Max Verstappen broke the Suzuka lap record in his last qualifying attempt to claim the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix pole position, edging out McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
The reigning World Champion showcased his mastery of the iconic circuit with a last-minute lap that secured his first pole of the season, clocking a blistering 1:26.983.
Max Verstappen’s surprise Japanese Grand Prix pole position sets the stage for an intense battle on race day as the Dutchman faces stiff competition from the McLaren duo who have been dominant throughout the weekend.
The qualifying session was divided into three segments—Q1, Q2, and Q3—each filled with drama and exceptional performances.
Piastri dominates Q1
In Q1, Oscar Piastri set the pace with a time of 1:27.687 demonstrating McLaren’s strong form. George Russell in the Mercedes and Lando Norris followed closely with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton rounding out the top five.
Verstappen surprisingly only managed sixth in this segment, trailing by 0.256 seconds. Local favorite Yuki Tsunoda also impressed early on placing seventh in his Red Bull debut at Suzuka.
However, the session saw early eliminations for Sauber duo Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto struggled with balance issues and will start 16th and 17th respectively. Esteban Ocon could not replicate his teammate Bearman’s pace and will line up 18th for Haas.
Jack Doohan had a challenging session for Alpine and will start 19th, while Lance Stroll brought up the rear after failing to find any rhythm throughout qualifying.
Tsunoda out as Norris claims Q2
Q2 brought a shift in momentum as Lando Norris took control with a commanding lap of 1:27.146 firmly establishing McLaren’s intent to dominate qualifying.
Meanwhile, Verstappen improved significantly in this segment, finishing second and closing the gap to just 0.356 seconds behind Norris. Piastri continued his strong showing in third while Mercedes’ George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed the top five once again.
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The battle to secure a spot in the final Japanese Grand Prix pole shootout was fiercely contested with Alex Albon in the Williams and Oliver Bearman in the Haas making it through by narrow margins.
Unfortunately Pierre Gasly narrowly missed out on Q3 but showed promise for Alpine with an 11th-place finish. Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso were 12th and 13th respectively after being hampered by traffic during their flying laps in Q2.
However, Sainz was handed a three-place grid penalty for impeding Hamilton, relegating the spaniard to 15th.
Rookie Liam Lawson outqualified his more experienced Red Bull replacement Yuki Tsunoda to take 13th place—a notable achievement considering Lawson’s limited experience at Suzuka.
Tsunoda endured a disappointing homecoming as he qualified 14th after making an error on his decisive lap in Q2. The Japanese driver will undoubtedly be looking to make amends during Sunday’s race in front of his home crowd.
Verstappen takes Japanese Grand Prix pole
The final segment of qualifying (Q3) was where Max Verstappen truly came alive.
After initially trailing both McLarens during their first runs, the Red Bull star delivered a scintillating Suzuka lap record-breaker on his final attempt to snatch the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix pole position by just 0.012 seconds ahead of Lando Norris.
Meanwhile Oscar Piastri settled for third after being unable to improve on his earlier time of 1:27.052. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc emerged as the best of the rest in fourth place with a solid lap of 1:27.299.
George Russell had a messy flying lap but still managed fifth for Mercedes, while his rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli secured an impressive sixth position.
Further down the order, Isack Hadjar delivered a standout performance for Racing Bulls by qualifying seventh despite battling technical issues earlier in the session. Lewis Hamilton could only manage eighth for Ferrari after struggling to extract maximum performance from his car during Q3.
Alex Albon continued Williams’ resurgence by taking ninth place ahead of Haas driver Oliver Bearman, who rounded out the top ten.
Verstappen’s Japanese Grand Prix pole position marks a significant milestone as he looks to extend his dominance at Suzuka, where he has claimed three previous consecutive race victories.
His low-downforce setup gamble paid off handsomely in Q3, allowing him to extract maximum speed from his Red Bull RB21 on Suzuka’s high-speed straights while maintaining enough grip through its technical corners.
