other things that I'm doing, and in between, trying to fit in the training, for example, in the last week, has not been easy'
Miami makes its debut in May while Qatar drops off for a year due to hosting the football World Cup and China is still missing due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Red Bull's Mark Webber faces a 10-place grid penalty at the Korean Grand Prix after being reprimanded for hitching a lift on Fernando Alonso's Ferrari at the end of Sunday's race in Singapore.
A simmering feud between Formula One's Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa threatened to explode on Sunday when the pair clashed again under the Singapore floodlights.
Flammini would like to see a Grand Prix in Rome from 2011 but any plan would have to be approved by Formula One's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who is not short of would-be hosts.
Sahara Force India missed out on Q3 yet again as Adrian Sutil, on Saturday, qualified 14th just ahead of teammate Paul di Resta for Sunday's Korean Grand Prix, in Yeongam.
Drivers run the show but it's the fans who make a Formula One race special and the Indian Grand Prix can become one of the most exciting races on the calendar if the home fans support the event, outgoing McLaren star Lewis Hamilton said on Wednesday.
A mix of interesting events, coupled with big, shocking results, in the sporting world, grabbed headlines last week. From Manchester United being stunned by Watford to lose their third consecutive match to Nico Rosberg taking the World Championship lead from Mercedes teammate and rival Lewis Hamilton by clinching the Singapore Grand Prix. The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games were brought to a close inside a packed Maracana Stadium on Sunday evening. Not before, we witnessed some enthralling action.
Sauber's Sergio Perez is playing his cards close to his chest regarding his Formula One future after arriving in Singapore for Sunday's grand prix fresh from a third podium of the season in Monza two weeks ago.
India has been dropped as previously announced, with hopes for a comeback in 2015, while Austria is due to make a return after an 11-year break with a race at Spielberg on June 22.
Fernando Alonso has said he will do what he can to help Ferrari's Felipe Massa beat Lewis Hamilton to the Formula One title.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc qualified fourth with Mexican Sergio Perez, Verstappen's closest title rival and team mate but a massive 151 points adrift after 15 of 22 rounds, fifth and 0.773 off his team mate's pace.
Charles Leclerc swept to pole position for the Mexico City Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday with Carlos Sainz qualifying second in a surprise Ferrari front-row lockout.
Stirling Moss, the British racing driver who ranked as one of the all-time Formula One greats despite never winning the world championship, died on Sunday at the age of 90 after a long illness. News of his passing was mourned across the world of motorsport, with Formula One hailing a 'legend' and 'one of the true greats'.
Formula One's governing body ordered an immediate clampdown on access to the pit lane on Tuesday after a television cameraman was struck and injured by a bouncing wheel at last weekend's German Grand Prix.
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