Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has set the next exclamation mark and also secured pole position in Japan. Things didn’t go well for Max Verstappen.
Antonelli, 19, turned the fastest lap in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix (Sunday, from 7 a.m. CET in the live ticker) and came ahead of his teammate and world championship leader George Russell (0.298 seconds back). The Italian Antonelli had already taken first place on the grid in China and replaced Sebastian Vettel as the youngest pole-sitter in Formula 1.
“I’m very happy with this session. I felt very comfortable in the car”Antonelli said: “I look forward to tomorrow.”
Piastri ahead of Leclerc and Norris
Behind the Silver Arrows, the Australian Oscar Piastri confirmed the upward trend at McLaren in third place, Charles Leclerc took fourth place in the Ferrari. World champion Lando Norris achieved fifth place in the second McLaren, putting him ahead of record champion Lewis Hamilton in sixth place.
Verstappen only eleventh – that fits the picture
The disappointing season continued for Max Verstappen, who won the last four races at Suzuka. The Dutchman missed out on qualifying in eleventh place and missed out on qualifying. At some point Verstappen said on the pit radio: “There’s something wrong with the car. It’s suddenly undriveable.”
It was the next setback for Verstappen, who these days often seems annoyed by the new Formula 1 regulations. He is annoyed by the new hybrid engines with a high electric content, which he considers to be a “joke”. And a few days ago Verstappen had a journalist from the British “Guardian“banned from a press conference and caused a stir.
Hülkenberg is in 13th place
Nico Hülkenberg also suffered a setback. After good impressions in training, the Emmericher only finished 13th in his Audi. The only German Formula 1 driver is still waiting for his first points with the new racing team this season. His teammate Gabriel Bortoleto impressed with ninth place.
After the Grand Prix on Sunday, Formula 1 will take a longer break. Due to the cancellation of the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia due to the war, the races in Miami will not continue until the beginning of May.
