Japanese F1 GP: Max Verstappen Wins Pole Position

PHOTO via Instagram @maxverstappen1

JAKARTA Max Verstappen, who tried to maintain his advantage in the Formula 1 standings, won pole position for the front start at the Japanese Grand Prix, Sunday, September 24.

Previously, the Red Bull driver fell far behind Singapore's F1 GP last week, only being able to secure fifth place. But he again displayed his dominant performance at Suzuka in the Japanese GP qualification, Saturday (23/9).

Verstappen finished nearly six-tenths of a second ahead of his closest challenger in Q3, placing him in the front row with McLaren's Oscar Piastri.

His teammate, Lando Norris, was almost eliminated from second place by just 0.035 seconds. The British racer had to settle for third place in front of Charles Leclerc.

Sergio Perez qualified for fifth place, while Singapore GP winner Carlos Sainz Jr was only sixth fastest in qualifying.

Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are in seventh and eighth place each, disappointing, one second later than Verstappen.

Yuki Tsunoda of the AlphaTauri team - on the day her position was confirmed for the 2024 season - and Fernando Alonso from the Aston Martin team completed the top ten of Japan's F1 GP.