Max Verstappen put up an unbelievable lap to claim a pole in the Japanese GP Qualifying. Throughout the weekend, McLaren were the heavy favorites to claim pole and win the Japanese Grand Prix. But, the 4-time world champion had other plans and put up a sensational lap to stun everyone, including his own team.

Oscar Piastri looked to be the fastest in the first run in Q3 and looked destined for pole. It seemed he’d be the 3rd driver to be on pole on his birthday. However, his dreams were crushed during the second run, and he’ll have to be content starting 3rd in the race.

Max Verstappen in a Class of His Own

Before coming into this weekend, Max Verstappen was very critical about the Red Bull car. The reigning champion wasn’t impressed how Liam Lawson was replaced with Yuki in the team. Furthermore, he wanted the car to be upgraded and be back at the top of the grid. During Friday’s practice session, he was struggling with handling the Red Bull. This made everyone believe that the team wouldn’t do well in the Japanese GP qualifying and the race.

However, as qualifying started, things were completely different as he had slight assistance from the tailwind blowing on the circuit. He was quick in the first two parts of qualifying. When it came to the final session, he aced his time and surprised everyone with pole in the qualifying session.

McLaren Bottling Pole Again

McLaren has the fastest car on the grid, and everyone expected them to be on pole for the first half of the season. However, similar to the latter part of the season last year, they have again not converted their advantage. If this continues, they’ll once again have to be content with constellation victories that don’t matter much in terms of sponsorships or revenue.

Struggles of the Second Red Bull Driver Continues

Yuki Tsunoda had a great start at Red Bull, especially during the first part of practice on Friday at Suzuka. Things soon took a turn for the worse in the other sessions. During the first part of the Japanese GP qualifying, he was again a few tenths behind Max. However, after the red flag in Q2, he couldn’t get a lap together and will start 15th in the race. Liam Lawson, who was replaced by him, will start in 14th ahead of him. Both drivers performed below expectations, especially when they had a chance to prove their worth to everyone.

Japanese GP Qualifying Standings