Qualifying Result Today: McLaren Misses Out on Pole at Japanese Grand Prix as Lawson O…read more
BREAKING:F1 Qualifying: McLaren Misses Out on Pole at Japanese Grand Prix as Lawson O…read more
Max Verstappen stormed to pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix, delivering a record-breaking lap in qualifying that narrowly pushed McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri down the grid. Norris missed out on top spot by just 0.012 seconds, while Piastri followed closely behind in third, only 0.030 seconds adrift of the leader.
Midfield Moves and Milestones
In the midfield, Liam Lawson managed to qualify 14th, which may not appear extraordinary—but he notably finished ahead of Yuki Tsunoda by one position, potentially boosting his standing within the Red Bull driver pool.
Kimi Antonelli delivered a career-best performance, landing sixth on the grid and outperforming his legendary Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, who ended up two places behind. Hamilton’s qualifying session is now under review due to an incident during the final round.
Interruptions and Tough Moments
The session saw its fifth red flag of the weekend after a fire incident paused Q2 for roughly seven minutes. Once cleared, drivers returned to the track with renewed focus.
Meanwhile, Isack Hadjar pushed through discomfort from a persistent seatbelt issue. Despite visible pain and pit lane adjustments, the rookie delivered a gutsy seventh-place qualifying run, showing both courage and composure.
