Max Verstappen on Japanese GP pole as Lewis Hamilton has mountain to climb
Lewis Hamilton commits to Mercedes until 2025
Max Verstappen will take some stopping at the Japanese Grand Prix after posting a stunning lap on Saturday to earn pole position. The Red Bull star is more than half a second quicker than the rest of the field around Suzuka when he turns it on, with the McLarens behind him admitting that a move needs to be made early to have any chance of causing an upset.
Australian rookie Oscar Piastri will certainly give it his best shot, starting on the front row ahead of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc on the second. Verstappen’s team-mate, Sergio Perez, could only manage P5 in the same machinery, while last week’s winner in Singapore, Carlos Sainz, is down in sixth.
It was a tough qualifying day for Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell took P7 and P8. The English pair will be a long way from the action when Verstappen and Piastri go head-to-head into Turn 1.
Will all this to delve into on one of the drivers’ favourite F1 tracks, follow Express Sport‘s live race updates below…
Don’t miss… Lewis Hamilton doubles down on Mercedes demand after poor Japan GP qualifying
KEY EVENTS
Last year’s race
This time almost a year ago, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez put together a Red Bull shutout at Suzuka, with Ferrari star Charles Leclerc finishing third – more than 30 seconds behind the victorious Dutchman.
There were strong showings for Esteban Ocon in P4 and Sebastian Vettel in P6, while Nicholas Latifi picked up a surprise points finish in ninth.
Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon will be hoping for better luck this time around as neither of them managed to finish the Japanese Grand Prix in 2022.
Starting grid in full
1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
3. Lando Norris (McLaren)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)
6. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
7. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
8. George Russell (Mercedes)
9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri)
10. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
11. Liam Lawson (AlphaTauri)
12. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
13. Alex Albon (Williams)
14. Esteban Ocon (Alpine)
15. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
16. Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo)
17. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
18. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)
19. Zhou Guanyu (Alfa Romeo)
20. Logan Sargeant (Williams)
Quali as it happened
Max Verstappen proved the class of the field in qualifying on Saturday, setting a time more than half a second quicker than second-place Oscar Piastri and seven-tenths faster than his team-mate, Sergio Perez.
There were no major surprises on a day that saw Aston Martin and Mercedes struggle, but to get up to speed before today’s race, read Express Sport‘s qualifying report right HERE.
Hello!
Good morning and welcome to Express Sport‘s live coverage of the Japanese Grand Prix.
It’s bright and early in the UK but settle in for a busy morning of action – the race is less than an hour away and we’ve got you covered.
Build-up to follow…
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