Max Verstappen produced an incredible lap to stun McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri and claim a shock pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix.
McLaren have won both races so far this season – one each for Norris and Piastri – and had set the pace by topping all three practice sessions this weekend.
Verstappen’s Red Bull has been off the pace throughout practice, with the four-time world champion saying he was lacking confidence in his car ahead of qualifying. But the Dutchman showed his quality when it mattered to beat Norris by just 0.012 seconds.
Piastri will line up from third on his birthday on Sunday, ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton struggled to find pace for Ferrari and will start Sunday’s race from eighth.
Follow latest updates from the Japanese Grand Prix with The Independent
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F1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- The Japan GP on Sunday starts at 6am (BST)
- Max Verstappen takes incredible pole position; Norris 2nd; Piastri 3rd
- Click HERE for the top-10 in qualifying
- Lewis Hamilton admits his qualifying display was 'not good enough'
- Yuki Tsunoda only P15 in qualifying on Red Bull debut
NEW STARTING GRID AFTER SAINZ PENALTY:
11:30
,
Kieran Jackson
1. Max Verstappen
2. Lando Norris
3. Oscar Piastri
4. Charles Leclerc
5. George Russell
6. Kimi Antonelli
7. Isack Hadjar
8. Lewis Hamilton
9. Alex Albon
10. Ollie Bearman
11. Pierre Gasly
12. Fernando Alonso
13. Liam Lawson
14. Yuki Tsunoda
15. Carlos Sainz*
16. Nico Hulkenberg
17. Gabriel Bortoleto
18. Esteban Ocon
19. Jack Doohan
20. Lance Stroll
*Sainz was given a three-place grid penalty after impeding Lewis Hamilton in qualifying
What time is the Japanese Grand Prix?
11:05
,
Kieran Jackson
Time BST
Sunday 6 April
- Race: 6am
Kimi Antonelli after qualifying P6:
10:50
,
Kieran Jackson
“In FP3, I was lost, I had zero confidence, I was really struggling to improve.
“Qualifying was a good step forward, I had to make such a step it was too big. I need to be more proactive in practice, try and find the limit a bit better.”
Charles Leclerc after qualifying P4:
10:29
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Kieran Jackson
“For sure, I think the lap was really, really good. Not much I could have done better. We unlocked some performance yesterday, today in quali it started to go away from us a little bit, especially in Q3.
“Overall, the lap I done... I was really happy with it. Still a big gap to McLaren and Red Bull, but as a whole, it’s been positive, I feel a lot more confident with the car.”
NEW: Carlos Sainz receives penalty
10:01
,
Kieran Jackson
Sainz has been given a three-place grid penalty for impeding Lewis Hamilton during qualifying.
Looked a slam-dunk to be fair. It means Sainz drops from 12th to 15th.
Lewis Hamilton after qualifying eighth:
09:51
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Kieran Jackson
“Not good enough from my side, P8 is not great,” Hamilton said afterwards.
“I was happy to get into Q3, it’s a really tight battle, just didn't get great laps in in Q3.
“Charles did a great lap. I had a lot of understeer and couldn't dial it up for qualifying.”
On the potential for a wet-race, the 40-year-old added: “I’m excited, I love the rain.
“It'll be tricky, if you have a qualifying like that you hope for rain, so hopefully it stays.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella on qualifying:
09:33
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Kieran Jackson
“Hats off to Verstappen, he pulled off a lap which was quite impressive. He is the world champion four times, there’s a reason for that - well done to him.”
WATCH: Verstappen's pole-setting lap
09:10
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Kieran Jackson
Watch as Max Verstappen takes his first pole of 2025 with a new lap record round Suzuka ⏱️ pic.twitter.com/0rY2wYWFQi
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) April 5, 2025
Red Bull boss Christian Horner:
08:59
“An outstanding lap, he’s extracted every ounce of performance - getting that pole position was completely against the run of form, brilliant for the team.
