Max Verstappen produced a stunning late effort to deny Lando Norris pole position at Suzuka, edging the McLaren driver by just 0.012 seconds in a thrilling end to qualifying for the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix.
The reigning world champion delivered under pressure once again, overcoming a weekend of woes to secure his fourth consecutive pole in Japan — and an impressive one at that.
Scorching heat and scattered chaos
Qualifying unfolded under dry, sunny skies, with track temperatures easing slightly to 35°C from earlier highs of 39°C. Air temperatures sat around 15°C, but tension remained sky-high following a chaotic trio of red-flag-laden practice sessions, including two that were caused by grass fires.
Verstappen had complained of persistent front-end grip issues, saying his RB21 still felt unsettled heading into Saturday.
Qualifying 1 (Q1)
Qualifying began with drivers bolting on the soft C3 compound. Charles Leclerc set the early pace with a 1:28.571 before Norris bettered it by three-tenths. Oscar Piastri followed suit with a strong 1:28.143, while George Russell inserted himself between the McLarens.
Further down the order, Verstappen continued to report issues: "I still have the same problem… the tyres are not gripping at the front."
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli also struggled to get heat into his second set of tyres, while Racing Bulls' Isack Hadjar faced an unusual issue that had already plagued him in Free Practice 3 — a loose seatbelt. After pitting and visibly looking uncomfortable in the cockpit, Hadjar returned to the track but radioed that the problem persisted, adding that the car felt “undriveable.” Even so, the Frenchman dug deep and managed to squeeze into Q2 with a clutch final lap, placing 13th.
Hadjar's new teammate, Liam Lawson, scraped through in 15th. There was heartbreak for Nico Hülkenberg, who went wide through the gravel and missed the cut by just 0.016s.
Stroll’s miserable run at Suzuka continued — eliminated in Q1 for the fourth consecutive year after a trip through the gravel at Turn 6. Alpine’s Jack Doohan, who walked away unscathed from a heavy crash in Free Practice 2, didn’t have much luck either. The Aussie rued a small error at Spoon Curve that cost him a shot at Q2, saying in his post-qualifying interview: “I don’t want to use excuses, but I think Q2 was on the table.” He’ll be hoping for a stronger showing on race day.
Qualifying 2 (Q2)
Verstappen laid down an early marker in Q2 with a 1:27.502, but it was Norris who lit up the timing screens, delivering a scorching lap three-tenths faster. Piastri slotted into fourth after losing time in the middle sector, with Russell steady in third.
With eight minutes remaining, the session was brought to a halt by yet another red flag — this time caused by a grass fire near the Dunlop Curve. When action resumed, most drivers waited for a late flurry of laps, but Ferrari’s struggles quickly became apparent when Hamilton and Leclerc found themselves half a second off the leading pace. "The first sector was rubbish from me," Leclerc admitted after scraping into Q3. Home favourite Yuki Tsunoda was a surprise casualty in 15th, bringing a premature end to his qualifying campaign.
Carlos Sainz was also given a three-place grid drop for impeding Lewis Hamilton during the session.
Qualifying 3 (Q3)
Russell set an early benchmark with a smooth 1:27.318, but it was short-lived as Piastri jumped to the top with a 1:27.052. Verstappen initially slotted into second, while Norris sat down in fifth after losing time at Turn 7.
Norris, on a final flier, produced his best lap of the weekend — a 1:27.024 — to go provisional pole, just ahead of Piastri. But Verstappen had one last card to play. Despite persistent complaints about front-end grip, the Dutchman stitched together a near-perfect final sector to snatch pole by a razor-thin margin of 0.012 seconds — securing his fourth consecutive pole at Suzuka.
Behind the frontrunners, Isack Hadjar impressed by qualifying seventh for the second consecutive time, while Hamilton could do no better than eighth. Albon, Bearman, and Antonelli rounded out the top 10.
In the post-qualifying interviews, 41-time pole sitter Verstappen shared his thoughts:"Honestly, that was flat-out. The car wasn't feeling great most of the weekend, so I didn't expect it. But we just kept improving. That final lap — wow. This track in qualifying, it's always something special."
Norris, who narrowly missed out on pole, reflected:"It was close. We've been fast all weekend, so yeah, a bit frustrating not to get pole. But Max pulled out a mega lap. We're still right there — I think we've got a shot tomorrow."
Piastri, who would have loved to start from pole on his birthday commented:"Pretty happy with the lap early in Q3, but the last one didn't come together. Still, we're in the fight. McLaren's looked good on long runs too, so we'll be aggressive."
Lights out is at 14:00 local time (05:00 UTC). It’s all to play for tomorrow, with a high chance of rain expected. Will Verstappen be able to emerge victorious, or will the McLarens play the team game to challenge him?
