Update – Lawson will now start P13 and Tsunoda P14 after Carlos Sainz was handed down a 3 place grid penalty for impeding Lewis Hamilton during qualifying.
In one of the most electrifying qualifying sessions of the season, Max Verstappen stunned the paddock with a last-gasp flyer to steal pole position from Lando Norris by just 0.012 seconds, setting a new lap record at Suzuka in the process.
The reigning World Champion looked to be off the pace in the first two sectors — until he wasn’t. With a blistering finish in the final sector, Verstappen delivered a knockout punch right at the chequered flag.
In a standout moment for New Zealand driver Liam Lawson, he seized the spotlight from Yuki Tsunoda. Both drivers advanced to Q2, but Lawson outpaced Tsunoda in a dramatic final flying lap, securing a position ahead of him in tomorrow’s race. Ultimately, Tsunoda underperformed in front of his home crowd.
Q1: The Rookie Rumble & Flying Papayas:
The first qualifying segment kicked off with Haas rookie Ollie Bearman setting the early benchmark — only for McLaren’s flying duo to quickly change the game. Reigning champion Norris dropped a 1:28.233 before Oscar Piastri one-upped him with a 1:28.143, a back-and-forth that would set the tone for the session.
While McLaren flexed their muscles, chaos brewed elsewhere. Kiwi Racing’s Isack Hadjar faced a frightening seatbelt issue that left him audibly shaken over the radio.
“Mate, I don’t know what’s wrong with me… I can’t focus,” he said, rejoining the track only to find the problem unresolved.
Despite the discomfort, Hadjar launched a remarkable comeback to finish Q1 in P12, while teammate Liam Lawson narrowly scraped into Q2, climbing from P19 to P15 in the final moments.
Verstappen, meanwhile, struggled with grip, reporting a lack of front-end bite early in the session. But as always, the Dutchman wouldn’t stay quiet for long.
At the front, the McLaren duel reached fever pitch as Piastri clocked a 1:27.687, fending off Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by slim margins. Rookie Bearman impressed once again, finishing the session just four-tenths off the top time in P5.
Eliminated in Q1: Hulkenberg, Bortoleto, Ocon, Doohan, Stroll.
Q2: Fires, Focus, and Flying Hadjar:
The drama didn’t stop in Q2. Norris came out swinging with a 1:27.146 lap, sending a clear message. Racing Bulls’ Lawson and Hadjar continued their inter-team rivalry, with Hadjar again outperforming his teammate by four-tenths.
Then, for the fifth time this weekend, a grass fire red-flagged the session, throwing rhythm and tyre temperatures into chaos. When the green flag dropped again, the scramble was on.
Tsunoda, hunting a Q3 spot on home soil, fell short as both he and Lawson were knocked out in the final flurry of laps. The real shock came from Hadjar, who delivered a mature and aggressive lap to go 9th fastest, booking a place in Q3 and out-qualifying his teammate Lawson and F1 veteran Fernando Alonso.
Eliminated in Q2: Gasly, Sainz, Alonso, Lawson, Tsunoda.
Q3: Suzuka Shocker – Verstappen Breaks Hearts and Records:
The final shootout began with George Russell laying down a strong 1:27.318, only to be leapfrogged by Verstappen (1:27.278) and then by Piastri with a brilliant 1:27.052.
Norris fumbled his first flyer, losing four tenths, but came back swinging to grab the provisional pole with a 1:26.995. It looked like a done deal. But Verstappen had other ideas.
Despite going green, not purple, in the first two sectors, Verstappen produced a scorching final sector that left jaws on the floor — a 1:26.983 that edged out Norris by 0.012s, sealing pole and rewriting the Suzuka lap record books.
“That was insane, absolutely insane,” Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner exclaimed, calling the lap “pure class” as Verstappen voiced his surprise and pure joy over the team radio.
Piastri and Leclerc will start on the second row, with Russell and rookie sensation Kimi Antonelli behind. Hadjar, in a massive statement weekend, will line up P7 alongside 7-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton in a blockbuster fourth row. Albon and Bearman complete the top 10 and will grid up in the fifth row tomorrow.
Top 10 Starting Grid – 2025 Japanese Grand Prix:
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 1:26.983
- Lando Norris (McLaren) – +0.012
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – +0.044
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +0.316
- George Russell (Mercedes) – +0.335
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +0.572
- Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) – +0.586
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +0.627
- Alex Albon (Williams) – +0.632
- Ollie Bearman (Haas) +0.884
With rookies shining and the Suzuka demons testing even the best, Sunday’s Grand Prix is shaping up to be an unmissable clash. Can Norris strike back? Will Hadjar continue to impress? Or will Verstappen turn pole into yet another dominant win?
Buckle up. Suzuka is ready to deliver. The race kicks off at 5 pm tomorrow NZT.
Header Image: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
