Max Verstappen showcased his dominance once again as he clinched his fourth consecutive pole position of the season during qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver outpaced his teammate Sergio Perez by a razor-thin margin of 0.066 seconds. A very impressive showing from Perez nearly placing himself on pole position. What a twist that would have been. The Mexican driver proved he can keep the pace in his Red Bull car.
The Suzuka Circuit witnessed Red Bull’s formidable pace on Saturday, with Verstappen leading the charge at the high-speed track.
Lando Norris impressed for McLaren, securing the third spot on the grid, just 0.2 seconds behind Verstappen. Carlos Sainz, the victor of the Australian Grand Prix, settled for fourth, nearly 0.2 seconds adrift of Norris, setting the stage for an intense battle at the front of the grid.
Fernando Alonso showcased his prowess by clinching fifth for Aston Martin, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri celebrated his 23rd birthday with a strong sixth-place qualifying performance. Mercedes, showing signs of improvement in previous sessions of the weekend, saw Lewis Hamilton start from seventh, unable to match the pace of the Red Bulls and the rivals around them, despite a more competitive showing.
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari struggled to find his rhythm and qualified eighth, far behind his teammate Sainz. Meanwhile, home favorite Yuki Tsunoda delighted fans with a solid performance, making it into Q3 and securing the 10th spot on the grid, ensuring a thrilling start and the potential for home points for the Japanese spectators.
In a fiercely competitive midfield, Daniel Ricciardo missed out on a top-ten spot by a mere 0.055 seconds, starting 11th on the grid alongside Nico Hukenberg in the Haas. Valtteri Bottas of Sauber and Alex Albon of Williams rounded off the midfield battle in 13th and 14th positions, respectively.
Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll faced disappointment after failing to progress from Q1, starting 16th on the grid alongside Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Kevin Magnussen in 18th. Logan Sargeant, returning after missing the Australian Grand Prix, qualified 19th ahead of Sauber’s Zhou Guanyu.
And with that, the stage is set for an exhilarating race day at Suzuka.
