Suzuka, April 5, 2025 – by GP Thread
In what may go down as one of the best qualifying performances of his career, Max Verstappen silenced doubters by claiming a sensational pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix. The Dutchman clocked a new lap record in Q3, delivering a performance few expected after a difficult weekend so far with the RB21.
Here’s how the action unfolded session by session:
Q1: Hadjar in Pain, Stroll Out Early
The first qualifying segment saw some unexpected drama. Isack Hadjar reported over team radio that he was physically uncomfortable in the car and struggling to focus – quite literally not sitting properly in the cockpit. Nevertheless, he managed to scrape through to Q2, as did his teammate Liam Lawson, for the first time this season.
Lewis Hamilton attempted to save a set of softs by running on mediums, but the gamble backfired – he was too slow. Switching to softs just in time, he narrowly avoided elimination.
Verstappen progressed with the sixth-fastest time, just ahead of Yuki Tsunoda, his new Red Bull teammate. Still, he was two-tenths off Oscar Piastri, who looked razor-sharp in the McLaren.
Lance Stroll, however, ended the session in last place after an off-track moment that cost him dearly.
Eliminated in Q1: Hülkenberg, Bortoleto, Ocon, Doohan, Stroll.
Q2: Grass Fire Chaos Returns, Tsunoda Trails Lawson
Yet again, flames interrupted proceedings at Suzuka. A fifth grass fire in two days brought out the red flag, halting Q2 just as Lando Norris had set a blistering lap—just one-tenth off Sebastian Vettel’s 2019 lap record.
When the session resumed with eight minutes remaining, the pressure was on. Yuki Tsunoda struggled with the tricky RB21, managing only 15th—one place behind teammate Lawson and slower than his own Q1 time. A tough pill to swallow for Red Bull management.
Meanwhile, Verstappen went third fastest, a full half-second clear of both Red Bull juniors, and moved on to Q3.
Eliminated in Q2: Gasly, Sainz, Alonso, Lawson, Tsunoda.
Q3: Verstappen Delivers Magic When It Matters Most
Oscar Piastri fired the first shot in Q3 with a 1:27.053, edging past Vettel’s old record. But Lando Norris went even quicker with a 1:26.995—making it a McLaren front-row lockout for a brief moment.
Then came Verstappen.
With near-perfect precision, the reigning world champion crossed the line with a jaw-dropping lap to steal pole position. Given the difficulties Red Bull has faced throughout the weekend, this might just rank among Verstappen’s greatest laps.
Another surprise came from the still-uncomfortable Hadjar, who not only made it to Q3 but secured P7 on the grid—a commendable result under the circumstances.
The Japanese Grand Prix gets underway Sunday at 8:00 AM CET.