After the start on the Suzuka track in the rain, several accidents occurred at once in the race.
Aston Martin's Sebastian Vettel and Alpina's Fernando Alonso collided at turn one but drove on.
But the Ferrari pilot Carlos Sainz crashed the car, losing control over it.
After Sainz's accident, the race directorate released the safety car and then stopped the race.
The reason for the stop could be a large amount of water on the track and the need to restore the fenders after the accident.
Previously, Verstappen won the Japanese Grand Prix qualification.