In a thrilling turn of events at the Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying, World Champion Max Verstappen snatched a surprise pole position, edging out McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the final moments of the session on April 05, 2025.
The McLaren duo had dominated the earlier stages, with Piastri setting the pace in Q1 and Norris taking the lead in Q2. The trend appeared to continue into the top-10 shootout, as Piastri initially posted the fastest time in the first runs, only for Norris to seemingly secure pole with his final lap.
However, Verstappen had other plans, as the Red Bull driver unleashed a blistering 1m 26.983s lap, beating Norris by a mere 0.012s and relegating Piastri to third place. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc led the Scuderia’s efforts in P4, followed by Mercedes’ George Russell in P5 despite a scruffy moment on his flying lap.
Rookie Kimi Antonelli impressed in P6 for Mercedes, while another newcomer, Isack Hadjar, shone for Racing Bulls in P7. Lewis Hamilton, now driving for Ferrari, claimed P8, with Williams’ Alex Albon and Haas’ Ollie Bearman rounding out the top 10.
The shock of Q2 came as home favorite Yuki Tsunoda, making his Qualifying debut for Red Bull, was eliminated in P15, finishing behind Liam Lawson – the driver he replaced – who secured P14 for Racing Bulls.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly (P11), Williams’ Carlos Sainz (P12), and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso (P13) also failed to reach the top-10 shootout. Sainz faces a post-session investigation for potentially impeding Hamilton, adding further intrigue to an already dramatic day at the Japanese Grand Prix.