Max Verstappen Takes Pole Position in Japanese GP Qualifying

In a dramatic qualifying session at Suzuka, Max Verstappen of Red Bull delivered an exceptional lap to seize pole position for Sunday`s Japanese Grand Prix. He narrowly edged out McLaren`s Lando Norris.

The reigning world champion surpassed Norris by a mere 0.012 seconds with a stunning final attempt. This performance was unexpected based on recent form and showcased incredible car control.

“The last lap was absolutely flat out,” Verstappen commented after qualifying. “Pushing to the limit here is incredibly rewarding.”

Suzuka is renowned as a true test for drivers in Formula 1, and Verstappen`s lap further solidifies his reputation as a top driver in the sport.

Verstappen matched Norris` sector times in the first two sectors but gained the crucial fraction of a second needed for pole position in the final sector.

Norris, who will start second, stated he maximized his car`s potential on his final Q3 run. His teammate Oscar Piastri will start third, completing a strong McLaren showing.

This year`s Red Bull car is known to be challenging to drive at its limit, evidenced by Verstappen`s teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, qualifying in 15th position.

Ferrari`s Charles Leclerc will start fourth, followed by the Mercedes cars of George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli in fifth and sixth places, respectively.

Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar achieved an impressive seventh on the grid, ahead of his idol Lewis Hamilton in eighth for Ferrari.

Alex Albon and Oliver Bearman of Williams and Haas respectively, completed the top ten grid positions.

Tsunoda, after his move to Red Bull for this race, struggled to put together a clean lap in Q2 and was eliminated before Q3.

Liam Lawson, Tsunoda`s replacement at Racing Bulls, outqualified him despite returning to his former team. However, neither driver was satisfied with their 14th and 15th positions.

Tsunoda appeared to encounter traffic during his second Q2 lap and could not improve his Q1 time.

Lawson was slightly faster than Tsunoda in a car expected to be slower, but still considerably behind his teammate Hadjar`s Q2 pace. Tsunoda was significantly slower than Verstappen in Q2 compared to their Q1 performance.

Pierre Gasly of Alpine will start 11th, narrowly missing the top ten. Carlos Sainz in a Williams will start 12th, and Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin in 13th.

Q2 was temporarily halted due to a grass fire near Turn 130R. This was the fifth such fire incident this weekend, believed to be caused by sparks from the cars igniting dry grass.

The FIA had attempted to prevent fires by watering the grass, but an incident still occurred. Qualifying resumed after marshals extinguished the fire.

Rain is forecasted for Sunday`s race, which might prevent further fire incidents.

Nico Hulkenberg missed Q2 by a small margin and will start 16th, alongside his Sauber teammate Gabriel Bortoleto. Esteban Ocon will start 18th, ahead of Jack Doohan, who returned after a crash in practice.

Lance Stroll of Aston Martin will start last after an error in the Esses section of the track.