Max Verstappen took a stunning pole position at Suzuka on Saturday with a dominant performance which Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok described as “one of the great qualifying laps in F1”; watch the Japanese GP on Sky Sports F1 from 4.30am Sunday with lights out at 6am
By Nigel Chiu
Last Updated: 23/09/23 10:59am
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Max Verstappen took a stunning pole position in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix with Oscar Piastri joining him on the front row.
Max Verstappen took a stunning pole position in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix with Oscar Piastri joining him on the front row.
Christian Horner believes Max Verstappen’s pole position lap at the Japanese Grand Prix was “very special” as he beat the rest of the field by over half a second at Suzuka.
Verstappen topped all three practice sessions going into qualifying, before beating second-placed Oscar Piastri by 0.581s, with Lando Norris in third.
It was Verstappen’s ninth pole of the season and comes one week after a disastrous qualifying in Singapore for Red Bull, who can become constructors’ champions on Sunday.
“I think what we have witnessed today is something very special. That last lap, just have a look at Turn Five. That first sector was absolutely mighty,” Horner told Sky Sports F1.
“GP (Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen’s engineer) started winding him up before his last run ‘let’s see a 28 in there’ and I said to GP ‘I would like to see four wheels on the car at the end of it’.
“That first run looked good enough to get the job done but then he went quicker again. All his laps have been stunning today. An absolutely mind-blowing performance.”
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Karun Chandhok called it ‘one of the greatest qualifying laps in F1 history’. Take a look at Max Verstappen’s incredible pole lap at the Suzuka Circuit.
Karun Chandhok was in awe of Verstappen’s performance on a track where the drivers can make a big difference with their bravery and skill in the corners, knowing a small mistake could see them in the wall.
“I’m still breathless watching that. I think that was one of the great qualifying laps in F1 history,” he said.
“There’s not much left on the table. The detail with which he drove – pinching little bits on the entry into Spoon Curve, 130R not using all the width. He thought about every metre and for me that’s a driver who’s ahead of the car.
“Christian was saying that’s one of the special laps and he’s right. If they didn’t have Max in the car, they would be second on the grid.”
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Max Verstappen and Red Bull take pole position at the Japanese GP by half a second ahead of the McLarens.
Verstappen: It brought a smile to my face
Verstappen is not known for displays of emotion out of the car and generally plays down his performance.
But even he admitted he found the limits which felt “really nice” and was able to gel with the car from the first lap in practice one.
“It’s been good from Lap 1 onwards. It gave me a lot of confidence. Of course, throughout the weekend, you make little adjustments to the car, especially in Qualifying for Q3,” Verstappen told Sky Sports F1.
“When you have that confidence, especially in Sector 1, you can really push it to the limit in a controlled way. It brought a smile to my face while driving.
“You have pole positions where the lap feels quite OK, but it feels a bit edgy or you think there was a bit more lap time in it, or you can change the balance around a little bit.
“I think today and the whole weekend, I knew if I went out, I could smash the lap time without having to think about it, whereas some other tracks it’s a bit different. And that made it very enjoyable to drive.”
Verstappen hits back at Red Bull critics
Red Bull insisted throughout the Singapore Grand Prix weekend that a combination of factors came together which led to their poor qualifying at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. However, some people thought the technical directive to clamp down on flexi-wings made an impact on them.
Verstappen was extremely confident Red Bull would be back on form and he answered any critics with his stunning Q3 lap.
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Max Verstappen reflects on a successful qualifying session after securing pole position ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
“We had a bad weekend, of course the people start talking about that it’s all because of the technical directives. I think they can go suck on an egg,” he commented.
“From my side, I was just very fired up to have a good weekend here and make sure that we were strong.”
Sky Sports F1’s live Japanese GP schedule
Sunday September 24
- 4.30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Japanese GP build-up*
- 6am: THE JAPANESE GRAND PRIX*
- 8am: Chequered Flag: Japanese GP reaction*
- 9am: Ted’s Notebook
- 9.30am: Japanese GP race replay
- 12pm: Japanese GP highlights
*Also on Sky Sports Main Event
Watch the whole Japanese Grand Prix weekend live on Sky Sports F1. Stream F1 on Sky Sports with NOW. Cancel anytime