According to the preliminary pictures, qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix promised no surprises; it looked as if McLaren would also fulfill its obligations in Suzuka. But then Max Verstappen appeared out of nowhere...
Accordingly, an orange car immediately took the lead in Q1, with George Russell, who had been remarkably strong throughout the weekend, claiming his place behind him. Ultimately, Russell's momentum carried through to the end of the session, and the Briton finished second behind Oscar Piastri and ahead of Lando Norris. Among those eliminated were the two Stake, Esteban Ocon, Jack Doohan, and Lance Stroll.
Q2 followed, where we immediately made an interesting observation: the other Red Bull also seemed competitive! Yuki Tsunoda was already putting in laps in the second phase, but due to a mistake, he was ruled out of Q3. Paradoxically, he was eliminated behind Liam Lawson... Nothing unusual happened at the front, however; Norris dominated this section, with Russell and Max Verstappen trying to close the gap behind him. The aforementioned list of those eliminated is completed by Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz, and Fernando Alonso.
The only big question in Q3 remained whether Russell or perhaps Verstappen would manage to pull a fast one on McLaren and steal pole position. After the first few fast laps, this didn't seem realistic, as Piastri was comfortably leading from Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. But Max Verstappen isn't known for not showing how to summon that extra power. The Dutchman achieved the "impossible" with an incredible lap, overtaking the McLarens, albeit only by a whisker. This means he can start tomorrow's race in Japan from pole position, ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri!
Photo: PlanetF1/ Fox Sports
