Suzuka – After claiming pole position at Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix, Max Verstappen gave himself a fantastic chance to retain his Formula One world championship.
The Red Bull driver led qualifying with a pace of 1min 29.304, only 0.010 seconds ahead of his closest title opponent, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari. Carlos Sainz finished third in the second Ferrari.
After stewards announced that they will investigate a track collision involving Verstappen and McLaren’s Lando Norris, Verstappen was forced to endure a tense wait. Verstappen was reprimanded but will continue in first place.
On Sunday, he can claim the championship if he wins the race with the quickest lap, regardless of what his competitors perform.
He will also retain his title if he wins and Leclerc finishes no higher than third.
The 25-year-old Verstappen, who has won 11 of 17 races this season, added, “I’m not thinking about it too much; I’m just taking it day-by-day.”
“I believe it was more significant that we had a competitive car, which we certainly had today in qualifying.
“I hope that tomorrow’s race will be identical to today’s since we need a flawless race to win tomorrow.”
In qualifying, both Verstappen and Norris nearly collided as the Dutchman abruptly veered to the left. The championship leader uttered “unbelievable” over his team as the McLaren driver was forced onto the grass to avoid striking the Red Bull.
Verstappen later blamed Norris for the incident, stating that he should have been “more respectful.”
Verstappen stated, “I don’t believe anyone is attempting to overtake in the final chicane, so by trying to pass me you’re essentially creating an issue.”
On his final lap, Verstappen’s car lost a portion of its bodywork after he drove off the track and onto a curb.
Leclerc was on the verge of winning his third consecutive pole position.
“It was a difficult race, but the vehicle felt excellent overall,” said the Monaco driver, who began the season with a 104-point advantage over Verstappen in the championship standings.
“The initial segment seems insane. There is so much grip, and after you complete the final lap in Q3 it feels quite amazing. It was an enjoyable qualification round.”
Fed-up
Sainz was close behind his partner with a time of 1min 29.361sec, and he complained that he was “fed up” with missing out on pole position.
The Spaniard stated, “It was a terrific lap, clean all the way to the last chicane, but it overcooked a touch heading into the last chicane, which cost me quite a bit of lap time.”
Sergio Perez, driving the second Red Bull, finished fourth.
Esteban Ocon of Alpine finished fifth, followed by Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, George Russell, Sebastian Vettel, and Norris.
Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri was unable to advance past Q1 due to a problem with his brakes.
The Frenchman, who confirmed earlier in the day that he will replace Alonso at Alpine for the upcoming season, was furious.
Gasly told TV reporters, “I believe we should have handled this scenario somewhat better.”
AFP