Formula 1 in Japan: Verstappen leaves Australia’s problems behind him and wins a new pole

The Dutch Max Verstappen (Red Bull)leader of the championship, will start first in the Japanese Grand Prixthe fourth round of the Formula 1 World Championship, which will take place this Sunday on the Suzuka circuit, where his teammate, The Mexican Sergio Pérezwill start second, the British Lando Norris (McLaren) will start from third place while the Spaniards Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) will do so from fourth and fifth place on the grid respectively.

Verstappen, 26, has achieved his goal thirty-sixth pole in F1 – the fourth of the season – dominating this Saturday’s qualifying, in the third and decisive round of which he covered – on soft tires – the 5,807 meters of the legendary Japanese track of one minute, 28 seconds and 197 thousandths. Only 66 less than ‘Checo’, who, after an excellent performance, will start second; and with an advantage of 292 over the Englishman Lando Norris (McLaren), third in the main time trial.

Sainz, who just achieved an epic victory in Australia – just two weeks after surgery for appendicitis – he was 48 hundredths from the finish line “Mad Max” and improved by just four thousandths on Alonso, who will start fifth, one position behind, in Japan, where the Asturian double world champion achieved two of his 32 victories: one at Fuji – the scene of the debut on the calendar of this Grand Prix, in 1976- and another on this track.

Verstappen and Pérez had scored two ‘doubles’ in the first two races, in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia -where Sainz didn’t run-, but the predator The Dutchman was forced to retire on the second lap with brake failure, and Checo had not achieved higher than fifth place in Australia. Saturday can therefore be interpreted as a call to order for the drivers of the very dominant Austrian team.

In the morning, the sporting idol of Holland and Pérez, who had already done it, also in this order, in the first – the second was useless on Friday, interrupted by the rain -, also dominated the classification of the third and final training in Suzuka . A trace pilotwith a unique track – shaped like an eight -, 18 curves – some very fast and abrasive – and a downhill finish line.

Mad Max (1:29.563) – who leads the World Championship with 51 points, four more than Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and five ahead of Checo – had 269 thousandths of an advantage over his teammate, with the two Englishmen from Mercedes behind him: George Russell -at 355- scored the third half and the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton -at 474- the fourth. Alonso, this time with the new platform of his AMR24, was thrilled with the fifth fastest time, just over half a second, in the last test.

Sainz, fourth in the World Championship (40 points), who achieved his third victory and his twentieth podium in F1 in Australia, ranked seventh in the third free classification, six tenths behind his first teammate in F1. In 2015 (at Toro Rosso: then Alpha Tauri and now RB). Between the two McLarens, those of his friend and former teammate Norris – who will accompany him this Sunday on the second row – and the Australian Oscar Piastri, who starts sixth, on the third row, next to Alonso.

In the last training session American Logan Sargeant participated, who had damaged his FW46 on Friday morning and feared missing a Grand Prix again, given that Williams won’t have a third chassis until the next race, in China; and for this reason the Grove team had invited the American – eliminated in Q1 – to hand over his car to his teammate, the Thai Alex Albonwho had destroyed his in FP1 at Albert Park.

Sainz had just achieved a heroic victory in Melbourne, where he preceded a Ferrari “double”. Leclerc, who will start eighth, in the fourth row and next to Hamilton. Thus calling into question not only the hegemony of Red Bull, but also the decision of the most successful team in history, which decided not to renew it and which will have it at the wheel next year Sir Lewiswho, at 40, will be the new companion of the pilot from the principality of the Côte d’Azur.

He Walk with Canadian spear -Alonso’s teammate at Aston Martin- and Frenchman Pierre Gasly (Alpine) were eliminated in the first qualifying round, in which Verstappen was the fastest, becoming the first to break the 1:29 barrier .

Alonso, flying in the rings of the first sector, inserted himself between the two Red Bulls, 38 hundredths behind the three-time world champion; and Checo is third, 437 thousandths behind the Dutch star. Sainz also saved the soft tires and crossed the finish line, with the sixth fastest time, 647 thousandths behind the championship leader.

Verstappen did not improve his time in the first act, but was once again fastest in Q2in which he improved by one hundredth on Checo and in which Alonso – at 342 thousandths – and Sainz – at 359 – finished in fifth and sixth position respectively.

In the second round of the main time trial the double world runner-up fell The Finn Valtteri Bottas (Kick Sauber) and the Australian Daniel Ricciardosurpassed once again by the local idol, the Japanese Yuki Tsunodawho progressed to Q3 and will start tenth, next to Russell, on the fifth row.

In the decisive act it was Verstappen who dictated directly at the first attempt, with which Checo, back in form, remained very close to the World Championship leader. On a track that was getting worse and worse and where no one except the brilliant Asturian driver –“The last lap was a little beyond my capabilities and it went well.”– was improved in the final round.

Sainz said he was satisfied and underlined, aware that Ferrari showed good pace in the long runs, that he will aim “for the podium” this Sunday in Suzuka. A prize that Alonso will not give up, in an interminable second youth at 42 years of age, in a test in which no one doubts that, in normal conditions – in principle no rain is expected -, Mad Max AND Czechwhich he has not yet renewed, will aim for a new ‘double’ for Red Bull.