“Max didn’t leave anything on the table, that was one of his best laps in qualifying ever
“Max has been working so hard behind the scenes with the team, that lap is down to him today.”
On Yuki: “That last run, he was too quick into turn 1, had a big moment in turn 2, it was a shame - I think he would have comfortably made the top-10 today.”
JAPAN GP STARTING GRID:
08:48
,
Kieran Jackson
1. Max Verstappen
2. Lando Norris
3. Oscar Piastri
4. Charles Leclerc
5. George Russell
6. Kimi Antonelli
7. Isack Hadjar
8. Lewis Hamilton
9. Alex Albon
10. Ollie Bearman
11. Pierre Gasly
12. Carlos Sainz
13. Fernando Alonso
14. Liam Lawson
15. Yuki Tsunoda
16. Nico Hulkenberg
17. Gabriel Bortoleto
18. Esteban Ocon
19. Jack Doohan
20. Lance Stroll
Lando Norris, after qualifying second:
08:33
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Kieran Jackson
“I’m happy, congrats to Max, he did a good job, hat’s off. Got to credit a lap that good. I got everything out of the car today, it’s tiny, Max did an amazing lap. For both of us to be up there is good but not enough.
“That’s the goal, no-one knows what the weather will do tomorrow. It will be an exciting race, I’ve been there before, excited for it.
Max Verstappen: "This is a proper highlight for us"
08:25
On pole position: “We tried the best we could to get the best possible balance, every session we made little improvements, that’s where we made the difference - the last lap was flat out.
“Being around here being on the limit or even over it is very rewarding.
“This is a proper highlight for us to be back on pole here, we will look to tomorrow, we’ll do our very best.”
A new lap record at Suzuka, too, and Verstappen will start from pole in a grand prix for the first time since Austria 2024!
TOP-10 IN QUALIFYING
08:17
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Kieran Jackson
1. Max Verstappen - 1:26:983
2. Lando Norris +0.012
3. Oscar Piastri +0.044
4. Charles Leclerc +0.316
5. George Russell +0.335
6. Kimi Antonelli +0.572
7. Isack Hadjar +0.586
8. Lewis Hamilton +0.627
9. Alex Albon +0.632
10. Ollie Bearman +0.884
Max Verstappen on radio:
08:11
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Kieran Jackson
GP: “That is insane, pole position!”
MV: “Yes let’s go! What a lap, yes guys! Yeah, I’m really happy!”
CH: “Pure class!”
Max Verstappen takes pole position!
08:10
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Kieran Jackson
Out of nothing, Verstappen takes pole!
Lando Norris thought he’d done it at the end, before a magic final sector from the Dutchman - 0.012 secs ahead of Norris overall!
That is a massive shock!
3-10: Piastri, Leclerc, Russell, Antonelli, Hadjar, Hamilton, Albon, Bearman
Q3 finale coming up!
08:06
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Kieran Jackson
All 10 drivers out there on new soft tyres then for these final runs!
I think the order could shake-up big time here... 2:00 to go in Q3!
Oscar Piastri on provisional pole!
08:03
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Kieran Jackson
Gosh, bit of a shock after the first laps!
Piastri on provisional pole with a 1:27:052, two-tenths ahead of Max Verstappen in second!
Lando Norris down in P5! What happened to the Brit?! He’ll have one more chance...
3-10: Leclerc, Russell, Norris, Hamilton, Hadjar, Bearman, Albon, Antonelli
6:00 to go in Q3...
Q3 underway!
07:57
Here we go then for the top-10 shootout in Suzuka!
10 drivers involved: Norris, Piastri, Hamilton, Leclerc, Russell, Antonelli, Bearman, Albon, Hadjar, Verstappen
Ollie Bearman upon hearing he's through:
07:53
“Oh my god nice!”
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton and Carlos Sainz will see the stewards - with Sainz potentially in trouble for impeding with Hamilton at turn 1!
Could well be a penalty for the Williams driver...
Yuki Tsunoda is out in Q2!
