Verstappen on pole in Japan as Red Bull dominate

Max Verstappen led a Red Bull front-row lockout at the Japanese Grand Prix after pipping teammate Sergio Pere to pole position. Verstappen was in control throughout qualifying and into the top-10 shootout, when both his laps quick enough to secure pole. But Perez gave him an unexpected run for his money at the checkered flag, closing to within 0.023s with his second flying lap. Verstappen’s response stretched the advantage to a slender 0.066s, the finest margin between the two since Perez started from pole at last May’s Miami Grand Prix. The Dutchman felt he hadn’t got the most from his final lap but was satisfied to secure pole ahead of a race that always favors track position. “I think overall his track is very sensitive with the tires, with the tarmac being really aggressive,” he said. “When you go to the limit, it doesn’t always work out. “You want every lap to be perfect, but around a track like this it’s not always the case. “Of course tomorrow is what counts. It’s great as a team to be P1 and P2. Hopefully we can keep that going also for tomorrow.” Perez lamented a slow final sector that cost him a likely pole, though P2 still represents his best qualifying result since Miami last year, when he headed the grid. “It was really close today with Max,” he said. “It felt like a good lap. “It was quite tricky out there actually, especially closing out the lap — it was easy to lose a couple of tenths into the chicane. “I think we’ve been really close all weekend, all the way through qualifying as well. When you’re in those little margins, anything can make a difference.” Despite Red Bull’s qualifying domination, Perez was cautious about the team’s race prospects. “I think our long run pace hasn’t been that strong this morning, but we’ve worked quite a bit, so hopefully tomorrow we’ll be able to be strong,” he said. Lando Norris completed the top 10, lapping 0.292s off pole but putting himself comfortably ahead the rest of the frontrunning pack. Suzuka was among McLaren’s strongest circuits last season, and Norris, who finished second in Japan in 2023, was optimistic that he could collect a second consecutive podium. “It’s nice to still be here ,” he said. “We’ve had a good weekend. We’ve made some good steps forward. “We’re trying to catch up to these two Red Bulls. The whole team’s doing a good job. We’re working hard, and the hard work is paying off slowly.” Carlos Sainz led the way for Ferrari, but he was 0.485s off the pace and 0.193s slower than Norris, though the Spaniard pointed to a throttle issue that hampered him for most of the session as contributing to the gap. Fernando Alonso was fifth with a strong final lap, putting him just 0.004s behind Sainz in his updated Aston Martin machine. It also put him one place ahead of Oscar Piastri, who lacked in the middle sector relative to his high-flying teammate. Lewis Hamilton’s pre-qualifying optimism took a hit with seventh on the grid and 0.569s off pole, pegging Mercedes as slowest among the leading group. Charles Leclerc will start eighth after setting just one lap in Q3, having used an extra set of tires to ensure progression from Q1. He was nonetheless only 0.02s slower than Hamilton and quicker than George Russell, who qualified ninth. Russell will be investigated after the session for an unsafe release at the beginning of Q1, cutting off Piastri as he exited his garage to join the fast lane. Yuki Tsunoda qualified 10th, his third Q3 appearance of the season, after pipping RB teammate Daniel Ricciardo to the place at the end of Q2 by just 0.055s. Ricciardo will start 11th on the grid ahead of Nico Hulkenberg, Valtteri Bottas, Alex Albon and Esteban Ocon, who was thrilled to get Alpine out of the bottom five. Lance Stroll was scrappy throughout Q1, leaving him vulnerable to a superb Bottas lap to knock him out in 16th, almost 0.8s slower than Q3-bound teammate Alonso. Pierre Gasly complained of poor traction on his way to 17th ahead of Kevin Magnussen and Logan Sargeant. Zhou Guanyu was another driver to lament a lack of grip, slipping and sliding his way through the final chicane on his way to last on the grid.