Max Verstappen is his old self again. The Formula 1 world champion has secured pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix and is targeting the 15th victory for his Red Bull team in the 16th race of the season. A week after the disastrous race weekend in Singapore, Verstappen relegated McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri (Australia) and Lando Norris (England) to the places in qualifying in Suzuka.
On the way to his 29th pole position in Formula 1, the Dutchman Verstappen distanced himself from his teammate Sergio Perez, who finished fifth, by 1.5 seconds on just one lap. Perez is surrounded by the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc in fourth place and Singapore winner Carlos Sainz in sixth place. Nico Hülkenberg, who was born in Emmerich, starts the race from 18th place on the grid in the Haas. The 36-year-old has been waiting for championship points for almost three months.
Red Bull, which won the first 14 races of the season up to the race on the narrow street circuit in Singapore, can beat the constructors for the sixth time in total on Sunday (7:00 a.m. CEST/Sport.de live ticker) in the seventh to last Grand Prix of the year -Make the World Cup perfect. To do this, Red Bull has to get at least one point more than its first pursuer Mercedes and can lose a maximum of 23 points to Ferrari, third in the World Cup.
Verstappen is 151 points ahead of Perez in the drivers’ standings; even if things go ideally in Suzuka, the 25-year-old will only be able to celebrate his third title in a row at the following Grand Prix on October 8th in Losail/Qatar.