Verstappen, who achieved a time of 1 minute and 28.877 seconds in the qualifying rounds held at the 5,807-kilometer Suzuka International Raceway in Japan, won the first pocket.
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) took second place, 0.581 seconds behind the Dutch driver, and Lando Norris (McLaren), who lapped the track 0.035 seconds slower than his teammate Piastri, took third place.
The 53-lap race in Japan will start tomorrow at 08:00 CET.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, the organization’s clear championship candidate, has 12 race wins, his teammate Sergio Perez has 2 race wins, and Ferrari pilot Carlos Sainz has 1 race victory. The 6th leg of the season, the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, was canceled due to adverse weather conditions.