Max Verstappen claimed pole position in the Japanese GP qualifying, narrowly beating McLaren’s Norris and Piastri by a few thousandths of a second. Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari secured fourth place, alongside Piastri. The third row is filled by Mercedes, with Russell ahead of Antonelli. Lewis Hamilton will start from eighth, just behind Hadjar’s Racing Bull. A fantastic performance from Ollie Bearman saw him secure a spot in Q3 with his Haas. Here’s a summary of the qualifying results in Japan.
Q1
Q1 ended with McLaren leading the pack, with Oscar Piastri ahead of Russell and Norris by 158 thousandths of a second. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton took fourth and fifth, respectively. On their first attempts, the Ferraris ran different tire compounds: the Monegasque used soft tires, while the Briton ran on mediums. Yuki Tsunoda delivered a solid performance, making it to Q2 with the seventh-fastest time. Also advancing from Q1 were Kimi Antonelli, Ollie Bearman, Isaac Hadjar, and Liam Lawson. Eliminated in Q1: Hulkenberg, Bortoleto, Ocon, Doohan, Stroll.
Q2
A few minutes into Q2, the red flag was waved at Suzuka due to a fire on the grass. On the first attempt, Norris set the fastest time on a new set of soft tires, ahead of Russell and Verstappen. Ferrari drivers took the sixth and seventh positions, completing their first runs on used tires. After the first attempt, McLaren’s Norris and Russell stayed in the pits. On their second run, with fresh soft tires, the Ferrari drivers improved, moving up to fifth and sixth. In the final seconds, Lewis Hamilton was forced to lift off during his lap due to Carlos Sainz blocking his line. Sainz is likely to receive a penalty. Eliminated in Q2: Gasly, Sainz, Alonso, Lawson, Tsunoda.
Q3
In his first lap, Oscar Piastri set the fastest time and a new track record in 1:27.052, ahead of Verstappen and Leclerc. Lando Norris, on the other hand, didn’t manage a great first lap. On his final attempt, Norris improved his time, but it was Max Verstappen who claimed pole position with a superb lap, narrowly beating both McLaren drivers. Charles Leclerc held on to fourth place. Meanwhile, his Maranello teammate Lewis Hamilton finished in eighth, behind Isack Hadjar.
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