The Dutchman set the best lap time in his Red Bull in dry conditions in Formula 1 qualifying in Suzuka on Saturday and was just faster than Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc (+0.010 seconds) and Carlos Sainz (+0.057).
“Of course I’m happy about pole,” said Verstappen with satisfaction. The 25-year-old will start from the front for the fifth time this year, it was the 18th pole for Verstappen. In the race, it will be interesting to see how the weather turns out, emphasized the Red Bull driver, “we’ll have to see how that develops. I’m confident we have a good car.”
Wet conditions on Sunday
Sergio Perez finished fourth (+0.405) in the second Red Bull. If Verstappen wins on Sunday (7 a.m. / Sky, ServusTV) in the expected wet conditions and also turns the fastest race lap, he will make the successful title defense perfect early on. It can also be enough for the second title in other constellations, Verstappen only has to get eight points more than Leclerc and six more than Perez.
Before the 18th of 22 races of the season, Verstappen leads Leclerc with 104 points, after the race he needs at least 112 points. Otherwise the decision will be postponed to the next race in the USA. Leclerc was a hundredth of a second slower than Verstappen on Saturday, so Monegasse has to attack in the race. “We have very little data, it’s always a challenge,” said the 24-year-old, referring to the weather. “It might rain in between so it should be fun. I hope we put on a good show.”
No pressure
With the comeback in Japan, because of the corona pandemic, the racing series was not a guest in Suzuka for two years, Verstappen has everything in his own hands – and no pressure. “Thank God we have a cushion. If it doesn’t work out here, then in the next races,” emphasized Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko on ServusTV. “But of course it would be nice for Honda, you can see how enthusiastic the spectators are. We feel really at home there.”
For engine supplier Honda, securing Verstappen’s second world title at the home race would be a highlight. In any case, the chances are good. Even a probable wet race did not worry Marko. “We chose a setting that should work both in the dry and in the rain. With Max as a specialized rain driver, we have no concerns either,” he said.
Short moment of shock in qualifying
Verstappen and McLaren driver Lando Norris caused a moment of shock in qualifying. When his tires were warming up, Verstappen briefly got in the way of the Briton, Norris had to go onto the grass to avoid it. The race commissioners wanted to investigate the incident, but a severe penalty for Verstappen was considered unlikely. At first it was unclear whether the world championship leader might still lose first place on the grid.
“There’s no rule about what you can do, but you can’t do what he did,” Norris said. He had to avoid “a big crash”, which ruined his fast lap.
Source: Nachrichten
