Max Verstappen once again showcased his brilliance by snatching pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.
The reigning champion’s final lap edged out McLaren’s Lando Norris by a mere 0.012 seconds, leaving spectators and competitors in awe.
Despite trailing McLaren throughout the weekend, Verstappen’s stunning performance in the last moments of qualifying brought excitement to the Red Bull garage.
His race engineer Giampiero Lambiase described the feat as “insane.” Even Norris acknowledged the Dutchman’s excellence, stating, “Max did an amazing lap.”
Oscar Piastri, Norris’s teammate, started strong by leading the initial laps but finished third, narrowly ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Mercedes’ George Russell claimed fifth, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton had a challenging session and settled for eighth.
Qualifying was marred by grass fires at Suzuka, which interrupted the proceedings multiple times. Safety measures, including dousing the grass with water, were implemented to mitigate the issue, but the problem persisted.
With rain forecast overnight, officials are under pressure to ensure smooth conditions for Sunday’s race.
