P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Verstappen takes crushing Suzuka pole ahead of Piastri
Max Verstappen and Red Bull dominated the Japanese Grand Prix qualifying, showing no signs of their struggles in Singapore. Verstappen secured pole position with a four tenths of a second lead over McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Piastri, however, still secured a front row start for the first time in his F1 career. Lando Norris finished third, followed by Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez. Leclerc and the Alfa Romeo drivers face a post-qualifying investigation for not adhering to the maximum laptime in Q1. Carlos Sainz, the winner in Singapore, qualified sixth, while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were in seventh and eighth. Yuki Tsunoda and Fernando Alonso completed the top 10. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly struggled, finishing 14th and 12th respectively. Williams’ Logan Sargeant crashed in qualifying, adding to the pressure on his future with the team. Zhou Guanyu expressed frustration with traffic and qualified in 19th, just ahead of his Alfa Romeo teammate Valtteri Bottas. Lance Stroll, Nico Hulkenberg, Zhou, and Sargeant all failed to advance to Q2.
Source: The Race