07:49
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Kieran Jackson
Disappointment for Yuki Tsunoda on his Red Bull debut - he’s only in P15! The slowest in Q2!
Yet Isack Hadjar and Ollie Bearman are through with stunning laps!
Current bottom-five (11-15) and out in Q2: Gasly, Sainz, Alonso, Lawson, Tsunoda
Top-3: Norris, Russell, Verstappen
Time for the top-10 shootout!
Charles Leclerc:
07:45
“First sector was rubbish from me.”
Leclerc P4 at the moment though...
Bottom-five (11-15): Sainz, Alonso, Bearman, Tsunoda, Lawson
3:00 to go in Q2...
Q2 back underway!
07:40
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Kieran Jackson
The fire has been put out and we’re back underway in Suzuka!
Lewis Hamilton in P6 still has work to do, while the top-3 is currently: Norris, Russell, Verstappen
Current bottom-five with 8:26 to go in Q2...
07:39
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Kieran Jackson
11. Sainz
12. Alonso
13. Bearman
14. Tsunoda
15. Lawson
FIA STATEMENT:
07:36
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Kieran Jackson
“Grass fire on the inside of 130R.
“Given there’s 8:30 left on the clock, it’s been decided to red flag the session and resume once the fire has been put out and the area watered again.”
RED FLAG!
07:33
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Kieran Jackson
Another trackside fire!
Q2 stopped with eight minutes to go.... ah jeez.
Q2 underway!
07:27
Time for the next stage of qualifying in Suzuka - 15 minutes where we will again lose the slowest five drivers before the top-10 shootout!
Kimi Antonelli safely through!
07:22
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Kieran Jackson
Antonelli gets through in P8 - and Liam Lawson squeezes through at the end by 0.2 seconds!
Bottom-five and out in Q1 (16-20): Hulkenberg, Bortoleto, Ocon, Doohan, Stroll
What happened to Lance Stroll?!
Top-3: Piastri, Russell, Norris
Alex Albon up to P5!
07:16
,
Kieran Jackson
Impressive lap from the Williams driver - up to fifth!
Current bottom-five (16-20): Lawson, Alonso, Antonelli, Hadjar, Stroll
Antonelli in trouble for Mercedes then ahead of the final flying laps!
2:00 to go in Q1...
Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar...
07:13
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Kieran Jackson
“I don’t know what to do, I can’t focus. I have so much lap time.”
Hadjar down in P19.
Bottom-five (16-20): Lawson, Alonso, Antonelli, Hadjar, Stroll
8:00 to go in Q1...
Max Verstappen...
07:08
,
Kieran Jackson
“I still have the same problems, the front is still not gripping.”
Verstappen P4 early on... but not happy with the RB21!
Lando Norris quickest so far!
07:07
,
Kieran Jackson
Norris sets the pace early on, with Leclerc in second and Tsunoda in third!
About half the pack have set laps so far!
12:00 remaining... and no trackside fires yet!
Q1 underway!
07:01
,
Kieran Jackson
Bit of a queue at the end of the pit-lane as we get underway with qualifying in Suzuka!
The Haas drivers of Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon the first two cars out of the pit-lane here!
18 minutes where we will lose the slowest five drivers here!
Grass fires in FP3!
07:00
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Kieran Jackson
Final practice at the Japanese Grand Prix was again disrupted by grass fires at the side of the track as Lando Norris set the pace.
Friday’s second session was halted twice due to the issue, with dry grass catching fire from the sparks thrown up by the skid blocks under the cars.
The FIA said on Friday evening that preventative measures, including dampening the grass and stationing specific response teams around the track, had been taken.
But it took just six minutes for Saturday’s running in the Suzuka sunshine to be brought to a halt as marshals were sent out with fire extinguishers to deal with more flames.
FULL FP3 RESULTS:
06:57
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Kieran Jackson
Practice is complete ✅
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 5, 2025
Here's your full classification from FP3! Now onto qualifying #F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/vXw8yPHg4u
Qualifying in China!
