Max Verstappen delivered a major surprise by seizing pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix, surpassing McLaren`s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Throughout the weekend, it seemed like pole position would easily go to McLaren, whose drivers had each secured a pole and a win in the first two races of the 2025 season. However, Red Bull`s Verstappen emerged unexpectedly to outperform them.
Piastri initially set the fastest time in Q3, and Norris then appeared to have claimed pole with his second attempt. But Verstappen clocked a time of 1:26.983, securing his fourth consecutive pole at Suzuka, with the top three drivers separated by less than a tenth of a second.
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The exceptional nature of Verstappen`s performance was highlighted by his teammate, four-time world champion Yuki Tsunoda, who only managed 15th place in his Red Bull debut. He finished behind Liam Lawson, the driver he replaced from Racing Bulls.
The brilliance of Verstappen`s lap was also evident in the reaction from the Red Bull garage. His engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, described it as `insane,` and team principal Christian Horner called it `unbelievable`.
Charles Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari, while Lewis Hamilton was three-tenths slower than his teammate in a disappointing eighth place, continuing the seven-time world champion`s difficult start with the Italian team.
Mercedes` George Russell seemed the most likely challenger to McLaren in qualifying but had to settle for fifth after making a mistake on his final flying lap. His rookie teammate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, achieved an encouraging sixth place.
Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar overcame seat-belt issues, which caused him significant distress over the radio early in the session, to finish seventh.
Alex Albon was ninth for Williams, and British rookie Oliver Bearman completed the top 10 after a highly impressive performance for Haas to reach Q3.
Carlos Sainz qualified 12th in the other Williams but will start Sunday`s race from 15th due to a three-place grid penalty for blocking Hamilton during Q2.
Fires kept under control as Verstappen brings heat
Leading up to qualifying, there were concerns that trackside grass fires could cause significant disruptions after two red flags were necessary in each of the previous two practice sessions.
Fortunately, only one stoppage occurred during qualifying, and it happened midway through Q2, not significantly impacting the competitive situation.
The forecast of overnight rain might improve the situation, but the FIA will likely take similar preventative measures as they did before Saturday`s session to ensure the main race is not affected.
Instead, it was Verstappen who brought the heat, extracting maximum performance from his RB21 to secure his first pole position since the Austrian Grand Prix last June.
Verstappen commented, `We tried our best to find the optimal balance. It wasn`t easy, but we made small improvements in each session.`
`That made the difference. The last lap was simply all-out, and it`s incredibly rewarding.`
The length of this pole drought highlights Red Bull`s struggles since Verstappen`s dominant win here 12 months ago. However, it also serves as a reminder that the Dutchman cannot be discounted in a title race that many have already predicted will be a battle between McLaren`s drivers.
`I was fully committed on the final lap. At times, I wasn`t sure if I`d keep it on the track,` Verstappen admitted.
`Considering our season`s start and even this weekend, it`s very unexpected, making this pole position very special.`
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner added, `We didn`t expect that. It was an incredible lap from Max, one of his best qualifying laps ever.`
`He maximized every bit of performance, and achieving pole position against the recent trend is a significant boost for the team.`
Verstappen now faces an even greater challenge to hold off Norris, who trails him by eight points in the drivers` standings, and Piastri, who secured an impressive victory in China in the previous race.
Marcus Prine