‘Incredibly rewarding’ – Verstappen hails ‘insane’ lap in Suzuka as he seals first Grand Prix pole since Austria 2024

Max Verstappen hailed the "incredibly rewarding" experience around Suzuka as he sealed his first pole position since last year's Austrian Grand Prix.

The Dutchman will start Red Bull’s final Japanese Grand Prix with engine partner Honda from the front of the grid, marking his fourth consecutive Suzuka pole success.

READ MORE: Verstappen clinches stunning pole position ahead of Norris and Piastri in Japanese GP Qualifying

The McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris had both looked like difficult targets to beat – with Piastri topping Q1 and Norris Q2 – before the former took provisional pole in Q3 after the first round of laps.

While Norris had seemingly pipped his team mate in the closing moments, Verstappen’s stunning 1m 26.983s lap – dubbed "insane" by his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase – was better still and proved enough to secure pole by 0.012s to the Briton.

Asked if he was surprised to find himself at the front of the pack, Verstappen said: “Yeah, I am!

“We tried the best we could to get the best possible balance with the car, but it wasn’t easy even in Qualifying. Every session, we just kept on making little improvements, and I think that’s where we made the difference.

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The last lap was just flat out. Around here, being on the limit or maybe a bit over in places is incredibly rewarding.”

He added: “It’s insane in a Formula 1 car around here. Sector 1 especially is unbelievable. The new Tarmac as well just gives you even more grip so to commit is even harder.”

While the weekend in Japan has been dry so far, there is a threat of rain during Sunday’s Grand Prix, which could add extra drama to proceedings.

With that in mind the weather could make it more difficult for Verstappen to keep the McLaren pair behind even on a layout where overtaking is often at a premium.

Pressed on the challenge ahead, Verstappen acknowledged: “For sure. This is a proper highlight for us to be back on pole here. We will look to tomorrow. There might be some rain around but we’ll do our very best.”

HIGHLIGHTS: Relive Verstappen's surprise pole in Japanese GP Qualifying