Home F1 Japanese GP: Verstappen beats Perez by 0.066s to pole in RB 1-2

F1, Japanese GP, Max Verstappen — SUZUKA, JAPAN - APRIL 06: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 on track during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Japan at Suzuka International Racing Course on April 06, 2024 in Suzuka, Japan. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202404060199 // Usage for editorial use only //

Japanese GP: Verstappen beats Perez by 0.066s to pole in RB 1-2

06/04/2024

Max Verstappen took F1 Japanese GP by 0.066s margin over teammate Sergio Perez, with Lando Norris rounding the Top 3.

Q1:

The first part in F1 Japanese GP qualifying saw Red Bull’s Max Verstappen (1m28.866s) set the pace with teammate Sergio Perez third behind Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso (1m29.254s). His teammate, though, failed to even make the Q2 cut.

Lance Stroll (1m30.024s) has had a difficult time in Suzuka and it continued with another Q1 exit in 16th. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly (1m30.119s) was 17th from Haas’ Kevin Magnussen (1m30.131s), Williams’ Logan Sargeant (1m30.139s) and Stake F1 Team’s Zhou Guanyu (1m30.143s).

It was close in the fag end as Gasly and Guanyu complained of traction and balance issue respectively on their fast lap. There was also an unsafe release noted for Mercedes’ George Russell after he was released in front of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

Q2:

The second part of F1 Japanese GP qualifying saw Verstappen (1m28.740s) stay in the front but by only 0.012s margin over teammate Perez as McLaren’s Lando Norris (1m28.752s) was third without going out the second time around.

The Top 7 drivers did not venture out again which allowed Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to be third and George Russell in seventh, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc dropped to ninth. Visa Cash App RB’s Daniel Ricciardo (1m29.472s) was knocked out by 0.055s in 11th.

It was his own teammate Yuki Tsunoda who made it in, as Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg (1m29.494s) was 12th after his initial lap was deleted due to track limits. Stake F1 Team’s Valtteri Bottas (1m29.593s) was 13th from Williams’ Alexander Albon (1m29.714s) and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon (1m29.816s).

Q3:

The final part in F1 Japanese GP qualifying saw Verstappen in the lead with a 1m28.240s lap, comfortably ahead of Norris (1m28.489s) and Perez (1m28.605s), with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz in fourth, who seemed fine after pedal complaints in Q2.

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri was fifth, as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was forced to run differently after electing to run an extra set of tyre in Q1. He was out of sequence to be only seventh, as others started to flock on the track as he completed his lap.

The final run saw improvements at the front as Verstappen (1m28.197s) took F1 Japanese GP pole by 0.066s margin over teammate Perez (1m28.263s) as the Mexican dropped Norris (1m28.489s) to third, with Sainz (1m28.682s) remaining in fourth.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso (1m28.686s) improved to fifth which bumped Piastri (1m28.760s) to sixth, as Hamilton (1m28.766s) was seventh from Leclerc (1m28.786s), Russell (1m29.008s) and Tsunoda (1m29.413s) in the Top 10.