Max Verstappen claimed his 41st career pole position, his fourth consecutive one in Japan. The Red Bull driver set an incredible time of 1.26.983, just twelve thousandths ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. With a Red Bull RB21 that is clearly inferior to the MCL39, the Dutchman once again demonstrated that he is an absolute phenomenon. Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari took the fourth position, while Lewis Hamilton is only eighth, even behind the Racing Bulls of Isack Hadjar.
There are circuits that make the difference. Among the cars, but especially among the drivers. Enzo Ferrari claimed that there was an equal relationship between man and machine, but he also emphasized how Gilles Villeneuve was able to alter it to his advantage. Those were different times. Then came Ayrton Senna, today there is Max Verstappen, who brought Red Bull to pole position in Suzuka with a marvel that will be remembered. Exceptional. Will it be enough to win tomorrow? Who knows. The differences between the cars have become so minimal that anything is possible, but the McLaren cars remain the favorites, with Lando Norris starting in the front row next to Max Verstappen, and it will be a problem and a test for him, while Oscar Piastri will start from third alongside Charles Leclerc.
This is the first time this year that Ferrari finds itself so far ahead in qualifying and also the first time that a Maranello car is so close to the absolute best car, the McLaren. Then, finally, Ferrari has left Mercedes behind, something that had not happened at the Albert Park circuit in Australia and at the Shanghai International Circuit in China. These are three signs of improvement that were much awaited after the embarrassment in China, with two cars disqualified at the finish for technical irregularities.
The progress – or slight progress – for Ferrari came from Charles Leclerc, who had good reasons to perform at his best at Suzuka, in the sense that on such a demanding track, he desperately wanted to be ahead of Lewis Hamilton to restore certain internal balances and fix imperceptible magnetic forces that linger within the team. Beating the seven-time Formula 1 world champion by 3 tenths, right in Japan, a circuit where the British driver has always been very strong, was something that the Monegasque driver needed for his morale. We will see what happens during the race, with the threat of rain.
But while Max Verstappen did something exceptional, it must be emphasized that Charles Leclerc also brought Ferrari a bit further than expected, while Lewis Hamilton got lost (he had a different setup from his teammate), although he has such a race craft that he could still climb up during the race.
As for Mercedes, it should be noted that George Russell did his best, but next to him in the third row will be the surprising Kimi Antonelli, who, in the University of Formula 1, sent a message about his future potential, given that he is currently in a learning phase and nothing more should be asked of him. Ferrari’s goal was to secure at least the second row at the 5.807-kilometre Suzuka Circuit and Charles Leclerc achieved that, positioning himself ahead of the threat from George Russell and thus entering the battle for the podium tomorrow. Lewis Hamilton disappoints in qualifying, as the eighth-place finish of the seven-time world champion needs to be carefully analyzed, even behind a Racing Bulls car. The race is long, but it will be complicated for those starting from the middle of the pack.
At this point, the Japan Grand Prix becomes an open race with two different scenarios. In case of rain, Max Verstappen will compensate for the gap that Red Bull still has compared to McLaren with his superior driving. Ferrari is watching from the sidelines, but only with a dry track will we understand where they really stand. A test that the Maranello team, the drivers, and the fans are waiting for. It is time to turn the page after Shanghai. The prerequisites seem to be there, let’s hope for confirmation.
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