Max Verstappen Storms To Shock Suzuka Pole

Today, in Suzuka, Max Verstappen took what is surely one of the greatest of his 41 pole positions to date, with a fantastic final run to set a best time of 1’26”983, a record for this circuit. It is the Dutchman’s first pole since last year’s Austrian Grand Prix, his fourth in a row at Suzuka, meaning he has always been quickest since the introduction of the current generation of cars. It is Red Bull’s ninth Japanese Grand Prix pole, its 104th in total.

Verstappen was just fractionally faster than the McLaren duo: Lando Norris was second, 12 thousandths of a second slower, with Oscar Piastri third at a distance of 44 thousandths.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented to the four-time world champion by Jean Alesi. The Frenchman raced 12 times at Suzuka, his best result being a third place with Ferrari in 1994. Alesi, who is very popular in Japan, also raced in one (1995) of the two Pacific Grand Prix events held at Aida. His Formula 1 career ended here in Suzuka in 2001, having taken part in 201 grands prix, with one win to his name, in Canada in 1995.

All three compounds were used in the third free practice session. The five drivers who did not use the Hard yesterday – Verstappen, Tsunoda, Norris, Ocon and Bearman – did so today, although the McLaren driver only did a single scrubbing-in lap.

In qualifying the only splash of yellow in an otherwise totally red picture in the context of tyre use, was down to Hamilton who opted for the Medium for his first run in Q1. Today’s pole time is 1”214 faster than that set by Verstappen last year.

Max Verstappen – P1

“It’s been an incredible qualifying for us even though the weekend has been quite tough so far. We kept working and the changes that we made going into qualifying helped as we were lacking a bit of pace before. The car got a little better and we could attack the corners a bit more. During qualifying we kept trying to find little gains and drive to the limit meaning that we improved nicely, which made the difference today. Every lap that we did we built on and learned from. We maximised what we had, didn’t make any mistakes in the lap and it was a great result in the end. Pole was a surprise for everyone as so far this year we have not been the best on race pace, so I am very happy for the Team. Tomorrow the rain might make it a bit more of an interesting race and we will do our best to get the best possible result.”

Christian Horner – Red Bull Team Principal

“An unbelievable lap from Max to take a fourth consecutive pole position here in Suzuka! We’ve turned the car upside down this weekend and Max has worked hard with his team to get the car in the window. Collectively, they have done a great job and then Max went and nailed it. That was one of his best laps in qualifying ever, plus a new lap record; truly outstanding. It was a very well deserved, if not slightly unexpected pole. It was unfortunate for Yuki who just lost a couple of tenths in the first sector that cost him a chance of Q3. He’s settled in well and has been right there all weekend until that moment. He will race well from there tomorrow.”

Mario Isola – Pirelli Director of Motorsport

“Once again we witnessed a qualifying session that was exciting from the beginning, all the way to the chequered flag and beyond, with pole position changing hands three times in the final minute, ending with the top three within 44 thousandths of a second.

“Tomorrow’s race is also shaping up to be a thriller, because the weather is uncertain, with the forecast for rain definitely expected in the morning, with the possibility of it also falling from 2pm onwards, while if it’s dry, then various strategies are possible. Firstly, it’s worth underlining that all three compounds can have a part to play. The Soft, which has even offered a good level of performance beyond one flying lap could on paper be used by those looking to do a one-stop and those opting for a two-stop.

“The data from the weekend has tipped the scales marginally towards a one-stop strategy, with the fastest option being one set of Medium and one of Hard. Simulation suggests the two-stop is not that far off, with all combinations possible, whether using two or all three compounds. The rain could play an important role, even if it does not fall during the race. In fact, depending on its strength, track conditions could revert to those seen yesterday morning, before the cars had starting running. That could make graining more likely and therefore the choice could swing back towards a two-stop. As you can see, there are so many variables in play, ensuring unpredictability and a great show.”