Red Bull has put Singapore behind it. Verstappen dominated qualifying for the Japanese GP

It was obvious that the Singapore GP was just a one-off break from Red Bull’s victory, but Max Verstappen wanted to make up for a bad weekend with the best possible performance. At the iconic Suzuka circuit, he left no one in doubt about his pole position gain, leaving the rest of the field more than half a second behind. For the first time in his F1 career, Oscar Piastri will line up on the front row at the start of a VC.

Ahead of the last free practice session, one of the final pieces of the jigsaw that is the driver line-up for 2024 has been sorted out. AlphaTauri have confirmed that they will retain the current pairing of Júki Cunoda and Daniel Ricciardo for next season. Liam Lawson, who is currently filling in for the injured Ricciardo and shone with a great performance in Singapore, will have to settle for the role of reserve driver.

The first part of qualifying

Logan Sargeant, the last driver this year who has not secured a place for next year, did not have a good start to the race weekend. He skidded going into the final corner and although he fought his car to the last moment, he didn’t avoid hitting the barrier.

It was the 11th time this year that an American driver has found himself in the barriers. Williams will certainly be wondering if Sargeant’s move to F1 was too hasty.

The red flags were displayed on the track halfway through the first part of qualifying. Both Ferrari drivers had not yet set their times, making Q1 uncomfortable. Together with Red Bull, they only set one fast lap, but even that was enough to advance.

Almost traditionally, both Alfa Romeo drivers dropped out of the first part of qualifying. After a great qualifying session in Singapore, it was also a disaster for Nico Hülkenberg. Lance Stroll, who returned to the track after his hard crash in Singapore, set an insufficient time.

The second part of qualifying

Júki Cunoda made the home fans very happy. His time was the seventh fastest in the second qualifying session. Cunoda’s teammate, Liam Lawson, finished just outside the gates of Q3, losing four hundredths to tenth-placed Alonso.

Verstappen, Piastri and Norris had no problems in Q3. All three drivers only needed one attempt to qualify.

Qualifying was not a success for the Alpine team. The French team’s performance has been a rollercoaster this season and Esteban Ocon, after finishing eighth in qualifying in Singapore, finished 14th in Suzuka. Gasly will start 12th.

The third part of qualifying

Max Verstappen showed that no one could deny him pole position on his first attempt. Piastri came closest to a time of 1:29.012 with a 446 thousandths loss.

It was all on one lap for Ferrari. The Italian team’s gamble paid off, with Leclerc falling short only to McLaren and Verstappen. Sainz, after two pole positions in a row, will line up on the grid in sixth place.

Rookie Oscar Piastri emerged victorious from the battle of the McLarens. From his second place start, he will have a perfect chance to score his first F1 podium.

Mercedes was far from perfect. Hamilton lost a full second to Verstappen, Russell three tenths more. The Silver Arrows will take the start of Row 4. Juki Cunoda will take the fifth row ahead of Fernando Alonso.

Source: F1TV