Max Verstappen caused a late upset in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix, punching in a record-breaking lap to beat Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to pole position at the Suzuka Circuit.
McLaren had looked like the clear frontrunners after topping all three practice sessions, and they picked up where they left off in Q1. Most eyes, however, were on Isack Hadjar as the Frenchman battled through significant discomfort in the cockpit to escape the bottom five.
Elsewhere, Yuki Tsunoda enjoyed a strong first qualifying session as a Red Bull driver, finishing one spot behind Verstappen. Liam Lawson squeezed his way into Q2 on his return to the Racing Bulls squad.
Norris closed in on Sebastian Vettel’s track record with his opening lap in Q2, but the session was then disrupted by another grass fire. When it resumed, Tsunoda’s strong run ended, and the home hero was eliminated before the final part of qualifying.
The lap record did topple in Q3. Piastri’s first run was good enough to eclipse Vettel’s time and set the Australian on provisional pole. Verstappen sat behind him, while Norris was only fourth-fastest after a sloppy lap.
The fight looked to be between the two McLaren drivers after Norris improved to provisional pole, but Verstappen soared from nowhere to break the track record and clinch pole position. Now, attention turns to Sunday, with rain on the cards for the Japanese GP.
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