Did Max Verstappen just deliver the finest lap of his racing career to claim the pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix? It surely seemed that way to him.
Reflecting on his performance, Verstappen himself admitted the complexity of the question. “It’s tough to say,” he mused. “I’ve set some pretty stellar laps at various tracks. But given how our season kicked off, especially considering this weekend’s ups and downs… it was quite the unexpected outcome. That alone elevates this lap to something truly memorable.”
His performance left his Red Bull team awestruck, and McLaren was caught off guard too.
Throughout the weekend, Verstappen hadn’t really seemed like the pole-position favorite. Until the final moments of qualifying at Suzuka, it appeared that George Russell might present the stiffest competition for McLaren.
Verstappen, despite being a four-time champion, had struggled with the balance of his Red Bull during practice, leaving the team scrambling to tweak the car in his favor. Yet, during the final qualifying run, he was still trailing by over 0.2 seconds behind the fastest McLaren, driven by Oscar Piastri at that point.
And then came the moment of magic from Verstappen. A special performance, indeed.
Recalling that defining lap, Verstappen explained, “I figured, ‘Why play it safe? Let’s just go all in and see how it unfolds.'”
“It’s a rare feat to pull off such an aggressive lap and have it stick, but this time, luck was on our side,” he added.
Which parts of the track did he dare to push to the limits and test fate?
“Heading out of Turn One,” he recounted, “then into Two, Six, Seven, Eight, and the Spoon Curve – those are the sections where I took the leap of faith, and thankfully, it all clicked.”
