Verstappen Snatches Japanese GP Pole from McLaren Pair in Thrilling Qualifying

Max Verstappen stunned the field by claiming an unexpected pole position during the Qualifying session for the Japanese Grand Prix. The World Champion powered through to the top spot in the closing moments, edging out the McLaren teammates, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, in a dramatic finale.

The early sessions saw Piastri and Norris dominating, with Piastri leading in Q1 and Norris setting the pace in Q2. This dominance seemed set to continue into the final top-10 showdown, as Piastri temporarily held the top spot with his initial runs.

As the final laps unfolded, it appeared that Norris had secured pole, but Verstappen charged through with a blistering performance, clocking a time of 1m 26.983s. He narrowly beat Norris by a mere 0.012 seconds, leaving Piastri to claim third.

Charles Leclerc spearheaded Ferrari’s efforts from fourth place, while George Russell achieved fifth for Mercedes despite a mishap on his swift lap. His teammate Kimi Antonelli secured sixth, and another rookie sensation, Isack Hadjar, delivered an impressive seventh-place finish for Racing Bulls.