The Japanese Grand Prix qualifying, according to the preliminary picture, promised no surprises; it seemed McLaren would deliver as expected at Suzuka. But then, out of nowhere, Max Verstappen appeared...
Consequently, during Q1, an orange car immediately took the lead, behind which the strong George Russell, who had been remarkably strong throughout the weekend, claimed its place. Ultimately, Russell's momentum continued until the end of the stage, so the Briton finished second behind Oscar Piastri and ahead of Lando Norris. Among those eliminated were the names of the two Stake drivers, Esteban Ocon, Jack Doohan, and Lance Stroll.
Q2 arrived, where we could already note an interesting detail: the other Red Bull also seemed competitive! Yuki Tsunoda, in fact, was already doing laps in the second phase, but due to a mistake, he had no chance of making it to Q3. So, paradoxically, he was eliminated behind Liam Lawson... However, nothing special happened at the top: Norris dominated this phase, while Russell and Max Verstappen tried to close in. The list of those eliminated already mentioned will be completed by the names of Pierre Gasly, Carlos Sainz, and Fernando Alonso.
The only big question of Q3 was whether Russell, or perhaps Verstappen, could trick McLaren and steal pole position. After the first few flying laps, this didn't seem realistic, as Piastri was confidently leading ahead of Verstappen and Charles Leclerc. But we don't know Max Verstappen as someone who doesn't show how to squeeze out extra performance. The Dutchman did the "impossible" with an incredible lap, and even if it was only by a hair, he edged the McLarens. Thus, he will start tomorrow's Japanese Grand Prix from pole, ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri!
Photo: PlanetF1/Fox Sports
