The quadruple world champion Max Verstappen broke the history to snatch pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday before Lando Norris of McLaren, while Yuki Tsunoda qualified the 15th of his Red Bull beginnings. Verstappen timed a puffy round of 1 minute 26.983 seconds in his Red Bull, 0.012 seconds in front of the leader of the Norris championship, with the third Oscar Pitri of McLaren. Verstappen has set a new Suzuka track record with its last lap in the qualification of Saturday, piping Norris to death.
“Each session, we continued to make little improvements, then the last round was flat,” said Verstappen, who won the Japanese general practitioner in the past three years.
“In a Formula one car, here, it’s crazy. It’s a good time for us to be back on the post here.”
It was the first pole position of Verstappen for the season.
The Dutchman is still looking for his first Grand Prix victory for the new campaign.
Charles Leclerc de Ferrari finished fourth ahead of George Russell de Mercedes, with Kimi Antonelli de Mercedes and the seventh Hadjar of RB.
Lewis Hamilton de Ferrari was eighth, followed by Alex Albon de Williams and Oliver Bearman from Haas.
Norris is looking for his second Grand Prix victory of the season, after having triumph over the opening of the season in Australia.
He finished second behind Piastri in China fifteen days ago in a dominant start of the campaign for McLaren.
“I am happy, congratulations to Max, he did a good job,” said Norris.
“You have to credit something when it is a turn as good as it has to have done. I got everything out of the car today, the gaps are tiny.
“Good but not enough.”
Tsunoda was eliminated in the second quarter in a first disappointing qualification campaign for Red Bull after being promoted to Liam Lawson last week.
The Japanese pilot ended a place behind Lawson, who returned to RB after only two races for Red Bull in an exchange of ruthless pilot.
Verstappen does not seem comfortable this week and he complained to his team again during the radio in the first quarter.
“I always have the same problem, the tires are not striking on the front,” said the Dutchman.
Pierre Gasly d’Alpine, Carlos Sainz de Williams and Fernando Alonso from Aston Martin were eliminated in the second quarter with Lawson and Tsunoda.
The Sauber Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, Esteban Ocon de Haas, Jack Doohan of Alpine and the Lance promenade of Aston Martin were all eliminated in the first quarter.
Doohan’s practice ended on Friday when he crashed sharply in a barrier and the mechanics had to work overnight to repair his seriously damaged car.
The qualifications were suspended for about eight minutes in the second trimester when a small track broke out while the sparks of the cars ignited the grass in dry conditions.
It was the fifth incident of this weekend, the second and third training sessions also disturbed by fires.
The rain was scheduled for Sunday race.
(This story has not been published by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a unionized flow.)
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