“That’s insane,” was Christian Horner’s initial reaction over the Red Bull team radio, as Max Verstappen claimed pole position from the two McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, following up in second and third, respectively. As with previous races, the papaya cars of Norris and Piastri appeared to be leading contenders for the number one grid slot, making Verstappen’s last-minute dash all the more surprising.
“We tried the best we could to get the best possible balance,” Verstappen explained. “It wasn’t easy, but every session we had little improvements. That last lap was just flat out, and it is incredibly rewarding.”
MAX VERSTAPPEN IS ON POLE!! 🥇
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 5, 2025
Q3 comes to an end with an impressive lap from Verstappen clinching first position from Lando Norris!#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/c11rIwyDQ4
Charles Leclerc will line up in fourth position, followed by the two Mercedes cars of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, the latter continuing to demonstrate the talent that earned him a rookie drive in one of the sport’s top teams.
Q3
Oscar Piastri took provisional pole after the first runs, over two-tenths ahead of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. In what is becoming a fierce intra-team battle, the sister McLaren of Lando Norris was only able to claim fifth.
Norris improved significantly in his second attempt, usurping his teammate by mere hundredths of a second, and Piastri’s final lap fell short, giving McLaren another provisional 1-2 lineup, but with the positions reversed from the last race in China.
Verstappen, however, seemed determined to end McLaren’s early season qualifying dominance, extracting every bit of performance from his Red Bull to steal pole from both McLarens and a new lap record for the Suzuka track. Only 0.044 seconds separated the top three cars.
As has become the trend across the first races of the season, Mercedes and Ferrari were several tenths behind the top group of Norris, Piastri, and Verstappen. Leclerc managed fourth, with Russell and Antonelli in fifth and sixth.
Lewis Hamilton continued to struggle more than Leclerc in the Ferrari, qualifying in eighth behind the Racing Bulls of Isack Hadjar, who had suffered problems with his seat belt in the earlier sessions.
While Verstappen’s surprise pole attracted much of the attention, Alex Albon continued Williams’ strong form, and Oliver Bearman posted another surprise grid slot, taking 10th for Haas.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Leader |
| 1. | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:26:983m |
| 2. | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.012s |
| 3. | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +0.044s |
| 4. | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.316s |
| 5. | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.335s |
| 6. | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.572s |
| 7. | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +0.586s |
| 8. | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.627s |
| 9. | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +0.632s |
| 10. | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | +0.884s |
Q2
Grass fires, caused by sparks from the cars’ titanium skid blocks, resulted in a red flag, but only after all cars had completed their first run. Track officials had tried to dampen the dry grass after the same problem had occurred in two of the free practice sessions.
Home favorite Yuki Tsunoda, driving a Red Bull for the first time, was unable to progress to Q3, finishing in 15th. After being replaced by Tsunoda at the top Red Bull team, Liam Lawson put his Racing Bulls car one place better, qualifying in 14th.
Isack Hadjar had seemingly solved his earlier seat belt problems, taking the second Racing Bulls into the top ten shootout.
OUT IN Q2 👇
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 5, 2025
Not the session Yuki Tsunoda would have been hoping for 😢#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/L4DNfR2IzV
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 11. | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.111s |
| 12. | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | +0.125s |
| 13. | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | +0.186s |
| 14. | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | +0.195s |
| 15. | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | +0.289s |
Q1
Lewis Hamilton tried to save a set of soft tires for the later sessions, his Ferrari the only car to have the yellow-striped medium compound. The strategy was unsuccessful, leaving him in 18th position and forcing him straight back out on the red-marked softs.
Isack Hadjar complained of a problem that had also afflicted him in the final practice session, later revealed to be seat belt related. He stated: “If this is what ruins our qualifying, I’m very sorry.” The issue remained in his second run, but he managed to avoid an early exit, qualifying in 13th. Liam Lawson, now driving for Racing Bulls, also scraped through to Q2 in his first race since being demoted from the top Red Bull team.
Through into Q2 for Liam Lawson 😀#F1 #JapaneseGP pic.twitter.com/G4YL37Nxge
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 5, 2025
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 16. | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Kick Sauber | +0.603s |
| 17. | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | +0.655s |
| 18. | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | +0.729s |
| 19. | 7 | Jack Doohan | Alpine | +0.910s |
| 20. | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1.304s |
Coverage for the Japanese Grand Prix starts tomorrow, April 5, at 12.55 a.m. ET on ESPN. With the possibility of rain, the race could yet have some unexpected twists and turns.
Peter Molloy began following Formula 1 during the 1985 Australian Grand Prix. He cheered for a certain Ayrton Senna, who was driving the same black and gold colors as a toy F1 car that Pete had been given. Pete continued to be a fan of Senna throughout his childhood. Fast forward many moons, and Peter now combines significant journalistic experience with decades of watching F1 to cover the latest on-track and off-track action.