Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying: Verstappen Outpaces McLarens for Pole Position

In a surprising turn of events, Max Verstappen claimed pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix, surpassing McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Throughout the weekend, it seemed McLaren was poised to easily take pole, with their drivers dominating the initial races of the 2025 season. However, Red Bull`s Verstappen emerged unexpectedly to outperform them.

During Q3, Piastri initially set the fastest time, and Norris then appeared to seize pole on his second attempt. Yet, Verstappen clocked an impressive 1:26.983, securing his fourth consecutive pole at Suzuka. The top three drivers were separated by a mere fraction of a second.

Verstappen`s exceptional performance is underscored by the fact that his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, making his Red Bull debut, only managed 15th place. He finished behind Liam Lawson, the driver he replaced from Racing Bulls.

The Red Bull garage`s reaction highlighted the brilliance of Verstappen`s lap. His engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, called it `insane,` and team principal Christian Horner described it as `unbelievable`.

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari secured fourth position, while Lewis Hamilton finished eighth, three-tenths of a second behind his teammate. This result continues Hamilton`s challenging start with the Ferrari team.

Mercedes` George Russell, initially seen as a potential challenger to McLaren, finished fifth after a mistake on his final lap. His teammate, rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, achieved a promising sixth place.

Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar overcame early seat-belt issues to qualify seventh.

Alex Albon of Williams secured ninth, and British rookie Oliver Bearman impressed by reaching Q3 and finishing tenth for Haas.

Carlos Sainz from Williams finished 12th in qualifying but will start 15th on Sunday due to a grid penalty for impeding Hamilton during Q2.

Entering qualifying, concerns arose about trackside grass fires causing disruptions, following red flags in previous practice sessions. Fortunately, only one brief stoppage occurred during qualifying in Q2, without significantly affecting the competition.

While rain is expected overnight, potentially aiding the fire situation, the FIA will likely implement preventative measures to ensure the race is not affected.

Verstappen, however, brought the excitement on track, maximizing his car`s performance to clinch his first pole position since the Austrian Grand Prix in June.

Verstappen stated, `We aimed for optimal balance, which was challenging, but we made slight improvements each session.`

`That made the difference. The final lap was all-out, and it`s incredibly rewarding.`

He added, `I was fully committed on the last lap. At times, I wasn`t sure if I would stay on track.`

`Considering our season`s start and this weekend, this result is unexpected and very special.`

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner commented, `We didn`t anticipate this. Max delivered an exceptional lap, possibly one of his best qualifying laps ever.`

`He maximized performance, and securing pole, against the recent trend, is a significant boost for the team.`

Verstappen now faces a considerable challenge to hold off Norris and Piastri in the race.

Japanese GP Qualifying Timesheet