Max Verstappen Edges Out McLaren Duo to Snatch Shock Pole at Japanese Grand Prix
Max Verstappen stunned the field at Suzuka by snatching pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix, beating McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri with a spectacular lap late in qualifying.
Heading into the session, McLaren were the team to beat after dominating all three practice sessions. Both Norris and Piastri have taken a win apiece this season, and looked poised to continue their form in Japan.
However, Verstappen – who had struggled to find pace and confidence in his Red Bull throughout the weekend – pulled off a blistering lap to take pole by just 0.012 seconds ahead of Norris.
His race engineer summed up the lap over the team radio: “That was insane.”
“We made little steps forward in every session,” Verstappen said. “That made the difference. The final lap was all-out. Now we’ll focus on tomorrow and try to get the job done.”
Despite missing out, Norris was upbeat and praised Verstappen’s performance.
“I’m happy. Congrats to Max – he did a great job,” said Norris. “You’ve got to respect a lap like that. It’ll be an exciting race.”
Oscar Piastri will start from third on the grid – fittingly on his birthday – with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc lining up in fourth.
George Russell, after consecutive podiums to start the season, could only manage fifth in his Mercedes, while teammate Lewis Hamilton continued to struggle and will start from eighth.
Rising British talent Oliver Bearman delivered a standout performance, making it into Q3 for the first time this season and qualifying 10th in his Haas.
Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda had a difficult session on his Red Bull debut, finishing 15th after replacing Liam Lawson. In a twist, Lawson—back with Racing Bulls—qualified one place ahead in 14th, having made it out of Q1 for the first time this season.
Qualifying was marred by ongoing issues with grass fires around the circuit—sparked by the cars’ underbody skid blocks. The fires caused delays on both Friday and Saturday, with multiple red flags in practice. Despite the FIA’s attempts to control the situation by watering the grass, Q2 was temporarily halted once again for fire control.
Japanese GP Top 10 Qualifying Results:
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
- Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Oliver Bearman (Haas)
Looking Ahead:
With Verstappen back on form and McLaren right on his heels, Sunday’s race promises fireworks at Suzuka. Will Red Bull maintain control, or can the McLarens strike again?
