SUZUKA: The Red Bull driver, and reigning world champion, stunned the paddock with his late flying lap, denying championship leader Lando Norris of McLaren by just 0.012 seconds. Norris will start on the front row beside Verstappen, while teammate Oscar Piastri, fresh off a win in China, starts third next to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

It marks Verstappen’s 41st career pole, and his first since Austria 2023, although he was the fastest qualifier in Qatar last year before receiving a grid penalty.

Further down the order, Mercedes’ George Russell and rookie teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli locked out the third row in fifth and sixth. Meanwhile, Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda had a tough outing, qualifying only 14th in his debut race for Red Bull, behind Liam Lawson, who replaced him at Racing Bulls and starts 13th.

Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar impressed with a P7 start despite a seatbelt issue early in qualifying, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton lines up beside him in eighth. Haas rookie Ollie Bearman continued to shine with his first Q3 appearance, securing 10th on the grid alongside Alex Albon of Williams.

Carlos Sainz, now racing for Williams, had his time deleted for impeding Hamilton, dropping him to 15th.

Adding drama to the day, qualifying was once again halted—for the fifth time in two days—by a trackside grass fire during Q2, despite organisers’ preventive measures.