A foretold finale that saw McLaren on the front row; however, it will be Max Verstappen who will start from the first box in tomorrow’s race (07:00 Italian time). Incredible performance of the rookies, Antonelli 6th. What happened during qualifying in Japan?
“Pure class” is how Christian Horner celebrates the lion of Milton Keynes, Max Verstappen. The Dutchman managed to take his fourth consecutive pole position at Suzuka with strategy and wisdom, ruining Woking’s plans for a repeat of the event in China, with the two McLarens on the front row. Alongside the number one will start Lando Norris, in second place with a gap of just 0.012 seconds.
The No. 81 McLaren, that of Oscar Piastri, will start from the third position flanking the SF-25 of Charles Leclerc. Also defeated is Mercedes, which, after sending warning messages to Andrea Stella’s team during free practice, will totally occupy the third row with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. Closing the first five rows of the Japanese Grand Prix grid are Isack Hadjar and Lewis Hamilton in fourth; while, Alex Albon and Oliver Bearman.
Japan Qualifying Report
09:09 – MAX VERSTAPPEN GAINS FOURTH CONSECUTIVE POLE POSITION IN JAPAN.
09:06 – Back on track. Oliver Bearman and Kimi Antonelli launch themselves trying to improve their position, currently in 8th and 10th respectively. Lando Norris also tries to snatch the best time from his teammate to win his second pole position of the year and succeeds by dropping the time to 1:26.995.
09:02 – Charles Leclerc slots into third position, between the four-time world champion and the number 63 of Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, moves into sixth position behind the No. 4 McLaren. With less than five minutes to go, all the drivers return to the pits.
08:59 – Silver lightning with George Russell dictating the time in 1:27.318, but Oscar Piastri flies and takes provisional pole with a 0.226 lead over Verstappen and Russell, also breaking the track record. Lando Norris, fifth.
08:55 – All set for Q3. Who will get the pole position at Suzuka? Taking the track with used rubber are Kimi Antonelli, Oliver Bearman, Isack Hadjar and Alex Albon.
08:47 – Yuki Tsunoda is eliminated, as is Liam Lawson. Incredible performance by Oliver Bearman who finishes in eighth position, behind his former teammate in PREMA, Kimi Antonelli. At the end of the session, it is noted impeding of Carlos Sainz on Lewis Hamilton. For the Spaniard, three penalty positions could be triggered in the race.
08:39 – Japan’s second phase of qualifying resumes! Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton try to improve, but the two Ferrari drivers remain in fourth and fifth position with a gap of almost five tenths from the leader.
08:32 – RED FLAG! The grass bordering the track is on fire again, as had happened during FP2 and FP3. The Federation had informed that in the interval between the last free practice session and the start of qualifying, “all resources will be dedicated to further moistening the grass.” The session was temporarily halted with 8 minutes and 26 seconds remaining.
08:25 – Q2 begins! Max Verstappen immediately positions himself at the exit of the pit lane. The Dutch driver manages to set the second fastest time. The first position, on the other hand, seems to be now assigned to McLaren; Lando Norris closes the first lap in 1:27.146, very close to the track record set by Sebastian Vettel in 1:27.064.
08:18 – The Mercedes driver from Bologna manages to save himself by placing 8th behind the two Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda. The trend of the first phase of qualifying in Japan shows that McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull are close, all within less than three tenths. Isack Hadjar is also safe despite reported difficulties at the pit wall. The French rookie, along with the New Zealand driver, manage to bring the two cars of the Faenza-based stable to Q2.
08:16 – With two minutes to go in Q1, all drivers are trying to improve their times. Currently the eliminated are Liam Lawson, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Antonelli, Isack Hadjar and Lance Stroll. On the wire, however, is Esteban Ocon.
08:10 – While Liam Lawson shines at the wheel of the VCARB02, his pitmate Isack Hadjar again feels the problems in the cockpit reported during FP3. Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, sits between the two papayas in 1:27.920.
08:06 – The first results of the qualifying session at Suzuka are starting to come in. Oscar Piastri dictates the pace, ahead of George Russell just +0.058 behind. In third position comes Lando Norris. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen complains about his RB21’s lack of grip on the Japanese track.
08:01 – Green light for Q1. First on track are the two Haas drivers, followed by Jack Doohan’s Alpine and Carlos Sainz’s Williams. Lewis Hamilton, the only one with a yellow tire, also wastes no time coming out of the pits.
07:39 – Everything is ready! Only 20 minutes to go until qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix. Will George Russell be able to get Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in trouble?
Although McLaren has consistently dominated all the free practice sessions, it was Mercedes with George Russell who showed up at Suzuka as the real opponent of the Woking stable. In trouble, however, appear to be the two Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. In addition, eyes will be on Yuki Tsunoda in his Red Bull debut; the Japanese driver has seemed at ease during previous sessions.
Having filed FP3 in the early hours of the Italian morning on April 5, the focus shifts to qualifying, which will decide who will start from pole position. During last year’s event in Japan, Max Verstappen had taken pole with a time of 1:28.197. This year, however, it seems that the time to beat is even lower, considering Lando Norris’ best time (1:27.965) obtained in the last free practice session.
Photo: McLaren, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.
