Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands drives out from their storage throughout qualifying periods at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, central Japan, on April 6, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP
Formula One world champion Max Verstappen took pole position for a third straight year at the Japanese Grand Prix on Saturday, with Sergio Perez qualifying second to make sure a Red Bull front-row lockout.
McLaren’s Lando Norris will begin Sunday’s race in third place.
Verstappen, who will likely be trying for a third straight victory in Japan in Sunday’s race, turns into the primary driver to take pole in the opening 4 races of a season since Lewis Hamilton 9 years in the past.
“It was very close in the end, nevertheless most importantly to be on pole – of course you want every lap to be perfect but at a track like this it isn’t always the case,” the Dutchman mentioned after setting the tempo with a lap of 1 minute 28.197 seconds.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz certified in fourth together with his teammate Charles Leclerc pissed off by a troublesome drive which is able to see him begin again in eighth on Sunday.
“That’s the best I can do. Honestly, I don’t get it” Leclerc mentioned over the crew radio.
Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, celebrating his twenty third birthday on Saturday, completed in fifth and sixth respectively.
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, each of Mercedes, completed in seventh and ninth, with native hero Yuki Tsunoda getting one of many greatest cheers of the day sneaking into the ultimate spherical of qualifying and beginning tenth tomorrow
