Max Verstappen delivered an exceptional lap at the Suzuka circuit, seizing pole position for Sunday`s Japanese Grand Prix. He narrowly edged out McLaren`s Lando Norris.
The reigning champion surpassed Norris by a mere 0.012 seconds with a final push that defied expectations and seemingly pushed the limits of what`s possible.
Verstappen expressed his surprise after qualifying, stating that the team worked tirelessly to optimize the car`s balance, which proved challenging throughout the sessions. He highlighted the incremental improvements made and described his final lap as an all-out effort, rewarding in such a demanding circuit.
Suzuka is renowned as a true driver`s circuit in Formula 1, and Verstappen`s performance further solidifies his claim as one of the best drivers on the current grid.
Verstappen matched Norris` sector times in the first two sectors but gained the crucial fraction of a second in the final sector to clinch pole.
Championship leader Norris will start in second place, followed by his teammate Oscar Piastri in third. Norris admitted he extracted the maximum from his car on his final Q3 attempt.
Norris congratulated Verstappen, acknowledging his outstanding lap and the competitive battle for pole position, although ultimately falling short.
He added that he felt he couldn`t have gone any faster, indicating he was driving at the absolute limit.
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 place.
Ferrari`s Charles Leclerc will start fourth, ahead of Mercedes` George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli in fifth and sixth respectively.
Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar achieved an impressive seventh on the grid, outqualifying his idol Lewis Hamilton, who starts eighth for Ferrari. Carlos Sainz received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Hamilton during a flying lap.
Alex Albon and Oliver Bearman of Williams and Haas respectively, completed the top ten.
Tsunoda, in his first race weekend with Red Bull, struggled to put together a clean lap in Q2 and was eliminated before Q3.
Liam Lawson, Tsunoda`s replacement at Racing Bulls, outqualified him, although both drivers were disappointed with their 14th and 15th positions.
Tsunoda appeared to encounter traffic in Q2 and failed to improve on his Q1 time.
Lawson was 0.094 seconds faster than Tsunoda in a potentially slower car but remained 0.376 seconds behind his teammate Hadjar in Q2. Tsunoda, who was close to Verstappen in Q1, was significantly slower in Q2.
Alpine`s Pierre Gasly will start 11th, narrowly missing out on the top ten. Carlos Sainz will start 12th, followed by Fernando Alonso in 13th.
Q2 was temporarily halted due to a grass fire near Turn 130R. This was the fifth such incident during the weekend, believed to be caused by sparks from the cars igniting dry grass.
Despite efforts to water the grass, the fire broke out, requiring marshals to extinguish it. Qualifying resumed after the delay.
Forecasted rain for Sunday`s race might prevent further fire incidents.
Nico Hulkenberg narrowly missed Q2 and will start 16th, alongside teammate Gabriel Bortoleto. Esteban Ocon will start 18th, and Jack Doohan returned to the track after a crash in practice.
Lance Stroll will start last after running wide and going into the gravel at the Esses.
