F1: Verstappen barely nips Leclerc in Japanese GP qualifying

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen grabbed pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix, increasing his chances of wrapping up the 2022 world title this weekend, as he edged out Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz in qualifying.

Verstappen led after the opening Q3 runs and his initial time of 1m 29.304s was just quick enough to seal top spot, the Dutchman finishing 0.010s clear of Leclerc and 0.057s up on Sainz, as teammate Sergio Perez completed the top four.

That was enough to hand Max his fifth pole of the season and his 18th overall, a good result, especially in light of the Dutchman losing part of a floor duct as he rode a curb on his slower final flying lap.

“It was pretty incredible to drive here again, especially in qualifying when you are on low fuel – these cars really come alive through the first sector. Of course, I’m very happy to be on pole, but also in general just super-happy to be back here,” said pole-sitter Verstappen.

“It will be interesting first of all to see [what happens with] the weather [on race day]. Some say it will be dry, some say it will be raining at some point during the race. I’m quite confident we have a good car, so I’m excited for tomorrow.”

Alpine converted their encouraging practice pace as Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso took fifth and seventh respectively, Alonso splitting Mercedes pair Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

“We knew coming to this circuit that we wouldn’t be competing for the front row or the win – the Red Bull and Ferrari are in a different league here, and we have some fundamental limitations with our car,” said Hamilton. “It feels good to drive and it was a clean session for me, but we are just a long way off in terms of the ultimate pace.”

“We are pushing as hard as we can and it feels strong in the corners, but we are losing on the straights at this circuit. For tomorrow, I hope we will be a little bit closer, and maybe the weather will play a role, too. I don’t think we can race the cars in front in a straight fight – but I hope we can beat the Alpines and my focus is simply on scoring a better result than we managed last weekend.”

Verstappen was under investigation from the stewards after a near-miss with Norris at 130R as both drivers came to prepare for their opening laps in the final stage of qualifying.

Norris was forced to take to the grass to avoid hitting Verstappen, who was slowing and warming his tires when he appeared to momentarily lose control just as the McLaren went to pass.

Norris said he expected Verstappen to receive a penalty for the incident, but the stewards have instead handed the Red Bull driver a reprimand.

Verstappen explained: “We were all on our out-lap – all lining up to try and create a gap to everyone – and somehow he still wanted to get me into the chicane. I was at the point of accelerating, but I was on very cold tires, so I had a little moment and that’s why he had to drive around me.

“If you are just a bit more respectful, then everyone is anyway already lining up. I don’t think anyone is trying to pass into that last chicane, so basically, by trying to pass me, you create that kind of problem.”

Sebastian Vettel made it through to Q3 for the first time since June’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix en route to P9, with Norris completing the top 10 positions on the grid after his close call with Verstappen.

Daniel Ricciardo was pushed down to 11th – and a Q2 exit – after Vettel’s improvement, with the Alfa Romeos of Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu surrounding home favorite Yuki Tsunoda in 12th and 14th respectively.

As for his chances of wrapping up the title in Japan, Verstappen said, “I’m not thinking about it too much – just taking it day by day. I think what was most important is that we have a competitive car; clearly, we had that today in qualifying. I hope of course it’s going to be the same tomorrow in the race, because we do need a perfect race to win. At least it’s a good start.”

Qualifying Results

Q1 107% time – 1:36.539

Note – Latifi penalised five grid places for causing a collision at the previous round.