06:56
,
Kieran Jackson
Here we go then with the third grand prix qualifying session of the season!
McLaren, and more specifically Lando Norris, seem to be the favourites for pole! But can anyone stop them?!
Max Verstappen on RB21 car:
06:40
,
Kieran Jackson
“It is a little bit more nervous, a little bit more unstable in different corner phases," the Dutchman explained. Verstappen spent a portion of last week in Milton Keynes last week too, keen to analyse the car with his engineers.
"I think it's a combination of a lot of things. It depends also on the corner speed, the tarmac, tyres, overheating, bumps, kerbs. Some tracks are more limiting than others. Some issues are easier to solve than others. Everyone is trying their hardest to make the car faster."
EXCLUSIVE: Yuki Tsunoda on F1 change which kept Red Bull dream alive
06:30
,
Kieran Jackson
It was the straw which broke the camel’s back for Yuki Tsunoda in Formula One: a final unleashing of road rage, with sparks flying on the asphalt and over the airwaves.
Disgruntled over a late-race position swap at last year’s season-opener in Bahrain, Tsunoda was eager to vent his exasperation after the race concluded. As cars trundled aimlessly back to the pits, Tsunoda divebombed his teammate Daniel Ricciardo before swerving erratically – and dangerously – towards the second RB car. “Yeah thanks guys,” Tsunoda ranted, sarcastically, over team radio. “I appreciate it.”
Ricciardo, generally not one to lose his cool, momentarily did: “What the f*** is wrong? I’ll save it... f***ing helmet.”
It is the instance of immaturity Tsunoda himself brings up, at the end of a 15-minute conversation with The Independent, which flicked a switch in his mind: the fiery blow-ups could not continue.
McLaren F1 legend suffers ‘medical emergency’ with family releasing statement
06:24
,
Kieran Jackson
McLaren legend Jochen Mass has suffered a “medical emergency” – with his family revealing the 78-year-old will be “stepping back from all public appearances” while he recovers.
The exact nature of the emergency for German icon Mass, who raced 105 times in F1 from 1973-1982 and won the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix, has not been revealed by his family.
A statement on Sunday read: “The family of Jochen Mass, wishes to share that he is currently recovering from a recent medical emergency.
“While Jochen’s condition is stable, he will be stepping back from all public appearances and engagements for the foreseeable future as he focuses on his recovery.
“We as a family are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support and kindly request privacy during this time. We are wishing Jochen a speedy recovery.”
Sergio Perez reveals talks with multiple teams over F1 return
05:29
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Kieran Jackson
“I've been approached by a few teams since Abu Dhabi. The season has started, so a few things will open up in the coming months," Perez said.
"Once I know all my options, I will make a decision.
“What is very clear to me is that I'm only coming back if the project makes sense and it's something I can enjoy."
Carlos Sainz on trying to find results at Williams:
04:01
,
Kieran Jackson
“We’re working in changing my driving style for this kind of circuit and asphalt. And changing the car as well, to adapt it in my direction and paying attention to what worked in Bahrain.
“With these experiences and theories, we’ll face Suzuka with excitement and motivation to see if we can take that step forward.”
Lewis Hamilton’s win in China ‘not good’ for relationship with Charles Leclerc, says former F1 champion
03:03
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Kieran Jackson
Jacques Villeneuve believes Lewis Hamilton’s sprint win in China is “not good” for his relationship with Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton claimed his first win in the red of Ferrari with victory in the Saturday sprint race in Shanghai, a day before the Brit and Leclerc were disqualified from the grand prix.
Ferrari will be looking to bounce back at the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend, round three of the 2025 season, but 1997 F1 world champion Villeneuve believes the sprint win puts Hamilton in a “privileged” position within the Italian team.
“Lewis, having won a race, I'm not sure it’s very good for the relationship [with Leclerc],” Villeneuve said.
