Verstappen grabs pole in Japan for Red Bull one-two
Triple world champion Max Verstappen said his performance "wasn't ideal" but still good enough to grab pole position for Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix ahead of Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez. Verstappen, who failed to finish the race in Australia a fortnight ago, clocked a fastest lap of 1min 28.197sec in qualifying at Suzuka – just 0.066sec ahead of the Mexican for a Red Bull one-two. It was the fourth time the Dutchman has claimed pole in as many races this season. Verstappen said he was "not very happy with myself" after almost letting Perez snatch top spot in the dying moments. "It wasn't ideal but it was still good enough," said the Dutchman. "Of course I always want it to be perfect but that's not possible. Luckily it was still good enough today." McLaren's Lando Norris was third, 0.292sec behind Verstappen. Perez was in third place heading towards the end of a gripping qualifying session in dry conditions but he almost jumped into top spot with an inspired final effort. The Mexican said it was "quite difficult to get the perfect lap nailed." "It was close today but I think the whole weekend has been good," said Perez, who finished runner-up behind Verstappen in the first two grands prix of the season. "We made some good progress and we managed to keep some consistency through qualifying. "Let's see what we are able to do tomorrow," he added. Ferrari's Carlos Sainz, who won in Melbourne, was fourth. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso was fifth ahead of McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished eighth ahead of Mercedes' George Russell and RB's Yuki Tsunoda. (AFP)