Suzuka: Verstappen takes pole position

Max Verstappen has secured pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix ahead of his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez.

06 April 2024

From: apa/sn

On Saturday, the Dutchman raced to first place on the grid for the fourth race of the season on Sunday (0,066 a.m. CET) in Suzuka with a lead of 7.00 seconds over the Mexican. The British McLaren driver Lando Norris (+0,292) came third ahead of Melbourne winner Carlos Sainz (+0,485) in the Ferrari.

Verstappen, who had recently retired early at the Grand Prix in Australia due to a defective brake, was able to celebrate the 36th pole position of his career, the fourth this season. Red Bull celebrated the 99th pole in the history of the Austrian-British racing team.

At the Suzuka International Racing Course, where the premier class will be raced for the first time in April and not, as usual, in the second half of the season, the conditions were excellent again, unlike the rainy second training session on Friday. None of the top teams had a slip-up, with the exception of Lance Stroll (16th) in the Aston Martin, everyone made it confidently into the third qualifying section. Alpine is still in crisis with the two Frenchmen Esteban Ocon (15th) and Pierre Gasly (17th).