Verstappen takes pole in Suzuka-Qualifying results

Max Verstappen affirmed his scintillating form by seizing pole position for the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, posting a lap time 0.581s clear of his nearest rival.

The Red Bull driver's commanding 1:28.877s effort in Q3 underscored his dominance this weekend.

Q1 drama for Sargeant

The opening segment was disrupted by a nasty crash for Williams rookie Logan Sargeant.

On his sole flying lap, the American lost control through the final corner, spearing heavily into the barriers.

This brought out red flags, limiting several drivers to just one timed effort. Sargeant was unharmed but out of qualifying.

Piastri and Norris impress for McLaren

Oscar Piastri continued his impressive debut season by qualifying 2nd on his first Suzuka visit.

The Australian slotted his McLaren just 0.581s off Verstappen's pace, ahead of teammate Lando Norris in P3.

The orange cars could emerge as key challengers to Red Bull on Sunday.

Ferrari

Despite showing promising pace on Friday, Ferrari struggled in qualifying.

Charles Leclerc led the Scuderia's charge in P4, six tenths adrift of Verstappen, with Carlos Sainz only managing P6.

The Italian team have work to do to fight the dominant Red Bulls during the race.

Mercedes

Mercedes faced further difficulties in extracting single-lap performance from its troublesome W14.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell qualified only 7th and 8th, over 1.1s shy of Verstappen's benchmark.

The team's race pace appeared stronger on Friday, offering hope of progress through the field.

Perez continues to struggle

In the sister Red Bull, Sergio Perez was outpaced by Verstappen to the tune of 0.773s, resigning him to P5 on the grid.

The Mexican will need to find more speed to support Verstappen's title charge on Sunday. Home hero Yuki Tsunoda placed an impressive 9th for AlphaTauri.

2023 Japanese Grand Prix Qualifying Results