World Champion Max Verstappen has secured pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix, giving him the best chance of winning the title early.
The Dutchman in the Red Bull set the fastest lap in Suzuka’s qualifying session of 1:29.304 minutes, just ten-thousandths of a second faster than Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari. His teammate Carlos Sainz finished third.
In the race on Sunday (7:00 a.m. CET/Sky), Verstappen can secure his second world title prematurely on his own: if he wins and also gets the bonus point for the fastest race lap, the result of the pursuers is irrelevant. Only Leclerc and Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez can theoretically catch the Dutchman five races before the end, Perez will start from fourth place on Sunday.
After qualifying, Verstappen still had to discuss a delicate incident with the stewards: Lando Norris in the McLaren approached at high speed on a warm-up lap. Verstappen accelerated, the Red Bull suddenly stood across, Norris was only able to prevent a collision by dodging onto the green strip. “There must clearly be a penalty,” said Norris later – but the race stewards saw no intention and only issued a warning.
Mick Schumacher with solid qualifying
Sebastian Vettel in the Aston Martin made it into the last qualifying segment by a hair’s breadth by a hair’s breadth by three thousandths. He will start his last Suzuka Grand Prix from ninth place.
Mick Schumacher showed an improved performance after his very disappointing Friday, but only got 15th place on the grid for his Suzuka debut. In the first free practice session the day before, he crashed after a driving error, the chassis of his Haas had to be changed, and he missed the second session . On the track, which was still unfamiliar to him, he made it straight into the second section in qualifying, his teammate Kevin Magnussen (18th) didn’t succeed. Schumacher still has to recommend Haas for a contract for 2023 and hopes for points in Suzuka.
The weather could play a decisive role on Sunday. It rained continuously on Friday, but remained dry on Saturday. The race is likely to take place on a wet track again, which could change the balance of power. Schumacher’s Haas, for example, looked much more competitive in Japan when it rained.