Verstappen wins qualifying at Suzuka

Cloudy. Dry. Air +18С, highway +28…26С

In 2024, the Japanese Grand Prix was postponed to the spring, meaning the teams met in Suzuka just six months after the last race. The circuit, designed as a testing ground for Honda, includes all types of corners and is demanding for the cars, making it possible to evaluate the changes in the balance of power that have occurred in such a short time.

Suzuka has a unique atmosphere, it is a rare place where fans support absolutely all drivers, give gifts and stay in the stands after the finish to watch the race replay. Despite the cool weather and occasional rain showers, the stands were already filled on Friday. The cherry blossoms bloomed, which photographers actively took advantage of – our gallery of the Japanese stage has a lot of atmospheric photos, it’s a pity that it was cloudy.

Just like in 2023, Max Verstappen was in the lead in training. On Friday he posted the best time of the day. The second training took place in the rain and many simply did not go outside. The Dutchman also led the protocol on Saturday morning. Not everyone could find the optimal settings, which only increased interest in the qualifications.

At Williams, Logan Sargent crashed the car that Alex Albon crashed in Melbourne two weeks ago on Friday morning – returning from chassis repairs at the base. This time the chassis was not damaged, but the aerodynamics were pieced together from what was there. Team leader James Vowles assured that this had virtually no effect on speed.

Pirelli traditionally released the hardest tire compounds – C1, C2 and C3 in Hard, Medium and Soft roles. During qualifying everyone used Soft.

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In the first session, the drivers took their time on the track, as they wanted to save tires and avoid traffic. Magnussen stayed in the pits for five minutes and left first, followed by the others.

While leaving the pits, Russell almost hit Piastri’s car as it passed in the pit lane. Oscar had to slow down to avoid a collision. The stewards took the incident into account.

Max Verstappen led the protocol and completed a lap in 1:28.866. Stroll, Gasly, Magnussen, Sargent and Zhou dropped out of further competition.

In the second session, Albon abandoned the first attempt, the rest went straight onto the track. Verstappen immediately took first place with 1:28.740. Hulkenberg’s time was removed for infringement.

Verstappen’s time remained the best. Ricciardo, Hulkenberg, Bottas, Albon and Ocon did not qualify for the final.

In the final, Verstappen topped the time list on the first attempt with 1:28.240, and added 1:28.197 on the second attempt. His teammate Sergio Perez showed the second fastest time and lost only seven hundredths.

Max Verstappen won qualifying in Suzuka and took the 36th pole of his career and the fourth of the season. Tomorrow, the Red Bull Racing drivers will occupy the entire front row of the starting field, Norris and Sainz starting from second, Alonso and Piastri starting from third.

Qualifying results