Verstappen races with a new record for the pole in Suzuka - McLaren shocked!

Verstappen races with a new record for the pole in Suzuka - McLaren shocked!

Suzuka, Japan - Max Verstappen secured the pole position in qualifying for the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Japan in Suzuka. With an impressive time of 1: 26.983 minutes, the Red Bull Pilot set up a new course record and undercut the previous record by Sebastian Vettel from 2019 by eight hundredths of a second. Verstappen has managed to start in Suzuka from first place for the fourth time in a row. This performance consolidates its dominance in the current season, in which he has already emerged as a favorite.

his closest pursuer was the McLaren-Pilot Lando Norris, who landed in second place with only 0.012 seconds behind. Oscar Piatri, also from the McLaren team, followed in third place with a distance of 0.044 seconds. The top three drivers were less than 0.1 seconds separated, which showed an exciting qualification. Charles Leclerc from Ferrari qualified in fourth place with a gap of 0.316 seconds.

qualifying results and team services

The starting order followed George Russell (Mercedes) and Formula 1 newcomer Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who shared the third row. Isack Hadjar von Racing Bulls was able to qualify in seventh place, followed by Lewis Hamilton, who was three tenths slower than Leclerc and eighth place with his time. Yuki Tsunoda, Verstappen's teammate at Red Bull, disappointed and landed in the 15th place after he was the last in the second qualifying segment. The pressure was high because Red Bull was behind McLaren in the previous training sections, which made the outcome of qualifying all the more surprising.

• Top 10 Qualifying Results:
• 1) Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 1: 26.983
• 2) Lando Norris (McLaren) - +0.012
• 3) Oscar Piatri (McLaren) - +0.044
• 4) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - +0.316
• 5) George Russell (Mercedes) - +0.335
• 6) Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - +0.572
• 7) Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - +0.586
• 8) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - +0.627
• 9) Alex Albon (Williams) - +0.632
• 10) Oliver Bearman (Haas) - +0.884

Red Bull, which occurs with a special Japan painting this season, was optimistic. Motorsport consultant Helmut Marko confidently commented on the first season poles of Verstappen. Nevertheless, the race day could be influenced by the predicted rain conditions, which could provide additional challenges.

route knowledge and statistics

The route in Suzuka is known for its demanding curves and the direction of travel clockwise. With a total of 8 left curves and 10 right curves, it places high demands on the drivers. The distance to the first curve is only 332 meters, which ensures a quick duel after the start. So far, a total of 34 Grands Prix has taken place on this route, and it has been an integral part of the Formula 1 calendar since its introduction in 1987.

Verstappen and his team are well prepared to show a strong performance again, while the competition, especially McLaren and Ferrari, aims to break Red Bull's dominance. The fans can look forward to an exciting race that could possibly also gain drama due to the weather conditions.

For detailed information on the qualifying results reports vienna.at About the current performance, while Sky Sports The exciting details of the qualifying. For further statistics for the route, Motorsport Total