Full quotes below:
WATCH: Lawson reacts to Red Bull axe
02:03
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Kieran Jackson
Lando Norris states McLaren are only F1 team that currently have ‘two good drivers’
01:01
,
Kieran Jackson
“We are not that far ahead but I think it’s because we literally are the only team that has two good drivers at the minute,” Norris said in Japan.
“That’s the big difference, you know, if one of us was doing a lot worse, or one of us was not as strong…
“I think just the fact we have two good drivers is obviously making the biggest difference.”
Jack Doohan's reaction to 185mph crash:
Saturday 5 April 2025 00:03
,
Kieran Jackson
“First of all, I am OK after the incident.
“It was a heavy one, something that caught me by surprise, and I will learn from it. I know the team has a lot of work ahead to repair the car going into tomorrow, so thanks in advance to them for their efforts.
“My focus is on tomorrow where we will have Free Practice 3 to get ready for Qualifying.”
Red Bull senior adviser Helmut Marko on Tsunoda's start:
Friday 4 April 2025 23:00
"A very good day for Yuki"
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) April 4, 2025
Helmut Marko full of praise after Tsunoda’s first Red Bull outing pic.twitter.com/MQ2NHiW3lk
What are the timings in Suzuka?
Friday 4 April 2025 22:02
,
Kieran Jackson
All times BST
Saturday 5 April
- Free practice 3: 3:30am
- Qualifying: 7am
Sunday 6 April
- Race: 6am
FULL STORY: Doohan suffers 185mph crash in practice
Friday 4 April 2025 22:01
,
Kieran Jackson
Jack Doohan escaped unharmed after a massive 185mph crash in practice at the Japanese Grand Prix on Friday.
The Australian driver, in just his fourth F1 race weekend, was driving full-throttle down the main straight towards the sweeping right-handed turn 1 corner.
Yet the car bottomed out, with the DRS rear wing still open, and Doohan’s Alpine car spun violently into the tyre barrier.
Full report below:
Max Verstappen will receive Aston Martin offer ‘he can’t refuse’, says ex-F1 driver
Friday 4 April 2025 20:01
,
Kieran Jackson
Former F1 race winner Juan Pablo Montoya believes Max Verstappen will receive an offer from Aston Martin “he can’t refuse” next year.
Full quotes below:
Yuki Tsunoda's first day in a Red Bull:
Friday 4 April 2025 19:01
,
Kieran Jackson
Yuki Tsunoda made a solid start to life at Red Bull. The Japanese driver has replaced Liam Lawson after the New Zealander was ditched after just two races and returned to Racing Bulls.
Tsunoda was sixth fastest in FP1 and just over a tenth off the pace of team-mate and four-time world champion Max Verstappen.
Lawson, meanwhile, was 13th fastest, more than three-tenths off the other Racing Bull of Isack Hadjar.
FP2’s times were largely irrelevant given all the yellow flags...
F1 driver standings after two races:
Friday 4 April 2025 18:00
,
Kieran Jackson
1. Lando Norris – 44 points
2. Max Verstappen – 36 points
3. George Russell – 35 points
4. Oscar Piastri – 34 points
5. Kimi Antonelli – 22 points
6. Alex Albon – 16 points
7. Esteban Ocon – 10 points
8. Lance Stroll – 10 points
9. Lewis Hamilton – 9 points
10. Charles Leclerc – 8 points
11. Nico Hulkenberg – 6 points
12. Ollie Bearman – 4 points
13. Yuki Tsunoda – 3 points
14. Carlos Sainz – 1 point
15. Isack Hadjar – 0 points
16. Pierre Gasly – 0 points
17. Liam Lawson – 0 points
18. Jack Doohan – 0 points
19. Gabriel Bortoleto – 0 points
20. Fernando Alonso – 0 points
Lewis Hamilton dismissed claims he has 'lost faith' in Ferrari as 'complete nonsense'
Friday 4 April 2025 17:01
,
Kieran Jackson
“I saw something asking whether I was losing faith in the team which is complete rubbish,” Hamilton said in Japan.
“I have absolute 100 per cent faith in this team.”
Full quotes below: